On November 7, 2006, a UFO was reported hovering over Chicago O'Hare International Airport's Gate C-17 of the United Airlines terminal. Around a dozen United Airlines employees, including ramp workers, mechanics, managers, and pilots, as well as some independent witnesses outside the airport, reported seeing the object.1 The incident garnered significant media attention and sparked debate between official explanations and the consistent accounts of multiple credible witnesses.2
The Sighting
At approximately 4:15 PM CST, the object was first spotted by a ramp employee pushing back United Airlines Flight 446. Witnesses described the object as a metallic, saucer-shaped craft, dark gray in color, and estimated to be between 6 and 30 feet in diameter.3 It was reported to be completely silent. The object hovered for approximately five to ten minutes before rapidly ascending through the clouds, leaving a clear blue hole in the cloud layer that reportedly closed shortly after.4 The visual sighting was not corroborated by air traffic control radar, which the FAA later cited as a reason for their official explanation.5
Official Response and Controversy
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and United Airlines initially denied knowledge of the incident. The FAA later attributed the sighting to a "weather phenomenon," specifically a "hole-punch cloud," and declined to investigate further, noting that the object did not appear on radar and was not seen by air traffic controllers.6 This explanation was met with skepticism by many of the witnesses, who insisted they saw a solid, metallic object. A Chicago Tribune reporter's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request revealed internal discussions among employees about the sighting, further highlighting the discrepancy between official statements and eyewitness accounts.7 The O'Hare incident remains a notable case in ufology, often cited as an example of a credible mass sighting that received a controversial official explanation.8