NUFORC Sighting 148166

Occurred: 2019-08-09 00:45 Local
Reported: 2019-08-09 06:10 Pacific
Duration: 5 minutes
No of observers: 1

Location: Federal Way, WA, USA

Shape: Triangle
Characteristics: Lights on object

Triangle hovering low next to highway near SeaTac airport

I was driving southbound on I-5 a few miles south of SeaTac airport on Thursday night (Friday morning), around 12:45AM. I travel this way several nights a week and always watch the air traffic around SeaTac and McChord Field.

Tonight, I saw an aircraft I first thought was an airliner on the SeaTac glideslope, but it was kind of odd. It had one bright white light that strobed (like two blinks, pause, two blinks), a solid white light, and a fainter solid red light. They didn't look particularly unusual for aircraft lights, just in a configuration I've never noticed before. I can't even say that description of the lights is completely accurate - I was driving, and assuming it was just an airplane, not paying that close attention - but something along those lines.

After a few minutes, I realized it wasn't an airliner, it was hovering at a few hundred feet just west of the highway. I assumed it was a helicopter. I glanced up at it as I passed, and nope, it was a perfect dark grey or black triangle, with the lights at the tips. I'd say it was hovering at maybe 200-300ft and maybe about 40ft on a side, and I didn't notice any noise.

I wasn't able to stop or go back, but I watched it in my rear-view mirror and it didn't seem to move much, if at all. I drove around a bend out of sight after maybe half a minute.

Even at 00:45, I-5 close to SeaTac is a fairly busy highway. There should be plenty of other witnesses, if anyone bothered to look up.

Posted 2019-08-23

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