VIDCAST: Local UFO Sightings on the Rise in Memphis, Tennessee

Friday, March 05, 2010

VIDCAST: Local UFO Sightings on the Rise in Memphis, Tennessee

By Jill Monier
MyFoxMemphis.com
3-3-10

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Bright white lights and strange, triangular shaped objects, Tennesseans are reporting some unusual things overhead. Don't expect that to stop anytime soon, a local group that investigates UFO close encounters says sightings are on the rise.

For decades millions of people have reported seeing UFO's. A recent poll shows one in 12 Americans have seen a mysterious object in the sky, and that a third of adults believe it's likely aliens have visited earth. While some say the increase in volume of reports in Tennessee are enough to make any investigator sit up and take notice, others say it's all in their heads.

The skies over Tennessee have been busy lately, but some say, it's not your typical air traffic. A commercial airline pilot from Memphis shows us where he spotted a UFO. He pointed out the UFO's path, saying, "It started here, passed over about this speed and leveled out down there."

This pilot, who doesn't want to be identified for fear he'll lose his job, says he saw a UFO in the sky over Cordova around 9:45pm on November 24, 2009.

"[It was] absolutely not an airplane, not an airship, this object speed it was flying at, the shape there is nothing in the air even similar in the least bit to what I saw," the pilot claimed.

The pilot, who has more than 25 years experience, said the black triangle he saw was flying as fast as 1,000 miles per hour, but was completely silent. He said it looked exactly like YouTube video of what an estimated 13,000 saw flying over Belgium in 1990.

"I could not honestly believe what I saw," he amazed. "[I] stood there for honestly a few minutes thinking what I was going to do or who I was going to report this to."

The pilot reported it to the Tennessee Mutual UFO Network, or MUFON. MUFON is the largest UFO research and education organization in the United States. The non-profit group is made up of volunteers like Alyson Burgess.

"All we do is if someone reports an object we try our best to figure out if we can identify it," said Burgess. "If we can't identify it it's called an 'unknown.'"

The pilot's sighting is classified as 'unknown,' but Burgess says 90% of sightings can be attributed to things like airplanes or meteors. What the group can't explain is the uptick in reports.

"[It] seems like it's going to be a busy year for us," said Burgess.

The pilot's was one of 30 sightings in Tennessee from October to December of last year. Typically, there are between 4 and 8 a month. There have been 10 sightings so far this year.

State MUFON Director, Eddie Middleton said the skies have never been so active in Tennessee.

"It's like building to some sort of crescendo getting more intense all the time," said Middleton. "I don't know where it's leading; it's getting more intense, something's got to give here before long landing on the White House lawn or whatever."

While many report seeing large black triangles, others see flying saucers or cigar shaped crafts. Middleton said, "The evidence is overwhelming we are being visited. If anyone takes time to look they will find it extremely compelling."