THINK ABOUTIT UFO SIGHTINGS REPORT
Date: August 1969
Sighting Time: 01:00 PM
Day/Night: Daytime
Location: Piercefield, New York
Urban or Rural: Very rural area in the Adirondacks, prob about 300 people town on a ridge off the Raquette River. Approx 70-80 miles south,south west of Plattsburghs Air Force Base.
Entity Type: None (Witness only observed the craft).
Entity Description: N/A.
Hynek Classification: DD (Daylight Disc) Metallic or whitish object was seen in the day.
Duration: “Seconds, maybe minutes”.
No. of Object(s): 1
Appearance / Description of the Object(s): large non-shiny gunmetal grey color
Distance to Object(s): it had to be approx 1 mile plus away given the terrain.
Shape of Object(s): Large Disc.
Size of Object(s): not sure except it had to be quite large as i was Not looking for any thing.
Color of Object(s): gunmetal grey color
Number of Witnesses: 1
Special Features/Characteristics: Silent propulsion; no visible lights, exhaust, or smoke; instantaneous “up-up and away” acceleration.
Source: Reported To Think AboutIt from Z
Summary/Description: I saw a apparently Large Disc shaped object hovering above the wetland area off raquette river. It was approx 1 mile or more away i believe. I observed it for Seconds, maybe minutes (don’t know as i was 10 or 11 y/o..) Then it went up,up and away and was gone with no noise,lights,exhaust etc…
In August 1969 at about 12-1 pm, I was 10 – 11 years old. Our town was basically on a ridge, as i walked out the back door , as our back yard slope up to the next street on top of the ridge. I saw a large Disc shaped object hovering approx a mile or more away over the wooded area raquette river.( It was a clear blue sky with a few puffy clouds that day.) The object was a non-shiny gun metal color, with no noise,no visible light or smoke/exhaust, no moving objects. I watched it for how long ??? and then it just went up-up and away from me and was gone !!! My line of sight was perfect because I was not looking up in the sky for anything, it was just there…chances are no one else in this town saw it.
Historical Context: The Adirondacks as a UFO Hotspot
The Adirondack Mountains of New York have long been a focal point for anomalous aerial activity. In the summer of 1969, the region experienced a noticeable uptick in reports, often involving Daylight Discs or nocturnal lights seen over the vast wilderness and river systems like the Raquette River. Piercefield, with its low population density and expansive views, provided an ideal backdrop for such sightings.
The witness’s description of a silent, gunmetal grey disc is consistent with “high-strangeness” reports from this era. Unlike the flashy lights often associated with modern sightings, many late-60s reports emphasized the solid, industrial look of the crafts and their absolute silence. This silence, even when the object performed extreme instantaneous acceleration, defies conventional aerodynamic physics which would typically produce a sonic boom.
The Military Connection: Plattsburgh Air Force Base
It is important to note that Piercefield is located approximately 70–80 miles southwest of the now-closed Plattsburgh Air Force Base. In 1969, Plattsburgh was an active Strategic Air Command (SAC) facility housing B-52 bombers and FB-111s. Researchers often find a correlation between UFO activity and military installations.
The craft’s ability to hover silently over wetlands before performing an “up-up and away” maneuver suggests a propulsion system far beyond the capability of anything the U.S. Air Force was officially testing at the time. While some might suggest secret experimental aircraft, the lack of any visible control surfaces (wings, rudders) or exhaust makes a conventional explanation highly unlikely.
Technical Analysis: Physics of the “Up-Up and Away” Maneuver
The most scientifically significant aspect of this encounter is the witness’s description of the craft’s departure. In conventional aeronautics, any object moving from a stationary hover to extreme speeds would generate a massive displacement of air, resulting in a sonic boom and visible turbulence. However, the Piercefield object departed with total silence and no visible exhaust, a characteristic often referred to in Ufology as silent propulsion.
This “instantaneous acceleration” suggests the craft may not have been pushing against the atmosphere in a traditional sense, but rather utilizing a form of gravity-metric or field propulsion. Such a system would theoretically warp the space-time around the craft, allowing it to move at incredible velocities without the inertia or friction that affects man-made aircraft. The fact that the witness noted the line of sight was perfect and the sky was clear further rules out atmospheric illusions or mirages.
Classification: The Hynek Scale
Under the Hynek Classification System, this case is firmly categorized as a Daylight Disc (DD). These are defined as metallic or distinct objects seen in the sky during daylight hours. While many DD cases are seen at a distance, the detail provided here—specifically the gunmetal grey color and the lack of control surfaces—elevates it to a high-quality report.
The lack of interaction with the witness places it outside the realm of a Close Encounter, but the physical performance of the craft observed over the Raquette River remains a technical mystery. As one of the more solid accounts from the Adirondack region, this 1969 report continues to serve as a vital data point in the study of unidentified flying objects during the late 20th century.
The 1969 Piercefield encounter remains a standout case in the New York State archives due to its daylight clarity and the technical specificity of the craft’s performance. While the proximity to Plattsburgh Air Force Base offers a potential conventional lead, the absence of any traditional propulsion indicators—such as exhaust, sound, or aerodynamic control surfaces—points toward a level of technology that was fundamentally anomalous for its time.
For the witness, the “up-up and away” departure was not just a fleeting visual; it was a demonstration of a physical reality that contradicts our standard understanding of aerodynamics. By documenting these high-quality Daylight Disc reports, we continue to build a clearer picture of the silent, metallic visitors that have frequented the Adirondack region for decades. The Piercefield sighting serves as a crucial reminder that the most profound mysteries often appear in the stillness of a clear afternoon, leaving behind no trace but the indelible memory of those who happened to be looking.
