Jan. thru Dec., 2000 UFO Investigation Reports
Date of Sighting: 27 Jan., 2000 Location of Sighting: Oakdale, MN Sighting Classification: CE-1 Investigators: Dean & Margaret DeHarpporte Environmental Conditions at time of sighting at the MSP International Airport approximately 15 miles southwest of the sighting location: Temperature 7 deg F. Wind from the south at 7 mph, broken clouds at 10000 ft MSL, visibility >10 miles, dewpoint <-20 F, 4 inches snow on ground, airmass type: modified arctic. Witness Description: Witness is a married male in mid 40s living in a typical suburban ranch style house who wishes to remain anonymous, but may be contacted through the Sighting Investigators. Witness had only passing interest in UFOs and had not read anything on the subject but has an open mind. No other witnesses to the sighting were known; however, there was no attempt to identify correlate witnesses, if any exist. The subjective evaluation of the witness by the investigators was that he was not subject to exaggeration or dramatic embellishments. Sighting Location: Figure 1 shows the vicinity of the sighting in the suburban neighborhood of Oakdale in the northeast quadrant of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Sighting Description: The witness was up alone (his wife was in bed) at 2330 when he chanced to look out the kitchen window toward the west where there was open brushland extending approx. 800 ft. He saw what appeared to be a private airplane moving toward him approximately 45 degrees above the horizon from the direction of Holman Field (west) approximately 8 miles to the west southwest of his house. However, the craft appeared to move more slowly than the average small plane and as it came closer the witness observed it as a square configuration of lights of a size between that of a small plane and a an average size house (Fig. 2). Two of the lights were white and two were blue, but the witness could not remember which lights were blue or white. The best estimate of the height of the craft when it first appeared was 5000 ft; however, the witness emphasized the uncertainty of his estimate. The witness said the appearance was similar to typical pulsing airplane lights, except that airplane lights are not normally blue and do not normally appear as a square configuration. The lights continued to approach him at approximately 60-90 mph, slowing perceptibly several times but then eventually stopped for 2-3 seconds at an elevation of approximately 60 degrees. The witness stated that he did not think it was possible that he was observing a craft moving directly toward him which might result in the illusion of a stationary craft. It was very difficult to estimate altitude but the witness’ best estimate was 1500-2000 ft AGL. The path of the craft is shown in Fig. 3. Between the time the witness first saw the craft and the time it stopped closest to him, it decreased in altitude by approximately 3000 ft. After stopping within a few hundred feet of him, the craft made an abrupt 130 deg turn to the left and moved slowly toward the northwest and then west northwest. The witness opened the patio door and watched the craft until it was out of sight behind the line of trees. The entire duration of the sighting was “a few minutes”. No helicopter rotors were visible (which the witness said would have been evident at that distance based on many previous helicopter sightings in the same vicinity). The witness estimated the craft to be as bright as a star (or airplane light). No noise was heard. No unusual sound, no emotions evoked. No “oz factor”. Witness thought the craft was a helicopter until the next day when he realized it made no noise, made an abrupt turn, and was lighted unlike any aircraft he had ever witnessed. It was at that time that the witness decided he may have seen a UFO. Sighting Evaluation: Since it approached along the normal flight path from Holman Field, the craft was possibly a helicopter or light aircraft. However, the lack of noise or rotors and that the witness believed that a helicopter could not have executed a discontinuous 130 degree turn argues against that conventional explanation.
ABSTRACT: Plymouth MN CE1 Triangular object at close range CASE_TYPE: CE1 SVP_RATING: 444 Date/Time: 10/2000 22:30CST DURATION: 1-5_minutes LATITUDE: 45.00.N LONGITUDE: 93.25.W NEAR_TOWN_OR_CITY: Plymouth, MN USA SITE: suburb SKY: clear MUFON_REPORTEES: 1 NUMBER_OBSERVED: 1 ELEVATION: 55-60_degrees LOWEST_ALTITUDE: over_500_feet DISTANCE: 501_feet_to_1_mile FLIGHT: straight_line_path DIRECT_FIRST_OBSVED: S DIRECT_LAST_OBSVED: SW SHAPE: triangle SURFACE: dark STRUCTURE: wings APPARENT_SIZE: larger ACTUAL_SIZE: 101-300_feet SURFACE_COLOR: grey_lead_silver EXT_LIGHTS: steady EXT_LIGHTS_COLOR: blue CHANGE_COLOR: no INVESTIGATOR1_NAME: Craig R. Lang INVESTIGATOR1_PHONE: 763-560-1532 INVESTIGATOR1_EMAIL: crlang@mm.com Sighting Background: I was contacted by the witness at the close of the Minnesota MUFON meeting in December 2001, regarding this sighting. I interviewed her in January of 2002. Witness Description: The witness is a 79 year old female. She is a homemaker and retired bank and mortgage clerk. She has extensively followed the UFO phenomenon in the last few years and indicates that she may have had a number of psychic and UFOlogical experiences. Sighting Account: The witness was doing some quick household chores on the main floor of her house at about 10:30 PM. She was momentarily standing on her back porch, which is one floor above ground level, facing southeast. She indicates that she often observes the sky, and at this moment, she looked up and observed a large triangular object nearly due south in the sky at an elevation of about 50 degrees or higher. The object moved out of her view so she ran into her living room, which has a south facing window, and attempted to look up at the object. She was unable to see it due to the overhang of the roof. She thus lost sight of the object at that point. She felt that the total sighting time was under two minutes [CL Estimate: probably less than one minute]. Object Description: She describes the object as being about six times larger than an aircraft would appear at that location. It moved slowly and silently in an east to west path. She did not know the elevation, and thus could not estimate its size, however, its angular size was larger than that of a garage about ˝ blocks away from where she stood [CL estimate, angular size would have been at least that of hand at arms length].Figure 1: Witness sketch of object [CL Annotation] The object was described as having at least three non- blinking blue lights on each 'wing' and one at the apex. The color was described as dark, but not absolute black. The motion of the object was slow, smooth and silent. Additional Witnesses: None are known. However, the proximity of the witness’ location to two major freeways (US Hwy 169 less than 3 miles to the east, and I494 to the west) is very noteworthy. It is possible that a significant number of commuters on these highways could have seen this object. Weather Conditions: Witness describes weather as clear and cool. Detailed weather conditions are not available due to the uncertainty regarding the date. Natural and Manmade Phenomena Check: Null hypothesis: Aircraft at unusually low elevation. The configuration and blue lighting are not consistent with known aircraft. The witness also describes the motion as being much slower than an aircraft. In addition, any aircraft low enough to have that large an apparent size would have been clearly audible. Additional Note: The description of this object is similar to that of several other 'triangle' and 'boomerang' shaped objects observed in the last several years in the Twin Cities Metropolitan area. Consistent themes of these reports are the large size of the object, its slow, smooth movement, and its low altitude. Sighting Evaluation: CE1, unexplained
Date of Sighting: 05 December, 2000
Location of Sighting: Southbound Noble Ave N. at 85th St, Brooklyn Park, MN
Type of Report: Triangular object close approach - Fly-by or Close Encounter of the
1st Kind (FB1/CE1)
Date of Report: 03 January 2001
Investigator: Craig R. Lang - Minnesota MUFON
Local Evaluation: Probable unexplained pending further investigation - Currently
seeking more witnesses.
Sighting Background:
The witnesses contacted MUFON headquarters via e-mail (to mufonhq@aol.com)
on 06 December, 2000, the day after their sighting. The report was immediately
forwarded to Minnesota MUFON. I contacted the witness the following day and
arranged interview. This report is the result of the interview and my visit to the
sighting location.
Witness Description:
The witnesses are a father and daughter, who live in the northern suburbs
of Minneapolis. The father is a systems analyst with a major corporation.
The daughter is age 11 and attends grade school.
Sighting Account:
The witnesses (father and daughter) were driving home from an event that
evening, and had just turned south onto Noble Ave. N. in Brooklyn Park,
from 85th St. (Click here for map).
At 7:40 PM, as they were approximately two blocks south of 85th St., the
daughter noticed a large dark object high in the sky, near the moon.
She observed it for a second or two. On seeing the shape of the object
close to the moon, she concluded that it was not an ordinary aircraft,
and called her father's attention to it.
The father looked up and also observed the object. He described the object
as being high in the windshield, making it somewhat awkward to look up at it.
He continued to look up at the object, and pulled the car over to the edge of
the road (Noble Ave N.), and they both continued to watch further. As they
watched, the object moved from right to left, with a slight motion to the north
(behind) as well. Upon pulling over, both witnesses also observed a small
momentary leftward "twitch" or "jog" in the object's flight path, which then
continued moving smoothly and slowly on its right-to-left path.
The initial angle of elevation of the object put it at, or slightly above the top of
the windshield. The object moved slowly from high in the south toward the East
Northeast. Both witnesses described the object as passing nearly directly
overhead. The father moved his head forward until his nose was nearly touching
the glass, looking straight up through the windshield He then looked up through
the drivers side window as the object appeared on the left side of the car.
As they watched, the object moved high overhead, passing nearly directly over
their car. They continued to watch the object as it moved off to the east north east,
and receded into the eastern sky. At a point where it was low in the eastern sky, a
dark object associated with the lights was visible against a distant group of clouds.
It was still visible low in the east-northeast at the time the father pulled the car back
out onto the road, and they continued toward home. They both estimated that they
had observed it for approximately one minute. The following map indicates the location
of the witnesses, and the witness-estimated location and direction of the object's flight
path.
The map indicates the object passing nearly directly overhead of the witnesses. Both
witnesses described viewing the object through the windshield during most of the
sighting. The father indicated that he moved his head forward, looking nearly straight
up at the object, nose nearly touching the glass. (CL Note: The witnesses were in a
Ford Focus wagon, which has a large windshield affording a greater than typical
viewing angle).
The description of the daughter's initial sighting would imply an approximate initial
elevation of the object of approximately 45 to 50 degrees elevation. The angle of
closest approach is described as being nearly 90 degrees, based upon the witness
descriptions of having to move closer to the windshield to look nearly straight up at
the object, and the description of the object passing over the car. Thus it is assumed
that the object flight path is east-northeasterly, passing nearly directly overhead of the
witness' location.
The flight motion of the object was described as slow, smooth and continuous, with
the possible exception of a slight momentary "jog" (to the left a distance of approximately
2 centimeters at arms length) at the moment in which they pulled to the side of the road.
This was observed by both witnesses. The father indicated that at the time he thought
that this might have been due to the car tires bumping against the curb. Following the
momentary "jog" flight path then continued smoothly to the east-northeast.
Object Description:
The object was described as triangular, slightly longer than it was wide. At each vertex,
there was a yellow to amber light (about the color of a flashlight with the battery depleted),
which the father described as being slightly less than 10 times the brightness of the brightest
visible star. The lights were a different color than those of a commercial aircraft, and the
father felt that they were dimmer. The following drawing is by CL, based upon the witness
descriptions.
Click here for image of object.
Witness size estimates for the object were as follows:
(daughter's estimate) equivalent to or slightly larger than the moon.
(father's estimates) length of hand at arm's length. He indicated that it was either extremely
low or extremely large, and estimated its size to be about that of a 747 - "either very large or
flying very low"
Weather and Astronomical Factors:
Weather info from National WX Service at Chanhassen for 8:00 PM CST:
Temp 5 deg F. Dew Pt 6 deg F.
Wind speed 8MPH from West
Clouds: clear partly cloudy, with high cirrus clouds (no ceiling or percentage cloud
cover given)
Visibility: unlimited = 10Mi +
Lunar/Astronomical data from "The Sky for Windows":
Moon was at 68.2% full, at alt: 39 deg, 58 min. Az: 160 deg, 22 min.
Moon rise at 2:27PM CST, transit at 8:42PM CST, set at 1:44 AM CST.
[CL Note: this would put the moon at a direction of 20 degrees east of south, at about 40
degrees elevation. This would be high in the field of view of the car windshield. This is
consistent with the daughter's description of the initial elevation.]
Additional Witnesses:
None are known. However, both Noble Ave N. and 85th Ave N are heavily travelled,
so it is likely that there may have been additional witnesses. In addition, the sighting
location is approximately 1 to 2 miles from Minnesota Hwy 252. The intersection of 85th
St, and 252 is the location of a large grocery store and strip mall, and has considerable
traffic at that time of the evening. In this context, it is also notable that they saw only one
car pass them during that time they were observing the object.
Natural & Manmade Phenomena Check:
A possible "null hypothesis" might be that the object seen was a large commercial aircraft
(such as a 747). The lighting on some large commercial aircraft are often triangular in
configuration, thus suggesting this as a null hypothesis in some "triangular UFO sightings.
Furthermore, the object's size and speed as described by the witnesses somewhat resemble
that of a large airliner (although the size estimate by the father description also indicated
that the object was larger, or was flying lower and slower, than expected for a commercial
airliner).
During the witness interview, the father indicated that in the evening following the sighting,
he had noted lighting configurations and sounds of small planes as they passed overhead.
That region of the Minneapolis northern suburbs has a number of small aircraft passing
overhead, coming to and from several small airports [Crystal and Anoka], so he indicated
that he regularly sees/hears them pass overhead. He indicated that the appearance of
the object did not resemble that of a small plane. However, he had not, at that time,
observed large commercial airliners such as 747's.
Both witnesses indicated that there was no sound from the object. However, they also
indicated that at the time of the sighting the weather was quite cold, so they did not roll
down the car windows. Thus it is possible that some level of sound could have come from
the object, which they might not have heard. Additionally, given the right atmospheric
conditions, it is possible for a large aircraft a few thousand feet overhead to be unheard
from the ground.
Weighing against the "large aircraft" hypothesis is the flight path of the object. In the Twin
Cities northwestern suburbs, most large aircraft travel along a northwest-southeast path,
either approaching or departing the airport. The flight path of this object appears to be
roughly perpendicular to this, suggesting that it was neither approaching, nor departing
(but might have been in a circling flight path with respect to) the airport.
Finally, the daughter's description and drawing clearly do not resemble a commercial aircraft.
The father also indicated that he has subsequently observed larger commercial aircraft,
and that both the size and the lighting of this object did not resemble any commercial
aircraft he has seen. It was this certainty that initially prompted them to contact MUFON.
Their overall impression and their subsequent comparison with known aircraft, while not
fully disproving the "aircraft hypothesis", suggest that this explanation can not account
for the sighting.
Sighting Evaluation:
FB1 or CE1 - Probable unexplained pending further investigation. We are presently seeking
additional witnesses.ABSTRACT: UFO Roundup editor reports triangular craft CASE_TYPE: CE1 Date: 12/12/2000 HOUR: 17:20 CST DURATION: 1-5_minutes LATITUDE: 46.45.N LONGITUDE: 92.02.W COUNTY: St. Louis NEAR_TOWN_OR_CITY: Duluth, MN USA SITE: city SKY: clear MUFON_REPORTEES: 1 NUMBER_OBSERVED: 1 ELEVATION: 35-40_degrees LOWEST_ALTITUDE: over_500_feet DISTANCE: over_1_mile FLIGHT: hovering DIRECT_FIRST_OBSVED: SW DIRECT_LAST_OBSVED: SW SHAPE: triangle SURFACE: dark APPARENT_SIZE: penny SURFACE_COLOR: black EXT_LIGHTS: steady EXT_LIGHTS_COLOR: white, gold_copper_bronze, red, green CHANGE_COLOR: no INVESTIGATOR1_NAME: Stephen T. Hero Witness Account: I had attended a meeting of the Lake Superior Writers at the DeWitt-Seitz building in Canal Park that afternoon. I took the Duluth Transit Authority bus home and got off at the corner of Piedmont Avenue and West Seventh Street at 5:20 p.m. It was dark but there was still a glimmer of blue dusk atthe summit of Spirit Mountain, on the western edge of the city. As I crossed Piedmont Avenue, I looked downhill to my left and saw that the full moon had just risen. It was about 10 degrees above the eastern horizon, over Lake Superior and Park Point. It was very cold, about zero degrees Fahrenheit, and the sky was completely clear. As I passed the Lakeside Ice Co. building, I saw what I thought was a Christmas decoration through the pine trees, an arch of multicolored lights. After walking about 100 feet (30 meters) west on West Seventh, I saw the object more clearly. It was a black triangle, with its apex pointed upward at one o’clock angle, and the ‘base’ at the bottom. The object was in mid-air, and estimated 35 degrees above the southwestern horizon. It was the size of my thumbnail at arm’s length. The color was matte black, a shade darker than the surrounding night sky. The object had no discernible motion and hovered silently. There was no sound. The sides of the triangle were slightly rounded, a bit concave, giving the object the look of a bulky arrowhead. Also there were three sets or arrays of four lights each on either side of the triangle. There were no lights at the bottom. Twelve lights in all on either side. In descending order, the lights in each array were red, green, gold and white. I halted at the corner of West Seventh and 22nd Avenue West and observed the object for five minutes. It was hard to judge distance, but my guess is that the object was a few miles away, possibly over the Spirit Valley area in the West Duluth section of the city. I was alone on the street. There was intermittent traffic on Piedmont Avenue a block behind me. I walked on to my home, went inside and grabbed a small camera. I wasn’t sure the object itself would show, but I knew the steady multicolored lights would. However, when I reached the front porch again, the object was gone. Date Report was made: Jan. 6, 2001 Natural Phenomena Check: Nothing unusual as reported by Air Traffic Control for that date. Evaluation: Unexplained This was the third UFO the witness had seen in his life. The first was in Seekonk, Massachusetts in August 1963, and the second was near Kingston, Ontario, Canada in August 1995.