Background

The following case was submitted to The Black Vault / TBV Investigations on March 24, 2018. It was assigned to TBV Investigations researcher Jim Kerr for investigation. 

Witness Testimony

The following was submitted to TBV Investigations in the initial report:

“I observed a randomly flashing light that moved from the north in a southerly direction at various speeds, but generally slow. It appeared to almost hover at times and would also appear make slight changes in direction. The light light would flash with a bright silver slow pulse which was then followed by a quick much dimmer blink. Both were very random. It was visible for approximately 20 minutes and appeared change its general direction and moved in a more eastern direction and lights slowly became dimmer before disappearing. I also observed a similar object at approximately the same time the previous night at my residence and it appeared to behave nearly the same.”

The Investigation

by Jim Kerr, TBV Investigations

On 03-29-2018 I interviewed witness Jimmy Fugitt and he related his observations of what he referred to as a strange craft flying in erratic directions with random flashing lights. The object appeared to almost hover at times and would also appear make slight changes in direction. He also stated he observed the same object the night before at the same approx time. His description of the object did not differ from his original written statement submitted to The Black Vault.

This was a nighttime sighting which occurred on 03/23/2018 11:30 PM, not a daytime sighting as the original date and time indicates. He further stated he did not believe this object to be an alien craft but possibly an advanced military craft. 

There are three airports within 20 miles of Greenup , KY. The weather was clear with good visibility with temperatures from 24 to 53 degrees. 

1. Ashland-Boyd County Airport 

Location: Ashland, KY
Greenup County 4.23 miles

2. Tri-State Airport/Milton J. Ferguson Field 

Location: Huntington, WV
Wayne County 19.82 miles

On 03/23/2018 11:30 PM witness Jimmy Fugitt observed what he believed to be a strange craft flying in erratic directions with random flashing lights. The object appeared to almost hover at times and would also appear make slight changes in direction.

As an amateur astronomer I spend many nights observing the sky. In addition to celestial objects, I have observed countless aircraft, their flight patterns and marker lights. I also have tracked and observed satellites, the ISS and meteor showers . At night the human eye can play tricks with ones observations and perceptions. Aircraft marker lights can appear to flash in random pattern, dance around in erratic directions and even appear to hover. It is not uncommon to mistake a conventional aircraft classifying it as an unidentified flying object. 

Conclusion

Based on the witness description and my own observations, I believe the witness observed an aircraft in flight. However this case lacks sufficient evidence to make a solid conclusion.

The post UFO over Greenup, Kentucky – March 23, 2018 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post UFO over Greenup, Kentucky – March 23, 2018 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Background

On March 22^nd, 2018 around 10:30 PM in Tully, NY an object was witnessed in the sky above the cemetery next to Doody’s Garage.  It was submitted to The Black Vault / TBV Investigations the same evening by the witness.

The case was assigned to TBV Investigations’ researcher Michael Kelly. 

Witness Testimony

“I was driving down the street, I was heading in to work, as I was driving I saw a white light go across the windshield in the sky, and did an “S” maneuver, then disappeared. It’s currently winter in Tully, it was not a plane or a helicopter, and it was not a firework or a flare. I pulled over and scanned the sky but saw nothing other than stars. We were probably about 1/4 mile from the light, we had our windows up so we didn’t hear anything and we saw no structure behind the light. The light was circular, no change other than when it disappeared, my buddy who was driving with me saw it too. There was no one else around, and I’ve never heard of stories or rumors of the area.”

The Analysis

by Michael Kelly, TBV Investigations

This object displayed unusual flight patterns, doing an “S” maneuver and disappearing, which suggests that it was not a normal aircraft. The witness did not think it was a plane or helicopter, so based on his own observation this would be classified as unidentified.

It is possible that the object was further away than originally thought, and if that were the case, this may have been a traditional aircraft of some kind. There are three airports within 10 miles of Tully, so the pedestrian explanation for this observation is that this object was merely a craft operating out of one of these airports.

It should also be noted that there is a Hang Gliding Launch less than 5 miles from Tully.

Conclusion

There is not enough data to make a definitive conclusion about this case. The fact that the observer did not think this object was identifiable should be taken seriously. If one were to lean toward a skeptical explanation, the most likely account is that the observer witnessed a hang glider. This would account for the lack of sound, the bizarre “S” shaped maneuver (caused by high winds?), and the unusual lighting.

We document this case here for cross-referencing purposes.

The post UFO over Tully, New York – March 22, 2018 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post UFO over Tully, New York – March 22, 2018 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Background

The following UFO report was submitted to The Black Vault / TBV Investigations on December 19, 2017.  It was assigned to Jeremy Enfinger, TBV Investigations. 

Witness Testimony

The following was the original report submitted by the witness:

“On estimated date of Aug 5, 2008, at 4:05 AM, I walked onto the front porch to get some fresh air. Sitting at the East bannister and looking directly over my porch portico at about a 60 degree angle-from-horizontal to the West, I observed a circle of light grow from a pinpoint to about the size of a quarter held at arms length in the span of around three seconds.

The light was bright but did not hurt my eyes. I glanced quickly to my right and saw shadows from bushes barely visible on the ground from the bright light. It was still dark and no moon was visible from my position. The bright ring of light blinked out and I could see a pinpoint of light in the center of what-had-been the circle of light that appeared to be as bright as a magnitude three star.

It was stationary for approximately 5-8 seconds, then began moving in a South-Westerly direction, gaining speed until it shot out of sight faster than the eye could follow. From start to finish the sighting seemed to last about three-to-four minutes.

Note: the date and time is only an estimation, with the time being more accurate; I did not write the date and time down after the observation.”

The Analysis

Additional dialogue with the witness indicated the exact date and time were not remembered. The morning light was not yet visible at the time of the sighting, and no moon reflection was appreciated. The object was witnessed WNW of Oak Hill, West Virginia.

Since the sighting was reported to be on or around August 5, 2008. the National UFO Reporting Center was referenced for reports near that time. Although no exact matches were identified, the following three reports possessed similar appearances, though the exact times/locations were subject to some inconsistencies:

• “UFO or some sort of object flying over Oak Hill, WV” – reported 9/23/08 at 0830
• “Unidentified object appeared to be following contrail of jet airplane” – reported 9/18/08 at 1840 (doesn’t match the time of day, and location is North of you, but witness does not specify direction seen)
• “UFO vanishes within seconds after observing for 10 minutes upon aircraft approach!” – reported 8/13/08 at 0040 (reported about 30 miles from you in Summersville, but they do not specify direction seen)

Two airports in the Northwest direction from the witness’s location during the sighting exist. Island airport is the closest near the direction the object was visualized, followed by Yeager airport, home to 130th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard (composed primarily of C-130s).

Witness testimony indicated no moonlight was visible during the sighting, and while the date and time were estimated, the position of the moon could be verified on the estimated date at 4.61 degrees South (latitude) and it was in Waxing Crescent Moon phase, illuminating 18%, which would explain the lack of visibility by the witness.

Possible Explanations

Due to the proximity of the airports and their locations in comparison to the witness’s vantage point, commercial aircraft and/or military aircraft must be considered.However, the rate of speed observed by the witness would not indicate aircraft known to the public.

Conclusion

Stars, planets, satellites and the International Space Station can be ruled out due to the changing position of the object from being stationary to accelerating at high speeds.

The object remains to be unidentified.

However, due to the amount of time that has elapsed since the event, the estimation of date and time of the sighting, and the lack of visual evidence, this case holds no “conclusion” and is archived here for reference or for possible future corroborating witness testimony.

The post UFO over Oak Hill, West Virginia – Approximately 2008 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post UFO over Oak Hill, West Virginia – Approximately 2008 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Background

by Michael Kelly, TBV Investigations

On December 19, 2017, Ronald Male submitted the following UFO sighting to The Black Vault / TBV Investigations, which he witnessed from his driveway in Cazenovia, New York. The event occurred on July 19, 2006 at 10:30am:

I brought my breakfast (bowl of cereal) outdoors to eat while sitting in my spring chair to be in the sun in the driveway on a very nice morning. As usual, the chair took a moment to stabilize, and when it stopped the back and forth rocking motion I was able to eat without a problem. As I leaned back slightly my eyes were able to notice an object in the sky that did not look normal. There was no sound, no evidence of flight control surfaces, and after a few seconds it seemed to linger in place. But it was actually slowely moving due east in the direction of Cazenovia Lake, which was half mile from my driveway. Its movement was regular…..no stops or starts……and appeared to be shaped round like a saucer with a shiny metalic surface. As the object transitioned from about 45° arc from the horizon to almost directly overhead, it was appearant that it did not rotate on its own axis, but the sun reflected off its surface in such a way that I could see the “skin” of the craft which looked to be paneled as individual panels reflected light in sequence as it slowely moved. Its size was hard to interupt since the blue sky offered no reference points, but from where I sat my best estimate was it was the size as a tennis ball held at arms length.

I was considering getting my digital camera, but then I might loose sight of it should it make a move.

As it reached a point over my head it suddenly went straight up so fast that there was little or no shrinking perspective that is evident when an aircraft, for instance, flies away and its appearant size gets smaller with distance traveled. That final sudden and unexpected disappearance was not associated with any noise, flash of light, or any other indication …..it simply disappeared. There were no other witnesses and the entire observation lasted for 4 or 5 minutes.

The Analysis

Aspects of this sighting fit classic UFO reports: disc shaped object, no sound, metallic surface with no flight control surfaces, almost instantaneous departure, etc. There have been sightings from the Cazenovia, NY area reported on other UFO sites, but none that match this description. The size of the object is difficult to determine without knowing the altitude.

It is possible that this aircraft is connected to Deer Run Airfield about 5 miles from site of the observation.

Conclusion

Without further information it is difficult to determine what was seen in the sky on this day. A pedestrian explanation is that this was merely an unusual aircraft operating out of the Deer Run Airfield at 4051 Argos Rd, Cazenovia, NY, 13035, which is a little over 5 miles from the driveway of the witness. This case should remain open without further evidence.

The post UFO over Cazenovia, New York – July 19, 2006 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post UFO over Cazenovia, New York – July 19, 2006 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Background

The following case was submitted to The Black Vault / TBV Investigations on December 29, 2017. 

The witness’ brother submitted the following:

“My brother filmed this UFO 12-17 in Detroit, Michigan at night at our uncle’s home, no airports nearby.

The UFO was yellowish in the center, circling around was yellowish in various colors moving like a jelly fish, but as he filmed this thing the circular UFO appeared white, and that field around the object broke up in box form as static, but its plain to see. 

It also made a right angle turn, then left before disappearing others witnessed it. I contacted local news fox2 here, no reply.”

The sighting occurred on the 4th, and the case was assigned to TBV Investigations’ researcher Dylan Santiso.

The Analysis

by Dylan Santiso, TBV Investigations

TBV Investigations received the original report from “Mike”, as he did not wish to disclose his identity in full.  After a calling Mike on January 4, 2018, it became apparent that Mike was reporting this case for his Brother, who we will refer to as “Hardy”.

I interviewed Hardy and asked for a better copy of the video that was submitted by his brother, Mike.   After numerous attempts to try to get a better quality and uncompressed version of the video, I was only able to obtain the following:

What I find interesting about the video is the first 3 seconds.  There seems to be two objects, one large and one small.  The small object jets away from the first one and is then out of the frame three seconds into the video.  Following, the object speeds up, then slows done at the 18 second mark, then seems to descend behind trees/buildings.

Witness Testimony/Interview

Harvey noted and answered questions regarding the before, after, and during recording periods:

1. What geographical location was the sighting at?: Palmer Park – Pontchatrain, and 6 mile Road, Detroit MI.
2. What direction was the witness facing at the time of sighting/recording?: Due East
3. What time of day was it?: Between 21:30 and 21:45 on December 17, 2017
4. What direction was the object flying?: East to also West
5. Did anyone else see the object?: Yes, there were “quite a few people filming on the street”, according to the witness. Also, people pulled over in their cars to view and film the object. Rough) 
6. What did you see before you started filming the object?: According to the witness, the object appeared to be a street light and was viewed by multiple people on Pontchtrain facing 6 mile road and eastward. The object was stationary, shot up, then down, then traveled toward the witness, slowly, in a westerly direction.
7. Style of Movement: Like a “jellyfish”. It had a “white membrane” with a point of orange light in the center.
8. Sound: None
9. Static Electricity: Phones seemed to be interrupted by some electric interference
10. Height: 1,000 ft.
11. The object was about 1/2 a mile away when filming occurred
12. Missing Time: No
13. Humming Noise or Feeling: No

Noted Airports in the vicinity: 

1. Coleman A Young International Airport (Due East of Witness)
2. Ford Airport (South Southwest of Witness)
3. Detroit Metro International (southwest of Witness)

It is important  to note that the witness felt that that this sighting was of “unexplained origin”.

Conclusion 

Unknown without better footage.  The video is highly pixelated and of poor quality.   However, the witness seemed honest, genuine, and lucid. 

The post UFO Filmed Over Detroit, Michigan – December 4, 2017 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post UFO Filmed Over Detroit, Michigan – December 4, 2017 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

I am a professional photographer and amateur astronomer that works at the New Jersey Astronomical Association Observatory in Voohees, New Jersey.

I was taking pictures of my son and because I am a drone flyer I saw an object in the sky moving rather quickly across airport grounds. Because I thought that this object was a security drone I snapped the picture and didn’t really look at it for weeks.

After finally looking at it to compare to my drone I noticed that it was not a drone at all. It had 4 dome-like structures and a central structure holding it together. There is no obvious flight surface to provide lift so one would assume a balloon.

Unfortunately I had never seen a balloon move this fast and with such purpose… in a straight line and at a level height.

Could it be a drone? Possibly… but given the distance and using some simple geometry (and some assumptions) I estimated the craft to be roughly 20-25 feet across.

This is my 3rd strange sighting I have had in my life. And the only one made during the day OVER a VERY active airport.

In addition I have the RAW. I took this with a 70-200mm f2.8 canon lens… so not cheap glass… and the detail on the raw can be zoomed way in with little loss of resolution. I will try to attach.

The post Unknown Object Caught on Photograph in Austin, Texas first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Unknown Object Caught on Photograph in Austin, Texas appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.