Ufology Research

I received a detailed report from a witness regarding something odd seen just north of Winnipeg, Canada, on May 31, 2009.

The witness noted:

We have a very large, south-west facing family room window in our home [just northeast of Winnipeg] We have a very good view of aircraft coming in for landing in Winnipeg, and the lights are quite relaxing to watch in the night sky. We have recently been enjoying the "bare window" look (no blinds or curtains).

On the night in question, I was relaxing watching TV, and a distant light caught my eye in the window - as it often does with the jets coming in for landing. As I watched it this time, it seemed to approach unusually quickly, and then slow down as it passed by in the sky to the south west. I also noticed this wasn't the usual configuration of lights - this was not the usual front-facing bright landing lights, and there were no wing-tip or tail-top marker lights.

As it passed by, it appeared to be an illuminated (though not brightly) upside-down cone shape (i.e. pointy part toward the bottom). The cone was not a "fat" cone like a badminton birdie - it was narrower, maybe about 30 degrees. It also appeared to be casting light upwards (as that illuminated the few low clouds in some spots as it passed by). The lights being cast upward appeared to be from a rotating source. There was no sound.

I watched it proceed off to the west - roughly following the path the perimeter highway takes. And of course, roughly heading in the right direction for an airport landing. With the direction it traveled and even the rotating appearance of the lights, I considered the possibility of mis-identifying an aircraft or even helicopter (although that would not explain the cone shape I saw). Maybe a helicopter could explain the rotating appearance of the lights, but what kind of helicopter casts light upwards?

Since that night, I have seen many, many aircraft coming in for a landing (just as I always have) and they always have the familiar forward facing bright light and flashing markers lights becoming visible as they pass closer by. None have had a cone-shaped appearance, and none have cast lights toward the sky.

That's what I saw.

The witness wanted to know if I had any ideas what this could have been. The witness was not sure of the exact time of the sighting, but thought it was mid-evening.

The witness' suggestion it was a helicopter is a possibility, though few will fly here at night. A better possibility is that this could have been a mosquito-fogging aircraft of some sort, as they have been up for more than a month. Its light configuration doesn't make much sense, though.

Clearly an unidentified flying object.