Pilot’s Report: Unexplained Encounter
Date: January 4, 2025
Time: 23:18 UTC
Location: 20 miles NE of Williamsport Airport (KIPT) at 30,000 ft
As a 26-year-old pilot with 16 years of corporate aviation experience and countless hours flying at night, I consider myself well-versed in the sights of the skies. I’ve encountered various phenomena, including newly launched Starlink satellites and rocket launches, but I’ve never witnessed anything I couldn’t explain—until now.
Recently, I invested in a high-quality pair of night vision goggles (NVGs) for both stargazing at home and nighttime hikes. I also enjoy using them on night flights.
On this trip from the Western US to Newark, NJ (KEWR), I was eager to put my NVGs to the test, especially given the ongoing discussions around drones. As we cruised eastbound at 45,000 ft, the sun began to set, and I started using my goggles once it got dark enough, about 250 miles out. The view of the NY, NJ, and PA area was breathtaking—strobe lights from numerous aircraft created a scene reminiscent of the red carpet at the Oscars, and I could see stars, satellites, and even the ISS passing overhead.
As we descended through approximately 33,000 ft, both my co-pilot and I spotted an extremely bright bluish light about 10 miles away to my left (11 o’clock). The brightness and size of the light were striking, and we noted that our traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) showed no alerts, nor did we see anything on ForeFlight through ADS-B.
The light grew larger as it approached us, maintaining our altitude. I checked through my NVGs again and saw no strobe or beacon lights—just a single, intense point of light. It shifted course just enough to pass by my left wing, coming within about 3 miles. As it moved past my view, it suddenly extinguished, revealing a single flashing red light.
Throughout this encounter, I alternated between observing it with my naked eye and the goggles. The light appeared oblong and incredibly bright, resembling car headlights, and I estimated its speed to be normal for an aircraft.
My mind raced with explanations. Initially, I considered the possibility that a nearby aircraft had simply neglected to turn off its landing lights. However, that would be highly unusual, especially considering that by our altitude, they should have been off while only strobe and beacon lights remained active. Furthermore, the orientation of the light as it passed—that is, shining forward—would not appear as a spotlight directed at us. I wondered if it could be a helicopter with a spotlight, but I’ve never seen one operating at 33,000 ft. Additionally, air traffic control would have alerted us to nearby aircraft, and our TCAS would have displayed it.
Looking back, I regret not contacting ATC to inquire about any aircraft in that area at the time. I also chose against recording a video since nighttime footage usually doesn’t do justice to the experience and I wanted to stay focused on observing.
In summary, I have no explanation for what I witnessed, and it felt deeply unusual. I’ve attached a screenshot from ADS-B showing no aircraft matching the altitude or location I observed at that time. The nearest 737, depicted in the image, was at 38,000 ft and significantly off from my observations. My aircraft is shown in blue at the bottom of the image.
This encounter was certainly perplexing.
Wow, that’s quite an extraordinary experience you had! As a seasoned pilot, it must have been both intriguing and unsettling to witness something that doesn’t fit the norm of what you’d typically expect in the skies. The details you’ve provided really help paint a picture of the event—especially how the light behaved and your observations regarding its altitude and brightness.
It’s interesting how you managed to rule out the usual explanations, like it being another aircraft or a helicopter, given the altitude and the absence of transponder signals. The sudden appearance of a blinking red light after the bright one turned off adds another layer of intrigue.
I can totally understand your decision not to capture it on video; sometimes it’s just about being present in the moment. Your instinct to focus on the sighting rather than trying to document it makes sense, especially in such a fleeting situation.
Have you thought about sharing this experience with your fellow pilots or on any aviation forums? Other pilots might have similar stories or insights that could help explain this phenomenon. It’s always fascinating to hear how others have interpreted strange sightings in the sky! Thanks for sharing your experience; it certainly gives us all something to think about!