Quick Info
November 7, 2006. Chicago O'Hare International Airport. In the middle of a busy day, over a dozen United Airlines employees , pilots, mechanics, ramp workers, gate agents , watched in stunned silence as a metallic, saucer-shaped object appeared out of the clouds and hovered motionless directly above Gate C17 in Concourse C. It stayed there for several minutes, silent, solid, and perfectly still, before accelerating straight upward at incredible speed, punching a perfect circular hole through the overcast layer that remained visible for up to 15 minutes. The FAA initially confirmed the sighting to the Chicago Tribune, then backtracked. The witnesses were told to stay quiet. The case remains one of the most credible, multi-witness mass sightings in modern UAP history.
Morning of November 7, 2006 – A Normal Day Turns Unforgettable
It was a cold, overcast Tuesday at O'Hare. United Airlines Concourse C was bustling with gate agents, mechanics, baggage handlers, and pilots preparing flights. Around 4:30–4:45 p.m. local time, several ramp workers outside near Gate C17 noticed something strange in the sky. A metallic disc , solid, no wings, no rotors, no visible propulsion , was hanging motionless directly overhead, just below the cloud layer.
One mechanic looked up and froze. He called over a colleague. Then another. Within minutes, a small crowd of United employees had gathered under the gate canopy, staring upward. The object was estimated at 6–24 feet in diameter (witness estimates varied), gunmetal grey or chrome-like, perfectly circular, no lights, no sound, no exhaust. It simply hovered , defying wind, gravity, and logic.
"It was just hanging there. No noise. No movement. Like it was watching us. We all just stood there with our mouths open."
– United Airlines ramp worker (anonymous, Chicago Tribune, January 1, 2007)
Word spread quickly. A United pilot waiting at a gate looked out the window and saw it too. A gate agent called her supervisor. Someone grabbed a radio and alerted the tower. The object remained visible for 2–5 minutes (estimates vary), then , without warning , accelerated straight up at tremendous speed, disappearing into the clouds. A perfect circular hole appeared in the overcast layer, as if the object had punched through it. The hole stayed visible for another 10–15 minutes before slowly closing.
The Hole in the Sky
The most striking detail , and the one that made the case impossible to dismiss as a balloon, drone, or lens flare , was the hole in the clouds. Multiple witnesses (including pilots and mechanics with aviation experience) confirmed it: a sharp-edged, circular opening approximately the same diameter as the object, through which blue sky was clearly visible. The hole persisted long after the object was gone, slowly eroding as wind filled it in.
"It went straight up and just... disappeared. And there was this perfect round hole in the clouds right where it had been. You could see straight through to the blue sky above. It stayed there for a good 10–15 minutes."
– United Airlines mechanic (anonymous, Chicago Tribune interview)
Photographs of the hole exist (taken by witnesses shortly after), though none captured the object itself. The FAA tower reportedly received calls from ground personnel asking what it was. The response: "We don't know."
Witnesses: United Airlines Employees Speak
At least 12–20 United employees saw the object. Key accounts include:
- Ramp workers , Closest observers; described it as "solid, metallic, no seams," hovering 500–1,000 feet above the gate.
- Pilots , One captain (anonymous) told the Tribune: "I’ve been flying for 20 years. I’ve never seen anything like that."
- Gate agents , One woman called her supervisor: "There's something hovering over the gate. It's not a plane."
- Mechanics , One said: "It wasn't moving like any aircraft. No tilt, no turn. Just stopped. Then it shot up like a bullet."
All witnesses were told by United supervisors not to discuss it publicly. Some were warned it could cost them their jobs. Despite this, several spoke anonymously to the Chicago Tribune, which broke the story on January 1, 2007.
FAA Response & Backtracking
The FAA initially confirmed the sighting to the Tribune: "Our radar did not pick up anything, but we have reports from credible sources." A supervisor told the paper: "We talked to a couple of United people who said they saw it. It was a circular object that hovered over the gate for a few minutes, then shot up through the clouds."
Within hours, the FAA reversed course. Official statement: "No radar contact. No official report. Likely a weather phenomenon or light reflection." The agency refused further comment, citing "no evidence of a safety issue."
John Callahan (former FAA Accidents Branch Chief) later commented: "This is the kind of case where the data disappears. They don't want to deal with it."
Skeptical Explanations & Counterpoints
Skeptics (Mick West, Robert Sheaffer): Likely a balloon cluster, drone, or optical illusion (lens flare, reflection off a building). Hole in clouds explained by atmospheric hole-punch clouds (fallstreak holes) caused by aircraft wake or temperature drop.
Counterpoints: Hole-punch clouds are rare, usually larger/irregular, and don't form instantly after an object accelerates upward. No balloon/drone matches size, silence, or maneuverability. Multiple trained aviation witnesses (pilots, mechanics) rejected prosaic explanations. No FAA radar hit explained by low altitude (~1,000 ft) below radar coverage or small RCS.
Legacy in 2026
Nearly 20 years later, O'Hare 2006 remains a benchmark mass-witness case: credible aviation professionals, no motive for hoax, physical effect (cloud hole), and FAA backtracking. Cited in congressional UAP hearings, AARO reports, and modern discussions of airspace incursions. The witnesses , now retired or still working in aviation , stand by their accounts. The hole in the clouds has become iconic , a perfect circle in the sky that no one has ever fully explained.
Key Videos and Coverage
More eyewitness discussions and analyses on YouTube
FAA Response & Backtracking
The FAA initially confirmed the sighting to the Tribune: "Our radar did not pick up anything, but we have reports from credible sources." A supervisor told the paper: "We talked to a couple of United people who said they saw it. It was a circular object that hovered over the gate for a few minutes, then shot up through the clouds."
Within hours, the FAA reversed course. Official statement: "No radar contact. No official report. Likely a weather phenomenon or light reflection." The agency refused further comment, citing "no evidence of a safety issue."
John Callahan (former FAA Accidents Branch Chief) later commented: "This is the kind of case where the data disappears. They don't want to deal with it."
Skeptical Explanations & Counterpoints
Skeptics (Mick West, Robert Sheaffer): Likely a balloon cluster, drone, or optical illusion (lens flare, reflection off a building). Hole in clouds explained by atmospheric hole-punch clouds (fallstreak holes) caused by aircraft wake or temperature drop.
Counterpoints: Hole-punch clouds are rare, usually larger/irregular, and don't form instantly after an object accelerates upward. No balloon/drone matches size, silence, or maneuverability. Multiple trained aviation witnesses (pilots, mechanics) rejected prosaic explanations. No FAA radar hit explained by low altitude (~1,000 ft) below radar coverage or small RCS.
Legacy in 2026
Nearly 20 years later, O'Hare 2006 remains a benchmark mass-witness case: credible aviation professionals, no motive for hoax, physical effect (cloud hole), and FAA backtracking. Cited in congressional UAP hearings, AARO reports, and modern discussions of airspace incursions. The witnesses , now retired or still working in aviation , stand by their accounts. The hole in the clouds has become iconic , a perfect circle in the sky that no one has ever fully explained.
