2014: Swindon Sighting

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THINK ABOUTIT SIGHTING REPORT

Date: October 3 2014

Sighting Time: 20:00

Day/Night: Night

Location:  Drove Road, Swindon, SN1

Urban or Rural: -Urban

Hynek Classification: CE-I (Close Encounter I) Observation of an object in close proximity to the witness (i.e. within 500’)

Duration: 3-4 minutes

No. of Object(s): 1

Height & Speed: 50ft, and certainly what would legally constitute ‘low flying’. perhaps no more than 15mph

Size of Object(s): larger in area than the houses over which it loitered although it did not appear as large in area as two such houses and closer to that of one

Distance to Object(s): 

Shape of Object(s): triangular

Color of Object(s): dark or black colour and with no noticeable surface features

Number of Witnesses: One

Source: www.uk-ufo.co.uk Sam Young

Summary/Description:  A triangular craft was seen floating above the residential area immediately to the east of Drove Road Swindon during the above time interval before moving away, in a manner inconsistent with a sighting of a conventional aircraft.

The craft was seen to be floating perfectly still and in silence very close to Drove Road at a low altitude above housing. It is difficult to estimate the altitude of the craft but it was perhaps ~50ft, and certainly what would legally constitute ‘low flying’. The craft was very close to the observer and so it could be seen with clarity. It was very conspicuous and easy to observe. It was clearly not any form of conventional aircraft or any other known vehicle.

The planform of the craft was a perfect triangle in shape and was larger in area than the houses over which it loitered although it did not appear as large in area as two such houses and closer to that of one. At each of the vertices of the visible underside were very large, powerful circular lights. Slight concentric grooves were apparent within the lights as with powerful search lights and floodlights perhaps. The character of the light was very similar to that of the surrounding street lights. I.E. a bright flame yellow hue. There was a subtle difference of colour between the light and that of the street lights. Namely, it was of a slightly more brilliant character: less burnt and slightly more saturated.

The craft itself was of a dark or black colour and with no noticeable surface features. It was not possible to make out the texture of the surface. There were no signs of landing gear or wheels or indeed any other protrusions. The triangle was perhaps a bit broader in the axis of motion. At the centre of the underside, seemingly fixed directly to the bottom of the craft, was a pulsing red light far smaller than the others. This appeared to be very similar in character and frequency if not identical to a standard red anti-collision beacon of the sort used commonly in aviation. The craft loitered perfectly still without movement or instability and in complete silence over a quiet residential area for an observed period of approximately 3-4 minutes although it was already in-situ when first sighted and so may have been there for a while. It could not have been present for more than 15-20 min as the area was traversed in the opposite direction using the same route approximately this length of time prior to the start of the observation window. It was obvious during the observation that the area immediately underneath the craft must have been very brightly illuminated by the powerful lights. The planform seemed to be entirely parallel to the ground.

After about 3-4 minutes, it moved off without any noticeable acceleration. It moved very slowly – perhaps no more than 15mph based on comparisons with moving traffic on Drove Road. Interestingly, it moved with one of the vertices leading, as though that were the nose of the craft. No fins or signs of a tail could be seen. It remained horizontal as it moved away and no instabilities/roll/etc were visible. Almost immediately after beginning to move, the large lights were switched off as though they had been fed by the same onboard circuit. The lights continued to glow and hence remain visible for the duration of the 30-40 seconds it took for the craft to attain diminished visibility to the observer. The afterglow was very distinctive and allowed the craft to remain visible for much longer than would otherwise have been the case. Perhaps a qualified lighting expert might be able to identify the type of light involved? The glow was a burnt dim orange-yellow hue and faded very slowly. This also gave the impression that the lights were more powerful than had originally been thought.

The craft was moving in a straight line of constant altitude towards the portion of Queen’s Drive near to the Magic Roundabout. However, before reaching that position the craft banked to the right at a very steep angle (appearing nearly vertical) giving an excellent view of the craft from below, something that would not be seen in conventional aviation. In spite of this, whilst the craft had been still the side view did suggest that it was rather bulky although this may have been an illusion of perspective.