Pilots Report ‘Triangles’ over Canadian Prairies (2024)
On January 19, 2024, an unusual and intriguing aviation event took place over the skies of the Canadian prairies, specifically over Saskatchewan and Manitoba, capturing the attention of pilots and air traffic control. A Boeing 737 MAX 8 operated by Flair Airlines Ltd., flying from Vancouver, BC, to Toronto, ON, alongside an Air Canada Airbus A320-211 en route from King County, WA, to Winnipeg, MB, reported witnessing an array of lights, at times arranged in a triangular formation. These sightings were not isolated incidents but part of a series of similar reports that emerged from various flights traversing the region.
The incident was promptly recorded in Transport Canada’s aviation incident database and came to the attention of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), signifying its potential significance and the level of concern it raised within the aviation and defense communities. Pilots described the lights as bright and active, capable of forming different patterns, including resemblances to the Little Dipper constellation, before vanishing and reappearing, indicating a level of maneuverability and luminosity that was both puzzling and extraordinary.
One of the pilots speculated that the lights could be at an altitude as high as 500, which is typically interpreted as 50,000 feet in aviation parlance. Another report from Flair 600 suggested the lights were possibly even higher, estimating them to be around 100,000 feet or more. These estimations indicate that the lights were observed at extremely high altitudes, well above typical commercial flight levels, adding to the mystery and intrigue of the sightings.
In addition, in early 2024, two separate aviation incidents involving unidentified aerial phenomena were reported over Canadian airspace. Firstly, a Porter Airlines flight encountered erratic lights above Quebec, near Ontario, while en route from Toronto to Edmonton. Shortly after, a Federal Express flight from Anchorage to Oakland reported an unidentified object off its starboard side while flying over British Columbia. These incidents, logged by NAV CANADA, add to the growing database of aerial phenomena encounters in North American skies.
A Porter Airlines Embraer ERJ 190-400 flight from Toronto to Edmonton encountered 2 to 3 erratic moving lights above the aircraft while at flight level 380, southwest of Wawa, Ontario. The incident, reported by NAV CANADA, occurred at night on January 5, 2024.
A Federal Express Boeing 777 flying from Anchorage to Oakland reported seeing an unidentified object near the aircraft. This incident, occurring at night on January 13, 2024, in the Pacific Region of British Columbia.
In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in incidents where Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs), also known as UFOs, exhibit behaviors akin to “tagging aircraft” or closely following aircraft and other objects at various altitudes. This phenomenon, often interpreted as a form of reconnaissance, has been particularly observed in Southern California, with detailed accounts and video evidence showcasing these encounters.
The recent sighting of unidentified lights by pilots over the Canadian prairies echoes a history of similar encounters detailed particularly in the context of “Airliners and UFO” and “UFO and Contrail/Chemtrail Phenomena.” These historical accounts, ranging from commercial pilots observing unexplained objects to the mysterious disappearance of aircraft, underscore the recurring theme of aviation’s intersection with unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). The pattern of sightings, often characterized by bright lights and unconventional flight patterns, mirrors the recent event, reinforcing the ongoing dialogue about the implications of such phenomena on flight safety and the need for further investigation into their origins and intentions.
