NUFORC Sighting 84656

Occurred: 2011-10-19 20:37 Local
Reported: 2011-10-20 08:38 Pacific
Duration: 10 seconds
No of observers: 1

Location: Maricopa, AZ, USA

Shape: Other
Characteristics: Lights on object

Boomerang aircraft 15-20 white lights on leading edge Maricopa Arizona

First off let me say I am 46 years old and have served in the Navy back in the 80's ad 90's as an F-14 mechanic. I have been exposed to just about every type of military aircraft and their general capabilities. I am also a Cessna private pilot. With that being said what I observed tonight while sitting on my back patio went against every type of known aircraft I have been exposed to including any on TV.This occurred in the City of Maricopa in Pinal County Arizona.

At 2037 hours (8:37PM) I was smoking a cigarette on my back patio sitting in my chair facing directly North. Out of the corner of my right eye I caught a movement and turned my head to the right and saw what initially appeared to me to be a flock of birds glowing pure white flying due West. About 2 seconds after my initial observation I thought to myself wait a minute, its nighttime and birds don't glow in the dark.

I then realized what I was observing was some sort of aircraft that was in the shape of a boomerang that had on the front leading edges of the aircraft approximatley 15-20 white lights from wing tip to wing tip including the center. At that time it was now directly in front of me traveling in a due westerl course following highway 347 almost to the center of my town. I live in a small town. I estimate based on my military and private pilot experience it was traveling around 500 knots. It passed to my left and I was not able to observe any red or green anti-collision lights or the required white tail light.

In my experience I knew a military type aircraft flying at this speed would have some tailtale sign of emmission from the tailpipes and none was observed. I was approximately 1/4 to no more then 1/2 mile from this object that appeared to be the size of a standard size house I estimate its altitude to have been around 1,000-1,500 feet. It made zero sound. When it was in my center field of vision I could see clearly it was a boomerang shaped aircraft that had a very dark skin color that caused it to contrast with the night sky and allow its shape to be easily seen as it flew by.

This aircraft traveled for another 4-5 seconds and then made a very abrubt course change to a due north course from its easterly course. This course change caused me at that time to lose any sight of the aircraft. It appeared to follow the Union Pacific Railroad line going north and then west.

I called my sister inlaw who lives about a 1/4 mile to my northwest as it appeared to have changed course right over her house and asked her if she was outside smoking and did she see any object fly by. She stated she was outside at that time but did not see or hear any aircraft. She was under her patio cover so if it went over her house she would not have been able to see it.

I immediately called Luke Airforce base 556th Fighter Squadron and inquired as to whether they were currently conducting any night time operations in this area or the Barry Goldwater range about 40 miles southwest of me and the duty officer stated no, they were not currently conducting any operations in our area. Note: we sometimes see Lukes F-16 fly over us on there way to the range but it is always in the day time and not at night. I gave the duty officer a brief of what I observed and he entered it into his duty log.

I then called my local police dispatch and inquired if anybody including any of the on duty patrol officers had reported any unidentified aircraft flying over town at a low altitude in the last 15 minutes and she responded that they have not received any other reports at that time. I gave her a quick brief of my observation.

Closing comments: I have never seen an unidentified flying object before and this is the first time I have ever made a report on one to anybody. I was not drinking and I am of sound mind. I have usually laughed about other people alleged sightings including one my brother and mother reported to me awhile back. What I saw tonight was not anything I have ever seen before and the flight capabilities were not of anything I have seen in my F-14 experience or in other military jet aircraft I have been exposed to. Its ability to make such an abrubt course change defies newton law of an object in motion stays in motion. We currently don't have any known advance technology to effect that sort of abrupt course change. If this was infact a secret military test aircraft then I would say we have advanced significantly in our technology and have somehow been able to develope structual technology that is able to resist high G-force levels both positive and negative.

What disproves this theory to me is it takes a lot of energy to make such a turn and it requires extremely strong flight controls to force such an abrupt course change and that would have caused the aircraft to emit some level of noise and this aircraft was extremely quite. It would have caused a significant amount of stress on the airframe and on the flightcrew.

Posted 2011-10-25

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