🇨🇦 🎥 🛸 Two white lights moving in a circular pattern – Yellowknife NWT

On Jan. 30, 2023 at approximately 0615 z, a Canadian North flight from Fort McMurray, Alta. to Yellowknife, N.W.T. reported “2 white lights… moving in a circular pattern” as they approached their destination in the dark. Their report first appeared in Transport Canada’s online aviation incident database. The audio recording of their conversation with air traffic controllers in Yellowknife was taken from LiveATC.net (https://www.liveatc.net). For more details, see CADORS reports 2023C0560 and 2023C0492. The audio clip has been edited for length. 

START TRANSCRIPT

0:01

Tower, it’s Arctic 5071.

0:08

Arctic 5071, Yellowknife radio. Good evening. Good evening. Just wondering, do you got 

0:14

two planes that are just to the east of  your field doing circuits or manoeuvres?

0:24

Negative, I have no reported traffic in  the area. Do you have a visual on something?

0:28

Yeah, we’re looking at two lights dancing around  here, to the east of your field. They’re above us, 

0:37

about, I don’t know what. We’re not seeing them  on TCAS. But we can see the lights moving around.

0:43

I don’t have anything on the radar  either. Let me talk to center.

0:47

Arctic 5071, Yellowknife radio. [Inaudible] go ahead.

0:49

Hey, center doesn’t have anything  about any movement in the area, 

0:55

so I’m really wondering what you’re seeing there.

0:58

Yeah, so are we. Have you said they’re over your position?

1:00

Oh, they’re above us. We’re in  a [inaudible] 12,000 feet. We’re 

1:00

[inaudible] 30 miles back from your field over  the lake. And, yeah. We’re seeing them just to 

1:00

the east of the city, [inaudible] by maybe 20, 30  miles. But they’re well above us. We saw them when 

1:01

we were going through 20,000 feet, they  looked somewhat parallel for altitude.

1:35

All right, I’m trying to look. I  don’t see them from the ground here. 

1:41

Well, I’ll keep an eye out.  I’ll talk with center again.

1:46

Yeah, no worries [inaudible]. They’re not a  risk to us, we just [inaudible] just to know 

1:49

what it was, if you guys had a ping on the radar. No, we got nothing. That’s quite strange. Do you 

1:57

guys want an [inaudible] advisory? Yeah, sure. Might as well. We’re 

2:01

[inaudible] visual [inaudible] runway  34, direct [inaudible] at this time.

2:06

Rodger, runway 34. Wind, 290 at nine altimeter  3022. Hey this is Victor report five miles final. 

2:08

And let me know if there’s any movement  with those planes, or if they get closer or 

2:20

anything. I’ll try to figure what’s going on. Yeah, so far they’re just lights that come 

2:26

in and out, but there’s two of them that  are moving around in a circular pattern.

2:32

[Inaudible] Arctic 5071 is on a 10-mile  final runway 34. We still have that traffic 

2:41

in sight. It’s looking about 10 nautical  miles directly northwest of the fields. 

2:47

Maybe about flight level 270 or so. So, you’re saying they’re about 

2:54

10 nautical miles northeast or northwest? Northwest of the field. Yeah, 10, 20 miles-ish.

3:01

Well, I’ll let you [inaudible].  We’ll talk on the ground.

3:07

Sounds good. Arctic 5071. [Inaudible] Arctic 5071 

3:14

is taxiing alpha bravo to first air. Arctic 5071, roger, [inaudible] and I have 

3:25

a few questions for you when you have time. Yeah, go ahead. We actually just had visual 

3:30

of it while we went down 34 here. Roger, so you reported two lights, 

3:38

two lights in circular pattern 10 nautical  miles northwest of the field. I think we 

3:45

first spoke around 0615 Zulu. And  what flight level were you saying?

3:50

We were at 240, and it was above  us. So, we’re guessing about 270?

3:59

Have you said that you just you saw you  had a visual on them still while landing?

4:04

Yup, we had a visual as we were, we went down 34. Okay, so I just reported it to center. They will 

4:16

look into it. I’ll file a CIRVIS report – this  is when we have some sightings that we cannot 

4:22

explain. But I don’t know if you guys have  something you can do the same on your side, 

4:25

but we’ll, for sure we’ll look into it. All right, thanks, yeah. If 

4:29

you keep your eyes peeled out there  to the northwest you might be able to.

4:37

Yeah, I’m trying to look

4:37

but I don’t see the light. Can you see?  Can you still see them from the ground? 

4:38

Let me know when you’re in the right direction.

4:44

Traffic Yellowknife radio, do you have a visual 

4:47

on anything on the right at the northwest of you? Traffic [inaudible] 

4:53

no, I don’t see anything here. It just disappeared.

4:58

Roger, okay. Well keep an eye out and if there’s  anything new just give us a call, or catch me on 

5:07

the radio. I’ll be here for the whole night. Okay, sounds good. Thanks. We’re headed home 

5:09

for the night, but if we see it again here in the 

5:12

next few minutes we’ll let you know. Roger, thanks a lot and have a good one.

5:16

7844 [inaudible]  Edmonton centre,  good evening [inaudible] identified.

5:26

Arctic 5071, Yellowknife  [inaudible]. Are you still there?

5:30

[Inaudible] Arctic 5071. Do you know what colour 

5:35

were the lights? [Inaudible] white.

5:42

Roger, thanks.

5:43

We’re not crazy.

5:50

No, we believe you.

5:51

Yeah, it’s kind of hit and miss  coming out of that northwest, 

5:54

off of kind of runway 16. And it kind of  comes and goes. So, it looks like it’s kind 

6:01

of circling, and then it kind of disappears again. We’re trying to look at this. Thanks a lot guys. 

6:16

Have a good one. Thank you for everything.

END TRANSCRIPT

Retrieved By:

Ryan Stacey

Transcribed By:

Ryan Stacey