Size of Object(s)

Limousine sized

Distance to Object(s) & Altitude

3/4 of a mile

Shape of Object(s)

Like a squashed and stretched sideways Mercury capsule.

Color of Object(s):

I say it was dark metal and highly reflective and my brother remembers it as silver and reflective.

Full Description & Details

A mettalic and reflective object the size of a limousine, flew from south to north on the west side of the Franklin mountains, in El Paso, Texas, at an approximate speed of 50 mph and with a wobbling or tumbling motion. The object was about 3/4 of a mile from the witnesses and about 500 feet above the terrain, but below the tops of the mountain peaks. Speed and altitude were constant. The distance to the object was easy to estimate given the known distance of our house from the mountain. Our entire family witnessed the event. First to witness it were my father, mother and brother. They were in the back yard which faces to the south. The object approached from the south, from the direction of downtown El Paso. It flew low and close to the mountain and at a steady rate of speed. The Franklin mountains run in a north-south line, dividing the city into east and west sides. We lived on the west side. It flew between our home and the mountain, so the sun was to our backs (west) and shined full on the object, which was to the east of us. The day was clear and cloudless, late afternoon on a Saturday or Sunday. As the object proceeded north my brother ran into the house and yelled at me to go out front on the balcony and see this object. He got my father's binoculars and joined me on the balcony. We had plenty of time, the object was not in a hurry. We passed the binoculars back and forth at least a couple of times, but the object was plain to see with the naked eye as well. There was no sound. There was no wind. We had many times seen planes fly this route along the mountain and you could clearly hear them and see them for what they were. It is the desert and sound carries on a quiet and windless day. It was not a helicopter. All of this was easy to understand immediately with or without binoculars. It was not a balloon. Because of El Paso's proximity to White Sands Missile Range, Holloman AFB, Ft. Bliss, etc., we were accustomed to seeing weather balloons, strange military craft and even large pieces of card board aloft high in the sky from the not too infrequent wind storms. We had even seen missile tests on occasion when we were on our way to Ruidoso, New Mexico. We have seen more shooting stars and meteors and space junk burn up over El Paso than I can recall or count, even beautiful day time meteors - and that is something to see. Obviously this was none of those. What I guess was so remarkable about it at the time was just how unremarkable it was. We watched it as long as we could, until it finally was lost to sight heading north along the mountains. My father, in law enforcement for more than twenty years, had no explanation for it, but he was a practical man and he went about the yard work. What should he do about it. My mother was at a loss as well. She actually recalls reading about it in the paper the next day. Others had seen it and reported it apparently, but it had never occurred to us to do so. What would be the point? I was impressed, but after seeing such movies as Close Encounters it was a little anti-climactic, however, with time, this sighting has really intrigued me more and more, and as a spoiled young man of 17, I guess I sort of took it for granted, hoping that if I ever did see something that it would be so much more impressive. As I learn more about the phenomenon I am coming to realize just how good and impressive the sighting really was. And how unique the experience was, as I may never have the opportunity to see such a thing again.

NOTE: Regarding the time of the sighting, it is possible that it was Spring of 1980, but it was certainly during my senior year in High School and definitely not winter or cold weather. Check the El Paso Times and see if you can find a report for 1979/1980 that happened on a weekend.

Witness Background

I am 42 now and married, but no children yet. I work in the TV & Video production business. I have two degrees - a BS and an MBA. I have travelled quite a lot. And through the years I have spoken to a lot of people about this subject and have been surprised to find out how many people, from all walks of life, have had very good sightings of these kinds of objects. None of them ever reported the experience to or through an "official" channel.

Other Comments

There is actually a photograph in your archives of an object that looks remarkably similar to the one that I saw. This photo was shot in the 80's somewhere in south, rural Texas someplace. I am not much for sketching this thing, it is easy to imagine. Take an old Mercury capsule, put a nice glossy finish on it, pull it and strectch it out laterally from the center until it is about 16 to 20 feet wide and then you have got yourself a fair approximation of what it was shaped like. What was funny about the shape of the thing was that at the time I told some friends about it they told me that I could not know what I was talking about since UFO's were obviously shapped like two contact lenses or saucers placed end to end! Oh well, what you gonna do?

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