By Tim Binnall
A remarkable air traffic control recording from late last month features the moment when a puzzled pilot reports that a thirty-foot-tall triangular object just flew past his aircraft. The strange incident reportedly occurred on December 20th during a flight from Pittsburgh to Maryland. As can be heard in the audio above, at around 50 miles north-west of his destination, the pilot contacted the nearest air traffic control tower and a rather curious conversation followed. "We observed something approximately 30 feet tall," he reported to the operator, who did something of a double-take and asked him to confirm the size of the odd object.
"It was pretty tall, probably about 30 feet tall," the pilot replied, noting that "it was going the opposite direction of us." When inquired as to what the mysterious object looked like, he expresses some difficulty in describing it before indicating that "it was just tall and pointy." At the suggestion of the air traffic controller, the witness goes on to report that "it was in the shape of a triangle. It was bottom and flat on top" before ultimately conceding that "I'm not sure what it is." The pilot later says that the object was far enough away from the aircraft that it did not appear to pose any danger to his plane, but that it was "just noticeable enough" that he felt compelled to report the strange anomaly spotted off in the distance.
The conversation concludes with the air traffic controller getting the phone number of the pilot so that he can speak to the operator's supervisor to ensure that "everything is safe up there for future aircraft flying through that." Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the sighting is that the witness revealed that he actually took a picture of the triangular object, though what became of the image is a mystery. Theories as to what the plane may have encountered have included an alien craft, of course, a weather balloon, or even a flock of geese. With that in mind, what do you think the pilot spotted? Weigh in with your best guess at the Coast to Coast AM Facebook page.