is this information public?

FlightAware General
1

Friday, November 30, 2007, it was raining pretty heavily here in Phoenix AZ. My wife and I had just gotten home from a trip to the grocery store.

As I mentioned in a previous question when the landing pattern is from the west to the east at the airport planes FROM the east fly over my house. That’s not a problem…I like it. We’re some eight miles north of the airport and seven miles west.

While putting the groceries away we became aware of one airplane that was getting pretty loud. I decided to go outside and take a look, but it took me an extra few seconds to unlock our back door.

(I know this is sounding mysterious, but just bear with me.)

I got outside in time to see the wingtip lights of a jet. It looked as if the wingtips were as wide as my meager little yard is wide (about 60 feet).

The clouds were pretty low, so I was unable to see what kind of plane it was.

In an earlier bout of inclement weather I saw something similar. The planes were taking off to the west.

Usually, the planes heading north and east make a turn about two more miles west of me. The one I saw looked low (again) and made a 180 degree turn south and east of my location and headed east.

Both of these incidents occured at night, the landing in heavy rain and the takeoff I described on a stormy night ut no rain at that time.

I can’t imagine either one of these incidents as being normal, so I wonder if there are any reports of these events available to the public.

While I am sure the plane in the landing pattern over my house was singular, not plural, I didn’t get to notice the color of the lights on the wing tips.

And the plane taking off to the south and east of me was definitely bigger than a light plane or small jet, and was not a helicopter of any sort.

I like to watch planes a lot and since they fly so often around my house I don’t have to go to the airport to get my fill of planes. I’m pretty sure I saw what I thought I saw, is there any chance of me proving it?

Thanks.

Mike

2

What airport?

3

I would assume Phoenix Sky Harbor.

And to add to the post. I don’t drink alcohol, so I was not feeling the effects of any strong drink. :wink:

Thanks.

Mike

4

The cloud layer and the plane may not have been as low as you thought. I have military jets and small airliners fly over my house 1k-2k agl quite often. If there was a low cloud layer that might add to the noise and the appearance of the plane being low. If it were an older biz jet or DC-9 that might also add to the sound effect. If visibility was good I don’t think this is odd.

5

I don’t know.

It just seemed as though I saw the lights on the wing tips being too far apart. That is, instead of measuring the width with a thumb and forefinger I would have to use both arms spread wide to indicate how far apart the lights were.

It just seemed abnormally low and loud.

Oh well, the mystery will remain unsolved.

thanks.

Mike

6

I’m guessing it was an aborted landing - he was staying at the abort landing altitude (usually about 1500 ft. above the ground if I remember correctly) but flying under the normal traffic pattern.

7

Given the distances and directions Mike provided…Not likely.