NUFORC Sighting 71204

Occurred: 1997-04-01 01:00 Local
Reported: 2009-07-21 00:27 Pacific
Duration: 2 minutes
No of observers: 1

Location: Foster, VA, USA

Shape: Cigar
Characteristics: Lights on object

From Halle-Bopp's distance, a huge ship sped into the atmosphere, slowed silently and closely overhead, and zoomed back into space.

About 1:00 a.m. on April 1, 1997, I decided to go out my back door in Mathews, Virginia to observe the comet, Hale-Bopp. As I was watching to the north sky, I saw something come from what appeared to be from the comet (or behind it). At first, I laughed at thinking a plane was offering me an illusion it was coming from space. As seconds rolled past, I noticed it appeared to drop into the atmosphere and was coming closer and fast. In addition, the vessel had no blinking lights-just solid ones. I remember thinking no plane could travel that fast, for it had flown from the comet to a distant plane distance in less than one minute.

The spacecraft quickly dropped to just above the vast forest behind the house, quickly slowing down and coming my way. As it approached, it looked like a plane with solid lights, maybe two lights. I had time to think it through that this slow ship just sped in from space.

To my surprise, the spaceship dropped to just above the trees and passed in a straight line over my head. It passed so slow that I watched the nose go over my head. It was not very wide, and it was almost silent. All I could hear was a low roar. The trees did not move from the wind. The body kept getting wider. I was looking straight up at the dark colored spaceship. It could not have been more than 200 feet in the air. I kept telling myself to be calm. I was exhilarated with curiosity.

The wing I viewed as the right wing spanned across the house and yard. The left wing spanned over the neighbor’s yard. As the wings passed over, I noted the wings were a smooth part of the ship and pointed slightly forward. As the spaceship revealed its back, I saw a large and brightly lit rectangular window with rounded edges. All I could see was a wall of something at the back. I kept thinking it was a computer wall or something similar.

Then, what appeared to be faster than when it sped in, the spaceship left. After the ship passed, it made a sudden jump into the sky, curving NNE and then NE and the East and shot over the Chesapeake Bay into space. In less than five seconds, I saw the ship jump out of the atmosphere.

I immediately drew pictures and started researching. I wanted to report the sighting, but I stopped talking about it, because when I did, I faced ridicule or ignorance. I never reported it until now. Was this ship observing the comet, and did this ship take a side excursion to Earth because we were so close? How could a ship travel so fast, quietly slowing to the speed of a slow car quietly, and speed back into space?

Posted 2009-08-05