Over Michigan, in Cleveland Center airspace, United States
The Shuttle 5959 Encounter
Shortly after midnight on 28 February 1996, crews of Air Shuttle 5959 and Mesaba 3179 reported a bright pulsating object over Michigan while communicating with Cleveland Center. The preserved aviation-research archive describes clear ATC communications, two separate aircrews seeing the light and no
Why This Case Matters
A useful professional-aviation case because two commercial crews and ATC were involved in real time, with the communications preserved in Richard Haines's aviation-UFO archive.
Chronology
- 28 Feb 1996 ~00:50 Air Shuttle 5959 reports bright pulsating light
- Cleveland Center reports no matching radar traffic and suggests possible beacon/cloud reflection
- 5959 changes altitude/viewing geometry
- Mesaba 3179 independently reports seeing the same light
- recording/case material later retained in Richard Haines archive
The Witnesses
Evidence
The following evidence types are documented for this case:
Conventional explanations: Ground beacon reflected by cloud, bright astronomical source, distant aircraft or other light source remain possible; a negative primary radar return constrains but does not eliminate small/distant targets.
What Remains Unresolved
- Original FAA audio and radar data
- precise aircraft positions/altitudes
- weather/cloud layer
- whether both crews' lines of sight triangulate to a common source.
Key Takeaways
- This is stronger than a later pilot anecdote because the second crew and ATC interaction were contemporaneous. It still lacks range/kinematics and a positive sensor track.
Sources
Primary and secondary sources for this case file: