UFO At O'Hare? Officials Say Weird Weather

United Airlines Employees Claim They Saw Saucer-Shaped Craft Hovering Over Airport

(CBS/AP)  Federal officials say it was probably just some weird weather phenomenon, but a group of United Airlines employees swear they saw a mysterious, saucer-shaped craft hovering over O'Hare Airport last fall.

The workers, some of them pilots, said the object did not have lights and hovered over an airport terminal before shooting up through the clouds, according to a report in Monday's Chicago Tribune.

The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged that a United supervisor had called the control tower at O'Hare, asking if anyone had spotted a spinning disc-shaped object. But the controllers did not see anything, and a preliminary check of radar found nothing out of the ordinary, FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said.

"Our theory on this is that it was a weather phenomenon," Cory said. "That night was a perfect atmospheric condition in terms of low (cloud) ceiling and a lot of airport lights. When the lights shine up into the clouds, sometimes you can see funny things."

The FAA is not investigating, Cory said.

United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said company officials do not recall discussing any such incident from Nov. 7.

At least one O'Hare controller, union official Craig Burzych, was amused by it all.

"To fly 7 million light years to O'Hare and then have to turn around and go home because your gate was occupied is simply unacceptable," he said.

Some witnesses interviewed by the Tribune were upset that federal officials declined to further investigate the matter.

"I tend to be scientific by nature, and I don't understand why aliens would hover over a busy airport," said a United mechanic who said he saw the object while taxiing a Boeing 777 to a maintenance hangar. "But I know that what I saw and what a lot of other people saw stood out very clearly, and it definitely was not an [Earth] aircraft."

The witnesses, who all spoke to the Tribune under condition of anonymity, said they had a difficult time finding the object as it flew through dense clouds. Witnesses also said the object created an open hole of clear air in the cloud layer that disappeared a few minutes after it passed through the clouds.

The FAA initially denied there were any reports of a UFO sighting, but later backtracked after a Freedom of Information Act filed by the newspaper revealed the call by the United supervisor to the FAA.

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[vancouverboo]

Swamp Gas.

[freckster]

What ticks me off is the last paragraph where the FAA outright LIES about any UFO report. If they lie about stupid (traceable) things like that can you imagine how they lie and cover up on the big issues?

[syphlis]

WHERE THE F*CK IS WILL SMITH WHEN WE NEED HIM!@!1

[mrassekh]

Ball lightning.

[educates]

FAA is another acronum for Faulty Analytical Air-occurences. I am in Area 57. Locals see this *** all the time and are told that is "gas." Go to Roswell, N.M. and talk to the locals in a bar and they will tell you straight away about the little "Roswell Incident."

[fallngempire]

I'm not saying this was a UFO, but the FAA is such a pack of liars I'd automatically discount every word out of their mouth as a lie unless proven otherwise repeatedly in either a court or a lab.

[kathkeane]

1. Why a cover up? An unidentified flying object is just what it says. If a group of aviation industry folks say they saw one, then they did.
2. The reply by the union steward was hilarious and appropo.
3. I wonder what going through the mind of the captain of the aircraft which was "chosen" by the UFOs as he flew and if any passengers witnessed the UFO. Fascinating.

[mikee322]

First, UFO's do not have to be alien. There are lots of reports of them being spotted near military bases. Second, Some of these people are in the aircraft business, its difficult to believe all of them would get it wrong. If the FAA doesn't want to launch an investigation to maintain these 50 year old illusions then perhaps they should tell us the truth before the French beat them to it.

[coryp5]

I believe the people who said they saw the ufo. Now I want to see it. I want to hear them tell their stories. And I challenge FAA spokeswhatever Ms. Cory to re-create a lightshow which makes a ufo appear, then have that ufo appear to create and fly through a hole in the clouds. I'll bet she can't do it. I'd even let her have David Copperfield help her. $20.

[mecbno]

It's currently 4:30 in the afternoon- same time as the sighting. As i look out my window, I don't see how an airport light shining on a cloud in the daytime can produce an image of a metallic object in the sky. Even if the light was powerful enough to reflect off the cloud it would produce - well, a light, which is not what they saw.

It's amazing how the FAA doesn't even feel their explanations need to make sense.

All the smart, smart people in major media couldn't raise that question?

Another major media site said a photo of the object exists somewhere. I hope it surfaces.

[goodmystery]

Weather phenomena have always been an easy out for airlines / FAA / military who would rather not have the public think their people are seeing flying saucers. With my B.S. physics degree and 40 plus years of studying UFO reports, ball lightning, swamp gas, and the ionized plasma that create strange weather phenomena; never heard of any that didn't emit light, could shoot up into the sky, or make a hole in the clouds.

[agnim]

Posted by fallngempire at 06:54 PM : Jan 02, 2007

Good thinking!

[mick7744]

There are 400 billion stars in our galaxy, any one of which could have life-supporting planets orbiting them. Ours is one of 100 billion galaxies. Do the math!
Can we be so arrogant as to imagine that ours is the only planet where life exists? The odds against there not being other life in some form would generate a number too long to be written on all the paper manufactured from every tree on Earth
As to whether or not they%u2019ve been regularly visiting us to probe the orifices of unlucky earthlings, I remain skeptical, although one thing remains pretty clear. If on nothing else, all the planet%u2019s major governments seem to be united in their determination to suppress and discourage any reporting of extraterrestrial encounters. Reporting a UFO in the former Soviet Union would earn you a long stay in one of their infamous %u2018mental institutions%u2019.
Some years ago, an article appeared on the front page of the NY Times, relating reports by hundreds of people, among them, at least two NYPD patrol cars who left their precincts in Upper Manhattan to follow a number of strange objects down the length of Manhattan and along Brooklyn%u2019s coastline. Could several hundred delusional people all suffer the same hallucination at the same time?
We%u2019ll never know! That was the only report I ever saw%u2026not another word anywhere. Perhaps the powers that be at our news organizations were all zapped by Will Smith%u2019s %u201Cflashy thing%u201D

[mick7744]

There are 400 billion stars in our galaxy, any one of which could have life-supporting planets orbiting them. Ours is one of 100 billion galaxies. Do the math!
Can we be so arrogant as to imagine that ours is the only planet where life exists? The odds against there not being other life in some form would generate a number too long to be written on all the paper manufactured from every tree on Earth
As to whether or not they%u2019ve been regularly visiting us to probe the orifices of unlucky earthlings, I remain skeptical, although one thing remains pretty clear. If on nothing else, all the planet%u2019s major governments seem to be united in their determination to suppress and discourage any reporting of extraterrestrial encounters. Reporting a UFO in the former Soviet Union would earn you a long stay in one of their infamous %u2018mental institutions%u2019.
Some years ago, an article appeared on the front page of the NY Times, relating reports by hundreds of people, among them, at least two NYPD patrol cars who left their precincts in Upper Manhattan to follow a number of strange objects down the length of Manhattan and along Brooklyn%u2019s coastline. Could several hundred delusional people all suffer the same hallucination at the same time?
We%u2019ll never know! That was the only report I ever saw%u2026not another word anywhere. Perhaps the powers that be at our news organizations were all zapped by Will Smith%u2019s %u201Cflashy thing%u201D

[sseedragon]

People just give up! ... This idea of a UFO is like saying the earth is flat and not round ... The only way people will agree if there is a UFO if it hit them on the HEAD!

So if you see another report on a sighting of a UFO, you better believe someone will try and discredit it ...

I for one believe that there are other life other then earth ... Think of this; There are more stars in the sky then there are one grain of sand in the entire earth. Thats a FACT!

[lily_ayanami]

"There are 400 billion stars in our galaxy, any one of which could have life-supporting planets orbiting them. Ours is one of 100 billion galaxies. Do the math!"

I did the math, and I get 4 stars per galaxy. :P

[mick7744]

lily_ayanami:

400 billion times 100 billion times an unknown number of orbiting bodies and you came up with FOUR?

Was there some kind of humor there thatI missed or are you that incredibly stupid? Or stoned?

Are you perhaps a product of Bush's 'No Child Left Behind' educational system? You could even make that imbicle appear to be of normal intellegence.

[mick7744]

lily_ayanami:

400 billion times 100 billion times 400 billion times X, an unknown number of orbiting bodies and you came up with FOUR?

Was there some kind of humor there that I missed or are you that incredibly stupid? Or stoned?

Are you perhaps a product of Bush's 'No Child Left Behind' educational system? You could even make that imbicle appear to be of normal intellegence.

[mick7744]

lily_ayanami:

400 billion times 100 billion times 400 billion times X,(the unknown number of orbiting bodies around any given star) and you came up with FOUR?

Was there some kind of attempt at humor there that I missed, or are you that incredibly stupid? Or stoned?

Are you perhaps a product of Bush's 'No Child Left Behind' educational system? You could even make that imbicle appear to be of normal intellegence. Actually, you sound as if you could be in his cabinet.

[mick7744]

lily_ayanami:

400 billion times 100 billion times 400 billion times X,(the unknown number of orbiting bodies around any given star) and you came up with FOUR?

Was there some kind of attempt at humor there that I missed, or are you that incredibly stupid? Or stoned?

Are you perhaps a product of Bush's 'No Child Left Behind' educational system? You could even make that imbicle appear to be of normal intellegence. Actually, you sound as if you could be in his cabinet.

[mick7744]

lily_ayanami:

400 billion times 100 billion times 400 billion times X,(the unknown number of orbiting bodies around any given star) and you came up with FOUR?

Was there some kind of attempt at humor there that I missed, or are you that incredibly stupid? Or stoned?

Are you perhaps a product of Bush's 'No Child Left Behind' educational system? You could even make that imbicle appear to be of normal intellegence.

Actually, you sound as if you could be in his cabinet.

[mick7744]

lily_ayanami:

400 billion times 100 billion times 400 billion times X,(the unknown number of orbiting bodies around any given star) and you came up with FOUR?

Was there some kind of attempt at humor there that I missed, or are you that incredibly stupid? Or stoned?

Are you perhaps a product of Bush's 'No Child Left Behind' educational system? You could even make that imbicle appear to be of normal intellegence.

Actually, you sound as if you could be in his cabinet.

[mick7744]

lily_ayanami:

400 billion times 100 billion times 400 billion times X,(the unknown number of orbiting bodies around any given star) and you came up with FOUR?

Was there some kind of attempt at humor there that I missed, or are you that incredibly stupid? Or stoned?

Are you perhaps a product of Bush's 'No Child Left Behind' educational system? You could even make that imbicle appear to be of normal intellegence.

Actually, you sound as if you could be in his cabinet.

[chipper777]

I believe the reports about the sighting event! Before I finally saw one for myself I did not believe those reports either. I did not ask to see it in 1995 when I was returning from Detroit Lake area to Salem at around 11 PM. It followed me for 12 miles. That was a little disturbing to me to say the least. And I saw that UFO within 200 to 300 feet away from me over the trees. At the time I expected it was just a USA high tech machine kept secret as most stuff should be. I told my friends at work about the event and what I saw and my best friend told me that I probably just saw a Greyhound bus pass me. Pretty funny now to think about all of my friends reactions at work. But I assure you these units exist and I expect more to appear in the future. They are amazing but pretty *** spooky when you see them the very first time. Next time, I hope they beam me up, and I get to look at the control console and panels closer. Maybe get trained how to fly it. What a dream! But very possible. And if I end up missing one day from planet earth, they (UFO) or the gov. got me for tight security reasons. Also I invite everyone to get onto their net sights and type in astronauts and UFO's on moon. Our very own space astronauts saw them first hand and they tell their stories of what they saw. One comment they said was, "Those things are huge". They also said that every time that they went into space they were watched and followed.

[bildooreilly]

When I smoke I either sit outside or sit in this backroom when it's too cold so my house doesn't get all discolored from cigarette smoke etc... and while I'm smoking I usually check out the sky especially if it's a clear night. I've noticed many unusual things, like the 7 satellite type objects hovering above my area every night. Then down the way there's one of these satellite type objects that has a smaller red light type object that rotates around it... a satellite of a satellite... This stuff is there every night, it's not like it's unusual or anything.. I sat there one night and watched a red light in the distance (not blinking like an aircraft light) move across the horizon and my entire field of vision in the space of a drag off a cigarette... So check out the sky more often and see what you see... There are plenty of UFO's up there, but I really doubt they're anything from "Outer Space" though.

[randalds]

It was Bush's Iraq plan flying by.

[bildooreilly]

I've got an interesting book here called "Fingerprints Of The Gods" that I just borrowed the other day. I haven't had a chance to read through it yet but it looks pretty interesting. I believe he claims the aztec and egyptian pyramids are actually some sort of UFO landing site... I've heard a lot of good things about this book and plan on reading it here soon. Also if you look into people like Aleister Crowley he claims a space alien/demon channeled him the Law Of Thelema... could these gods and demons actually be visitors from another realm? I think it's possible... Is it possible that other dimensions exist that we don't know how to access?? Possibly... You can't see sound waves but they're there, you usually can't see electricity, but it's there... don't you think there's the possible that other things may exist as well but we aren't yet able to sense them?

[chamilton599]

It was an inverted dust devil.

[dawner4]

I definitely agree, they do exist. It's been a while since the first UFO appearance happened. The sighting took place in my native country (EL SALVADOR)in 1994, it was almost midnight, we had a christian outdoor campaing ,everyone was singing, clapping and suddenly, a little kid pulled my shirt and pointed to the sky, what I saw was so huge and unbelievable, a very black rounded thing, an inmense dark circle like a hole over us,its speed was about ten miles per hour and spining about three sixty degrees every two seconds, it had between ten to twelve purple lights forming a circle as well.Everybody was paralized for a few seconds but, they completely ignored it. IMHO: Whoever this creatures are, may have a good message to the human being.(peace?)

[newsthought1]

Carl Sagan pointed out several things already stated here, such as, there are billions of stars in the galaxy, there are billions of galaxies, there are more stars in the sky than grains of sand on the earth. He discussed that it appeared likely that we are not alone, but he acknowledged that there is no proof yet of any life elsewhere. He also pointed out that the vast majority of stars are extremely far away, making space travel extremely difficult.

But best of all, he said that extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. There is no basis to conclude that something you cannot figure out is necessarily a spaceship from another planet, or an evil spirit, or a god, or anything else in particular. It is simply unknown until sufficient evidence appears to reach a reliable conclusion. Here is a question- with all of the people using O'Hare, like tourists with cameras, and people with cell phone cameras, did anyone attempt pictures, and if so, where are they?

[themartyred]

no one had a camera phone???????? in the digital age when even not so wealthy non-pilot types have cell phones that have cameras on them, you'd think SOMEONE woulda pulled their cell phone out and got a pic!

[dmcurrier111]

I just want to let everyone who reads these comment that i do believe in ufo's. There problebly 98% government and 2% alein. well to get to the point on new years eve about 7-8 pm me and my friend were driving south on I-5 in kalama washington and we were driving to woodland going torward portland and my friend was telling me something when i was looking in the distance i seen this light in the sky .The light was moving vary slowly and it was comming toward us and i interupted my friend and told him what i was lookn at.So we watched it and we saw no flashing of any sor then it stoped almost over the colubia river and at this tim we were directly nunder it i sweare it was about three to four hundred feet away at my geuss but the light was not as bright as the side we first saw it. As we drove under it the light was almost gone like it only had a light on one side then the little light i saw started to move toward the freeway kindove fast then it was gone like it wasnt there.then wile in shock we see two more lights and they were moving away from eachother i almost craped my pants i thought it was d-day or something then i saw a blue and white flaches from them and i new they were a regular airplane..i havnt called anybody about this so i thought i should let anyone know what i really saw. im 19 years old and ive never seen what i saw that night until that night.longview WA,Dustin Currier

[dmcurrier111]

I just want to let everyone who reads these comment that i do believe in ufo's. There problebly 98% government and 2% alein. well to get to the point on new years eve about 7-8 pm me and my friend were driving south on I-5 in kalama washington and we were driving to woodland going torward portland and my friend was telling me something when i was looking in the distance i seen this light in the sky .The light was moving vary slowly and it was comming toward us and i interupted my friend and told him what i was lookn at.So we watched it and we saw no flashing of any sor then it stoped almost over the colubia river and at this tim we were directly nunder it i sweare it was about three to four hundred feet away at my geuss but the light was not as bright as the side we first saw it. As we drove under it the light was almost gone like it only had a light on one side then the little light i saw started to move toward the freeway kindove fast then it was gone like it wasnt there.then wile in shock we see two more lights and they were moving away from eachother i almost craped my pants i thought it was d-day or something then i saw a blue and white flaches from them and i new they were a regular airplane..i havnt called anybody about this so i thought i should let anyone know what i really saw. im 19 years old and ive never seen what i saw that night until that night.longview WA,Dustin Currier

[bigdler]

I was excited to see UFOs in the news again. It's important to try to find out what these objects really are. I can't believe there is no investigation into this. It's outrageous! "Federal officials," like the FBI, CIA, etc. have long been in charge of keeping important secrets from the public. Look at Project Blue Book where they tried to use these same kinds of far-out explanations, like weather phenomenons, the planet Venus, etc. to try to explain away NEARLY ALL of the strange sightings. Of course, Project Blue Book, we know now, was a cover-up.

I just want to know if we're alone in this universe. There has got to be other life out there, and one day we'll find out the answer.

[bigdler]

I was excited to see UFOs in the news again. It's important to try to find out what these objects really are. I can't believe there is no investigation into this. It's outrageous! "Federal officials," like the FBI, CIA, etc. have long been in charge of keeping important secrets from the public. Look at Project Blue Book where they tried to use these same kinds of far-out explanations, like weather phenomenons, the planet Venus, etc. to try to explain away NEARLY ALL of the strange sightings. Of course, Project Blue Book, we know now, was a cover-up.

I just want to know if we're alone in this universe. There has got to be other life out there, and one day we'll find out the answer.

[chipper777]

Hello again, The one that I saw that followed me 12 for miles, I believed to be a blimp which I had seen blimp logging in the area many years before. I stuck my head out the window to listen for motors or sound, there was none. I raced car up to 80 MPH to get away and it was right next to me! I slowed way down to let it pass and it slowed down too right beside me! We then I drove like hell!!! on the side of this object there were two giant rectangular windows both lit up. One was so bright of a light and so pure white of a light I could not imagine anyone ever having a light like that before! I used to work in many control rooms of my business and know thousands of pieces of equipment like at the Trogon Nuke plant. One of the windows had a giant instrument panel inside and thousands of colored lights flashings on and off. Simaliar to where I worked. Couldn't believe my eyes from seeing that high tech equipment instrumentation panel inside their windows. I drove like hell to get away and finally it left me alone. *** I was scared! I firmly still recommend that you look sights where our astronaughts told stories of their findings on Moon and the giant space ships there! There is a base there on dark side of moon! Don't take my word for it! Just check out the sights on net about the astroughts and UFO's on Moon. Happy hunting!

[chipper777]

To tell you the truth, I think that our gov. knows a lot about these things and thousands of things they desperately want to know about them too. But regardless of what they know they will not tell you! we little people who pay tax and finance the gov. should be told stuff soon! Or do they want to be embarrassed when France is open minded and willing to share what they have in near future?
A second thought, what if those giant saucers are on moon and other close planets to rapture us when most of world gets nuked? Rescue ships! I sure hope they do the rescuing of us and don't plan to eat us!

[coryp5]

I wasn't there. I didn't see it. That's why I have no right, no business telling anybody at O'Hare what they saw. And that applies to any government or United official who didn't see it for themself, or anybody else who didn't see it for themself. Does this mean I'm ready to believe in aliens? No. Does this mean I believe in inverted dust devils and swamp gas? No. Do I think an investigation is in order? Yes.

[milady1962]

The UFO was most likely a secret air craft the U.S is working on. I bet when they were first testing the Stealths Jets people also thought they saw a UFO which they did. It belonged to the U.S. If the government is working on a secret aircraft they wouldn't want it published.

[long_rider]

Not to worry, our Homeland Security boys have this under control, trust me. HA! HA!

[rf35]

I'm surprised some radical religious nut hasn't blasted anyone who believes in aliens as being stupid because everyone knows God created life on Earth and nowhere else. There is proof of this (their interpretation of the Bible says so) and no proof of alien craft (people see them). OK, I admit, I%u2019m just being inflammatory with this paragraph. I love reading some of the arguments people get into here.

Anyway, I%u2019m not sure that UFO%u2019s are alien craft. While I do think it is very likely life exists elsewhere in the universe and some of that life is likely to have evolved one or more intelligent species, I%u2019m not sure said species could manage to cross the vast distances of interstellar space to buzz us poor, backwards humans. Whatever so-called UFO%u2019s are, I%u2019m sure the government is fully aware of their existence, has at least a good idea as to what they are, and feels that there is a reason to deny their presence so strong that they don%u2019t even need to bother coming up with plausible cover stories. Think about that for a while.

[midas42]

I have seen UFO's twice in my life. I have no doubt of what they were. The most recent experience was in the fall of 1983. I was working outside installing a satellite dish after dark. My co-worker and I both saw these two large lights to the west of us. One was approaching from the south and other from the north. They made absolutely no sound at all that we could hear. They came together almost over our heads and stayed there for about 15 minutes. They then started moving apart again to the north and south. After separating a short distance, they took off at extremely high speeds in opposite directions. Again, not making any detectable sounds. The people who lived there told us that they see these "lights" all the time when they sit out by their lake on summer evenings.

[mystique2001]

I wish that our government would quit trying to cover up UFO sitings. Contrary to what they believe, we are not stupid! There are probably smarter people in our general public, than there is in the gov. that leads our nation. We know that they can't tell us everything, but they can at least acknowledge the fact that there is something out there. People should realize that if God made us, then their is a good chance that he made something or someone else. The only thing that we want is to know what we might have to deal with in the future. I guess, all we can do is pray and trust in God, because like the old saying goes "whatever is done in the dark will come to the light sooner or later."

[rafterman1]

"not sure said species could manage to cross the vast distances of interstellar space to buzz us poor, backwards humans."

Never say never. I believe that humans will one day figure out how interstellar travel. There's no reason aliens won't figure it out either, if not already. While you can't go faster than light under normal circumstances, there are ways around physics sometimes - wormholes, gravity wells etc. It may be 1,000 or 10,000 years (if we haven't destroyed ourselves yet), but we'll eventually do it. After all, we have no choice. Eventually, the sun will go nova and destroy the Earth (if an asteroid doesn't clobber us long before that). If we can't get off this rock, the human race dies here, with only a few probes wandering around the universe to remind anyone that humans once existed.

[hunter10039]

I suspect... that according to Bible prophecies, ... these sightings were promulgated by active demon forces in the vicinity of the earth.

According to Bible facts, the demons were cast OUT of heaven, down to the vicinity of the earth, "for a short period of time".....and those who are Bible believers, are aware that those forces can cause humans to "see things" that are unexplainable by usual human experience or knowledge.

[pacoflores-2009]

I have seen lights over Laredo, Tx..can't tell exactly what they were, all I can say is that it is impossible to be all alone in this gigantic universe..don't you think so?

[tibu987]

Think about this for a minute.
Why are UFO's always described as a rotating disk? Why not a bullet shaped, triangular, or other different shape?
Why are aliens always portrayed as short, large- eyed, or other strange physical proportions, usually of some color other than the color earthlings are?
Why? Because it is a concept of earthmen and has nothing to do with reality because reality has not yet presented itself as far as human, earth- men is concerned.
All I am saying is to be open minded, maybe there is and maybe there is not. Time will tell.

[juliemd]

Bible facts--now there's an oxymoron!

BTW, I saw an UFO about 20-years ago in the wilds of Eastern Oregon. Maybe now they figure they need to go metropolitan to really get noticed (or totally brushed-off).

[akrecord]

Weather event is all it was. No such thing as aliens or space crafts!!