Case study · CASE-078 · Airport employee sighting / FAA records
O'Hare Airport sighting
DisputedDisputedWhere Chicago O'Hare International AirportWhen 2006-11-07
Case
- Overview
- United Airlines employees reported a disc-shaped object over a gate. The FAA initially denied having information until a Chicago Tribune FOIA request; it then attributed the sighting to a weather phenomenon.
- Investigative phases
- FAA statement; Tribune FOIA; later documentaries
- Reported phenomena
- Disc-shaped object hovering, then shooting up
- Public evidence status
- FAA records released via FOIA
- Alternative explanations / caveats
- Hole-punch cloud or weather phenomenon (FAA view)
- Next research tasks
- Obtain full FAA FOIA release
- Last reviewed
- 2026-11-11
Assessment
- Event date
- 2006-11-07
- Source category
- FAA FOIA release
- Original data accessibility
- Partial
- Witness / instrument basis
- Airline employees
- Corroboration limitations
- No radar detection
- Extraordinary claim assessment
- Explained as weather (contested)
- Current status
- Disputed
- Priority research task
- Review FOIA release
- Lead source ID
- SRC-V86-44
- Last reviewed
- 2026-11-11
Evidence (1)
Documents gathered (1 line of evidence)
- FAA records released to the Chicago Tribune; weather-phenomenon statement Primary record linked