The Day the Sky Broke: Revisiting the O’Hare UFO Incident
Written by UAP Files - Jimmy
On a dreary afternoon in November 2006, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport—the second busiest in the United States—briefly played host to something even the most seasoned aviation professionals couldn’t explain: a metallic disc hovering silently over Gate C-17.
This wasn’t a report from a few friends walking home after a night of beer burgers. This was a dozen or more employees of United Airlines—mechanics, ramp staff, and pilots—radioing each other about something hovering just below the clouds. No lights. No sound. No wings.
And then, it was gone.
What followed was one of the most well-documented, mainstream-covered, and curiously downplayed modern UFO sightings in aviation history.
Timeline: The Incident at Gate C-17
• Date: November 7, 2006
• Time: 4:15 PM CST
• Location: United Airlines Terminal, Gate C-17, Chicago O’Hare International Airport
Witnesses reported a “dark grey, metallic-looking disc” about 6–24 feet in diameter, hovering below the 1,900-foot cloud ceiling. According to eyewitnesses, it remained stationary for several minutes before shooting straight upward, piercing a perfect hole in the cloud layer—a phenomenon some described as like someone “punching through a piece of paper.”
An FAA manager later said in a recorded log:
“Sue from United ramp called to report a flying disc over gate C-17.”
It’s the kind of sentence you don’t expect to see in government documentation. And yet, there it is.
The Witnesses
What separates the O’Hare incident from most UFO folklore is the quality and consistency of the witnesses. These weren’t late-night dog walkers or isolated farmers, they were trained aviation personnel, many with decades of experience:
• United Airlines pilot (anonymous): “I know that what I saw… wasn’t a helicopter. It wasn’t a balloon. And it was definitely not a blimp.”
• Mechanics and ground staff described the object as “spinning” or “rotating slowly” with “no visible seams or rivets.”
More than a dozen employees reported the sighting. numerous photos and a video has surfaced, though never been publicly verified.
FAA & United Response
United Airlines employees claimed the incident was reported internally immediately after the sighting. According to Jon Hilkevitch, the Chicago Tribune journalist who broke the story:
“The FAA initially denied any knowledge of the incident, but when pressed with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, they admitted receiving a report—then dismissed it as a weather phenomenon.”
The FAA concluded it was likely a “hole-punch cloud,” a rare meteorological occurrence, despite employee reports of a clearly visible solid object that departed at high velocity.
In FAA audio recordings released via FOIA, the tower operator can be heard chuckling about the report:
“We’re not gonna make a big deal out of this, are we? Because if we do, it’s gonna be a zoo.”
FOIA Fallout
Following the Tribune’s FOIA request, the FAA released internal logs and confirmed conversations between ramp workers and tower officials. The logs—redacted, but revealing—confirmed an object was reported and that the event made it into official systems.
But no FAA radar data was provided. The official line was that radar didn’t pick up anything unusual.
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Reports & Records
NUFORC:
Multiple reports were logged, the most cited being:
• Report #53392
“A metallic disc was seen hovering over Gate C-17 by several airline employees. It remained for several minutes and then shot up, creating a visible hole in the cloud layer.”
• Report #53541
“There were approximately 12 witnesses… It was dark gray, almost metallic, no lights, and had a very defined edge.”
MUFON:
While MUFON did not publish photographs, it cited the case repeatedly as a “Category 1” close encounter by commercial aviation personnel.
This wasn’t a fringe phenomenon. Within weeks of the story breaking, it was covered by:
• CNN
• MSNBC
• Fox News
• CBS
• NPR
• Chicago Tribune
And later, it became canon in UFO-themed programming:
• UFO Hunters (History Channel), Episode: “Aliens at the Airport” (2009)
• Hangar 1: The UFO Files, episode: “Unfriendly Skies”
• Ancient Aliens, Season 19, Episode 9: “Aliens in Our Airspace”
Even pop culture joined the party:
• The film UFO (2018) used the O’Hare event as a plot point.
• Boston Legal referenced the incident in one of its more ‘eccentric’ court scenes.
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References & Further Reading
1. Hilkevitch, Jon (Jan 1, 2007). “In the sky! A bird? A plane? A … UFO?”. Chicago Tribune.
2. Smith, Ryan (Mar 20, 2013). “O’Hare UFO sighting in 2006 one of the most famous reported”. Chicago Tribune.
3. NUFORC Sighting Reports #53392, #53541
4. FAA tower audio logs and internal memos (via FOIA, 2007)
5. History Channel, “UFO Hunters: Aliens at the Airport”
6. NARCAP, Report of UAP and Safety Implications (November 7, 2014)
If what was seen over O’Hare that day was indeed a weather anomaly, it was one that presented as a metallic disc to a dozen aviation workers. It made no sound, cast no shadow, and then left a smoking hole in the clouds above one of the world’s busiest airports.
But perhaps the most telling quote comes from an FAA staffer during the initial review:
“We’re not saying it was anything. We’re saying it was nothing.”
Which is, of course, saying quite a lot.
Watch a short video I put together over on YouTube with some of the best photos, footage, interviews and the FOIA FAA audio talking about what they’re seeing in realtime.
The last pic is a fake, that UFO with lights is making the rounds on the Internet like forever
Great article 👍I live not too far from O'Hare, so I'm always on a lookout 👀