Overview
On the afternoon of November 7, 2006, multiple United Airlines ramp workers, mechanics, and pilots at Chicago O’Hare reported a dark, disc-shaped object hovering silently above Gate C17 of Terminal 1. Witnesses said it shot upward through the low cloud deck, leaving a clean, circular opening that closed within minutes. The FAA did not open a formal investigation at the time, citing no radar confirmation and treating it as a weather phenomenon, but internal airline reports and media FOI requests later surfaced, keeping the case in public debate.
Timeline
- ~4:15 p.m. CST — First ramp witnesses look up after a radio remark and spot a gray, saucer-like object holding position over Concourse C at an estimated few hundred feet AGL.
- Minutes later — Additional ground staff, a pilot taxiing for departure, and a mechanic on the ramp report the same object. No engine noise is noted.
- Departure — The object abruptly shoots straight up and pierces the overcast. Several witnesses describe a crisp circular opening in the cloud layer.
- Aftermath — Airline personnel file internal safety reports. Local media break the story weeks later following FOI inquiries. FAA states there was no radar return and attributes the event to weather optics.
Primary sources you can embed or cite
- Contemporary TV news segments compiling interviews with ramp crew and pilots
- Released audio from ATC sectors the hour of the event
- Redacted airline incident summaries obtained through records requests
- Newspaper features that reconstructed the sequence and interviewed named witnesses
Claims and counterclaims
Claim: A structured, disc-shaped craft hovered silently and executed a high-acceleration vertical departure, punching a hole in the cloud deck.
Counter: FAA pointed to weather optics and the lack of radar returns. Skeptical takes suggest a balloon or small drone misperceived against a uniform overcast, with the “hole” a transient fallstreak or wingtip-like disruption unrelated to a solid craft.
Claim: Multiple on-duty aviation professionals reduce the odds of misperception.
Counter: Shared vantage points, expectation effects over radio, and a featureless gray sky can synchronize misreads. Witnesses did not capture clear photos and estimates of size and altitude vary widely.
Claim: A radial “hole-punch” is direct physical evidence.
Counter: Hole-punch or fallstreak clouds can occur when ice crystals form rapidly and fall out, leaving round openings. Without time-synced imagery and weather soundings, causation is unproven.
Credibility meter (1–5)
- Witnesses: 4
Multiple trained aviation personnel reported a consistent core description. - Physical evidence: 2
Anecdotal cloud opening, no materials or high-quality photos, no radar. - Documentation: 3
ATC audio exists, internal reports surfaced, and strong media records; no formal federal investigation. - Expert review: 3
Competing models exist with no consensus.
Overall: ~3.0 (credible witnesses, thin instruments)
Red flags
- No synchronized photo or video from the ramp despite multiple observers.
- No supporting radar track at the time.
- Varying altitude and size estimates among witnesses.
What we know
- A cluster of on-duty airline employees and at least one pilot reported a hovering disc that shot vertically and left a round opening in a low overcast over Concourse C.
- FAA did not treat it as a safety incident requiring investigation, citing no radar confirmation and likely atmospheric causes.
Unknowns
- Whether any archived surface observations, soundings, or airport cameras captured the cloud feature at that moment.
- The true altitude, size, and kinematics of the reported object.
- If any private photos exist that were never released publicly.
What If…?
If nonhuman craft: A field-lift platform could hold station without rotor noise and accelerate vertically, condensing or clearing a narrow column through supercooled droplets to create a circular aperture. Testable sign: a sharply bounded fallstreak with unusual symmetry and rapid closure.
If prosaic: A helium balloon or small drone viewed at unknown distance against an overcast can mimic hovering and rapid climb when it drifts into stronger updrafts, while a coincidental fallstreak produces a near-circular “hole.” Replications with weather data and balloon size can probe this.
If social-perceptual: A single cue over ramp radio focuses attention on a feature in the sky; independent estimates converge but inherit the same initial misread. Expect consistent narrative but poor triangulation.
Where to dig next
- Weather forensics: Reconstruct METAR, TAF, and radiosonde profiles for cloud type and icing potential; search for reported fallstreaks in the region that day.
- ATC and ramp sync: Align radio calls, pushback times, and aircraft taxi logs to bound observation windows and vantage points.
- Photo hunt: Renew appeals for any original images from ramp devices or passenger phones and run photogrammetry.
- Radar re-scan: Review raw primary returns if archived by nearby facilities and compare with expected clutter and approach patterns.
Receipts
- TV and newspaper features with on-record ramp interviews and timeline reconstructions
- ATC audio compilations from the hour of the event
- Redacted internal airline incident notes released to reporters
- FAA public statements explaining the lack of investigation and proposing atmospheric explanations
