Mystery Surrounds UFO Sighting in STT
- Mark Dworkin
- Mar 28
- 2 min read
Jamie Leonard
St. Thomas - A woman traveling by plane from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands to Orlando, Florida captured a strange and mysterious sight in the sky shortly after takeoff: a small, silver sphere moving in the opposite direction of the aircraft.
The passenger reported the sighting to the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), an organization that investigates UFO sightings around the world. According to her report, the plane had just lifted off from Cyril E. King International Airport (STT) in St. Thomas when she noticed something unusual outside the window.
“As the plane rose in the air from takeoff, I looked down and saw what looked like a tiny cloud ball,” she reported to MUFON Investigator Jamie Leonard who is stationed on St. Croix. “But it was moving in the opposite direction.”
At first, she thought it seemed like a small cloud, but the witness quickly realized it was a smooth, spherical object flying through the clouds. The plane was still gaining altitude, and she could still clearly see the boats and sea below, which meant the object was well below the plane.
The sighting occurred around mid-afternoon, within 5 to 15 minutes after takeoff on Spirit Airlines flight #277 headed to Orlando International Airport (MCO). The witness said she was so shocked that she woke up her partner and daughter to tell them, though she didn’t notice if any other passengers saw the object.
A video of the sighting was submitted with the report. It shows a round, silver object with no wings, light, or visible tail, moving steadily across the sky.
Jamie Leonard, MUFON’s National Director for the U.S. Virgin Islands, investigated the case. After reviewing air traffic footage using flight tracking tools, Mr. Leonard found that JetBlue flight B61817 may have been in the area at the time and could explain the sighting. Based on all available data, he was more than 80% confident the object was the JetBlue plane seen from a strange angle or possibly a reflection off the plane. The case was closed as an IFO - Identified Flying Object.
Still, the witness remains convinced it was something out of the ordinary. “It was definitely lower than the plane and moving in a way that surprised me,” she told Mr. Leonard.
MUFON encourages anyone who sees unusual objects in the sky to report them through its website: mufon.com.
Anyone interested in learning more about the phenomena is welcome to attend a local meeting, also found on the MUFON website.
Report submitted by:
Jamie Leonard
MUFON National Director
U.S. Virgin Islands
ID#9935786
