Light over Springfield, VA
A witness account on file, unevaluated. Most of the archive rests here, and honestly so.
The report, as filed
Light shoots quickly across the sky.
Held as-reported from National UFO Reporting Center. Witness text is preserved verbatim, including its spelling; nothing is edited beyond formatting.
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What would the paper say?
For a dated, located U.S. sighting, FAA radar data and ATC communications are the records most likely to exist. Through Aletheca, the house instrument, anyone can commission the request — filed, chased, and published in the open, refusals included. The draft goes over already written: the records sought, and the date window they would live in.
Routed to: Federal Aviation Administration · records window 2009-02-16 → 2009-03-05
From the same sky
Related entries
September 24, 2022 · 7:35 PM · OTHER
Springfield, VA
I was driving south on I-395 today, 9-24-2022, and noticed a bright light in the sky. At around 7:30, the sky was still light on one side, but I was looking slightly to the southeast, so it was a bit darker. The light beacon coming from the object was exceptionally strong, as I could see the very bright beam from my very well-lit area (the “mixing bowl), and I didn’t think it could be a plane or helicopter. It looked like a beacon starting from a slender line beaming out wide in a single direction, but not at anything in particular. I couldn’t tell if it was moving while I was driving, and I wanted to get a better look. I took the Springfield / Old Keene Mill exit and pulled into the Springfield Plaza Shopping Center. I parked in the lot north of Panda Express facing the Homewood Suites. After watching and realizing it was moving in a northerly direction, I decided to take some photos. I looked at the photos closely after taking each one, and then would take another photo, three photos in all. It wasn’t moving very fast. After looking at the third photo, I looked back up where it should be (based on the speed it had been going), and it was gone. Looking back at the photos, I noticed that there was a “spot” on one of them. I zoomed in to see a flat square object. Weather was calm and mostly clear. I started to drive home, and then thought to look at the clock. It was 7:44 when I looked, so I think it was around 7:35 when I first noticed it.
July 8, 2018 · 11:50 AM · LIGHT
Springfield, VA
I live near a flight path for Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA). I was in our backyard, and had just watched (and heard) a jet fly roughly overhead (NE) in its landing pattern towards DCA. A minute or so later, I saw a bright light or shiny object moving in the opposite direction (SW). It moved at roughly the same relative speed as the jet, given the jet was probably 2000-5000 feet above me. I assumed this shiny object was also a plane, with the Sun reflecting off it, but it made no noise whatsoever. As it moved away, it took on the appearance of two lights, but i can't vouch for that as I sometimes see slightly double at a distance. The brightness, considering this was broad daylight and a completely cloudless sky, and the complete lack of noise were enough to make me think twice. When it disappeared behind a tree, I got up and exited our backyard to the parking lot behind our house to get another look. The trip took me three seconds, but when I to got the parking lot, the object was no longer visible. Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information. PD
September 23, 2016 · 9:40 PM · CIRCLE
Springfield, VA
Orange glow in SE sky, moving too fast for a plane and not in normal flight patterns for this area. Was much brighter than anything in the sky. Was super bright, shot straight up then vanished. Waited about ten minutes and it never reappeared
March 11, 2016 · 8:45 PM · CIRCLE
Springfield, VA
Outside looking north toward DC, when three objects in a straight line this would be north appeared. They continued moving southwest eventually going over my head and disappearing. At first I thought it was helicopters flying, but there was absolutely no noise from them. I have seen a fireball before and they definitely were not one of them. No tail like a fireball has. The lights did not blink like planes either. Not sure what they were but never saw anything like it before. Hope this stays up and others saw it to just don't know where else to look this up so I thought I would post here. We have amended the time, but we have no way of confirming it. The witness provided no contact information. PD
February 5, 2015 · 9:30 PM · LIGHT
Springfield, VA
i saw the bright light in the sky near the beltway heading south about a week ago and again yesterday. this was unmistakeable i know how planes, helicopter, even shooting stars look. this was a different brighter light that stayed in a fixed position in the sky and then moved at a constant impossible speed across the sky until it dissapeared. lasted about 4 seconds. happened both times around 930pm
August 20, 2013 · 3:00 AM · CIGAR
Springfield, VA
Crazy.