The O'Hare Airport Sighting
On a grey afternoon at one of the world's busiest airports, airline staff watched a dark disc hover over a gate, then shoot up through the clouds.
What was reported
At about 4:15 pm on 7 November 2006, several United Airlines employees at O'Hare Airport, including a ramp worker and pilots, said they saw a dark, disc-shaped object hovering low over gate C17 under a thick cloud layer. It stayed there for several minutes.
Then, they said, it shot straight up, leaving a clear hole in the clouds through which blue sky could be seen, which closed soon after. The story became public two months later through the Chicago Tribune.
Explanations offered
The US Federal Aviation Administration said its radar showed nothing unusual and suggested a weather phenomenon. It did not investigate further. Some meteorologists have suggested a 'hole-punch' cloud, which can form naturally, but witnesses said the object was solid.
- When
- 7 November 2006
- Where
- O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Witnesses
- Airline employees and pilots
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.