Helicopter is Likely Explanation for 'UFO' Filmed over Las Vegas

This still image taken from ~2:40 in the video shows what is likely the tail rotor of a helicopter sticking out of the light. (UFOs Over Vegas / YouTube) — This still image taken from ~2:40 in the video shows what is likely the tail rotor of a helicopter sticking out of the light. *(UFOs Over Vegas / YouTube)*

A ‘UFO’ filmed over Las Vegas the evening of December 19th likely has a prosaic explanation following an examination of the video.

The object, caught on camera by Las Vegas resident and UFO investigator Steve Barone, has aroused interest in hundreds of thousands of viewers since its video was released earlier this month.

“This is a major UFO event,” Barone can be heard saying in the video. "No one can tell me that this is not a major UFO event."

Those skeptical of the video aren't so sure.

At the point in the video when the object "hauls buns," according to Barone, it can be seen to tilt forward—something that helicopters do to angle their rotors and accelerate. Just after, at around 2:40, a solid structure with a strong resemblance to the tail rotor of a helicopter can be seen sticking out of the rear of the light.

The object's lights themselves are distorted and appear much larger than is normal, likely due to the object being out of focus and the nightvision camera trying to gather as much light as possible. The lights of the city below are comparably affected. Flashing lights are also commonly seen on all aircraft, especially for night flying, and are required by the FAA to prevent collisions—helicopters generally use white strobe lights consistent with what is seen in the video.

"The helicopter's lights are being blown out by the sensitivity of the camera," Singular Fortean Society photo and video analyst Emily Wayland said. "You can see the same effect on every light in the video."

“Things like this aren’t exactly great for ufology,” Singular Fortean Society lead investigator Tobias Wayland added. “If the UFO community can’t quickly and effectively identify mundane aircraft, then how is anybody ever going to take the study of this phenomenon seriously? We can’t keep shooting ourselves in the foot by stubbornly insisting that identifiable objects are UFOs; no matter how much we want to believe.”

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