An unidentified flying object (UFO) reportedly spotted in the skies of Oregon in the United States puzzled air traffic control officials and alien buffs equally for months. Now, documents and audio recordings of the air traffic controllers' actions may shed light on what actually happened that day.
The strange craft was reportedly seen on October 25, 2017, in broad daylight. It was said to be flying amid heavy air traffic and always remained beyond the clear vision of the air traffic controllers. It was not responding to radio calls, as a result of which F-15 interceptor fighters from the US Air Force were sent to investigate.
The aircraft was said to be big, white in color and flying at 37,000 feet. Recordings obtained by The War Zone blog through the US' Freedom of Information Act shows the confusion of officials while dealing with the unknown object.
The object was first detected above North Carolina by radar stations in Oakland at 4:30 pm. After observing it for a while, authorities found it turning abruptly into the path of a stream of commercial airliners before disappearing from the radar but not from sight.
Commercial pilots and controllers tried to understand what was going on for the next half an hour.
Although the object was flying with the same speed as the commercial aircraft, it did not emit any signals. Neither was it in plain sight to be observed or comprehended. An air controller is heard speculating in the audio that the object might be in "stealth mode or something."
A Reddit user named "The Flying Beard", who claimed to be an air traffic controller, posted his account of the incident.
Although the recordings shed light on what happened that day and how the controllers responded to the situation, questions have been raised about a few anomalies in the footage.
"There were a few strange areas where conversations went mute and it's not clear if this was edited or just an anomaly," reported the War Zone blog. "When the Manager in Charge is asked if he was asking for military assistance by another FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) controller, the tape goes blank."
Although UFO buffs seem convinced that this was an alien spacecraft, other options have been considered as well. Speculations have surfaced that the unidentified object could have been the top-secret B-21 "Raider" of the US Air Force, a next-generation stealth bomber whose details are not known.
