Airline Pilot Reports "Large, Black, Human-Like Creature" Flying at O'Hare International Airport

Updated 6/23/20

Manuel Navarette of UFO Clearinghouse said he received a report recently from a pilot at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, who claimed that he and his copilot saw "a large, black, human-like creature fly up and into the sky" at approximately 7:30 am on May 31st, 2020.

According to the report received by Navarette:

Date of the sighting: May 31, 2020
Time of the sighting : Approximately 7:30 A.M.
Weather Conditions: Partly cloudy but with a high cloud ceiling
Winds were light.
Good morning,
I wanted to reach out to you in regards to an incident that occurred on the morning of Sunday, May 31, 2020.
A little bit of critical information first, my name is [redacted] and I am a pilot for [redacted]. I was flying into O’Hare International Airport at approximately 7:30 am that morning. As we're taxiing off the active runway and toward the terminal, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see a large, black, human-like creature fly up and into the sky. I saw this creature for about four seconds before he flew up and above the cockpit window and out of sight. I immediately shouted it out to my co-pilot, who caught a glimpse of it before it flew out of sight. We were both awestruck by this sighting and it left us dumbfounded.
I radioed the incident to the [air traffic control], who made a note of the incident. The rest of the flight was uneventful and we disembarked our passengers without incident. I brought this incident up among colleagues online and was told by several other pilots that they had either seen or heard from others who have seen the exact same thing that we saw.
This is the abbreviated version of this incident, but I hope it helped to relay the incident that occurred to me and my co-pilot on that morning and what we saw.
Location of the sighting: O’Hare International Airport
Just off of runway 28R
By Terminal 2

Navarette was able to speak to the witness about his sighting.

"I spoke with the witness regarding his sighting," Navarette said. "He stated that he and his copilot had just landed, and were in the process of taxiing off the main runway and making their way to the terminal when they had their sighting. When asked, the witness stated that they were flying a Boeing 777-200ER. The witness said something caught his attention from the corner of his eye and that is when he turned to see the winged humanoid. He stated that it was at least six feet tall and solid black and it looked like a thin human with large wings. When asked if the wings were making any movement he stated that they were straight out, in what appeared to be a glide configuration. "

According to the Navarette, "The witness said that he alerted his co-pilot who was able to see the entity for a few seconds before it disappeared above the windows of the airplane. So, when he said that he called it in to the air traffic control tower and they made note of the incident, I asked the witness to please give a more detailed description, asking if he had seen any eyes and if he did what color [they were]. The witness says the glimpse was fleeting and he said no real details other than human shape with a large wings."

"When I asked the pilot about his conversation with his colleagues he stated that pilots do talk to each other using social media, and that many of the pilot that he had spoken with had spoken of either seeing this object or had heard stories about the object," he continued. "He stated that the humanoid is a sort of a legend now around O’hare Airport. When I asked if he could put me in touch with [other] pilots to corroborate evidence and get reports of other sightings he said he would ask, and if something came up then he would contact me with the information."

The pilot's story seemed credible to the investigator, but more investigation is needed before a completely accurate picture of events is revealed.

"I asked the pilot several questions meant to mislead and to give him a chance to change the story but the pilot had stuck with the original sighting details," Navarette said. "Further investigation is a necessity for this sighting and it is this investigator's opinion that this is a credible sighting and worthy of follow up."

The Singular Fortean Society filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for all records pertaining to the incident. That request was returned by the FAA, who reported that after "a thorough records search was conducted at the appropriate air traffic control facilities within the Central Service Area," they "found no records applicable to this request."

This is the most recently reported sighting in a series of unusual sighting reports that have taken place in the vicinity of O’Hare International Airport.

The sighting reports in this area so far include a March 3rd sighting by investigator Manuel Navarette of a strange flying creature with “membranous wings” near O’Hare International Airport, a February 21st sighting by a security guard at O’Hare who said he saw what appeared to be a “very tall human, but it was solid black with glowing red eyes,” a January 23rd report from a man who said he saw an “egg-shaped” object fly over O’Hare and shine a “brilliant blue light” to the ground, through which a “person” appeared to be taken aboard the craft, the December 6th sighting of a red-eyed, winged humanoid near O’Hare, a December 3rd report of a “red-eyed flying man” from a security person at O’Hare, a November 26th sighting of a seven-foot-tall “person with wings” outside of O’Hare, a September 29th sighting of a toddler-sized “bat creature…running like a gorilla” near Barrington, an October 30th sighting of a large, winged humanoid in Park Ridge, an October 29th report of a winged humanoid accompanied by several other beings who disappeared in a flash of blue light, a late October sighting of an “unknown flying human owl” in Hoffman Estates, an October 19th sighting of a “giant-sized bat” outside of the Edward Hotel in Rosemont, an October 5th sighting of a "tall creature" with "bright red eyes" and "large wings” near O’Hare, and a report from July of a six-foot-tall creature flying over the Des Plaines River near Rosemont.

In addition, a report out of Bensenville described an encounter had by a man who claimed he witnessed a “large, dark being” with “cape-like wings" in 2006.

This is the latest news in a string of ‘Mothman’ sightings from within a few hundred mile radius surrounding Lake Michigan, including every state bordering the great lake. These sightings ostensibly began in the spring of 2017, but more historical accounts are being reported as more people become aware of the phenomenon. They generally take place in the evening or at night, often in or near a park, and around water. Witnesses consistently describe a large, gray or black, bat or bird-like creature—although in a small number of cases the creature was described as insect-like—sometimes with glowing or reflective red, yellow, or orange eyes, and humanoid features such as arms and legs are often reported. Some witnesses have reported feeling intense fear and an aura of evil emanating from the creature they encountered. Many of the sightings are also of something seen only briefly or are described only as a flying creature with few details, which leaves open the possibility that a large bird or bird-like being could explain some—although certainly not all—of the encounters. A number of associated high strangeness incidents have also occurred alongside the creature sightings; including reports of UFOs, other anomalous flying creatures and mysterious humanoids, parapsychological phenomena, and bizarre events experienced by those investigating the sightings.

To report a sighting reach out to us directly at the Singular Fortean Society through our contact page.

You can view a timeline of the sightings so far here, and an interactive map here.

To report your own encounter with the impossible, reach out to us directly at the Singular Fortean Society through our contact page.

If you enjoyed this article and would like to support the Singular Fortean Society, please consider becoming an official member by signing up through our Patreon page—membership includes a ton of extra content and behind-the-scenes access to the Society’s inner workings.