A still image of the object filmed by Wichita resident Mike Marler. (Mike Marler / Facebook) — A still image of the object filmed by Wichita resident Mike Marler. *(Mike Marler / Facebook)*

NASA’s ‘Super Guppy’ cargo aircraft is being blamed for a recent UFO sighting over Wichita, Kansas.

The sighting, filmed Thursday by Wichita resident and Stonked Podcast host Mike Marler, drew the attention of hundreds of the city’s residents who struggled to make sense of what they were seeing.

Marler shared his footage to social media that same day, where it was picked up by local news stations.

Yeah we are all screwed.....
Posted by Mike Marler on Thursday, March 4, 2021

From there, speculation began on what, exactly, he and so many others had witnessed.

Almost immediately, it was noted that an advertising plane had been flying a sign for fast food chain Arby’s around Wichita that day, which led some to speculate that perhaps the white object seen in Marler’s footage might be the sun reflecting off of the sign.

"So, I'm driving back to work [after] coming home from lunch, and I noticed something in the sky really bright. It was surprising because we live in Wichita. We see airplanes all the time. We're near the airport. But it was definitely different," Marler told KAKE news. "The rumors [are] that it was an Arby's advertisement plane, which, you know, logic would point to that. But it was really fast-moving, it was really bright and vivid, and then it just disappeared."

Another explanation, one gaining in popularity over the misidentified sign hypothesis, is that Marler and others saw NASA’s ‘Super Guppy’ cargo plane.

NASA’s ‘Super Guppy’ cargo plane. (NASA) — NASA’s ‘Super Guppy’ cargo plane. *(NASA)*

The Super Guppy is a large, wide-bodied plane used for carrying outsize cargo components, something which gives it an odd shape compared to other aircraft.

Most importantly, flight logs show just such a plane had departed from nearby McConnell Air Force Base the same day as the sighting.

According to KWCH12 news, "flight logs show the 'Super Guppy' left McConnell for Arizona, landing at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport before another short trip to Palmdale, Arizona."

Currently, nothing in Marler’s footage indicates that the object captured was anything but the oddly-shaped cargo plane, although it has prompted others to come forward with experiences they believe to be unexplained.

"Yesterday morning at about 5:35am my husband and I were heading to work when we spotted a long cylindrical light in the sky," Loretta Nottingham commented last Friday on Marler's video. "It was traveling from southwest to northeast. It WAS NOT a plane. It was unlike anything we had ever seen before. When it crossed the highway in front of us it got super bright and then just disappeared. We first spotted it just north and west of Ottawa [Kansas] and last seen it south and east of Lawrence [Kansas]. I had mentioned it to my son and at 5:23 this morning he called and said to turn on KAKE News. He told me about the sighting in Wichita and it instantly gave me chills! The only difference in your sighting and ours is that it was dark out when we seen it and therefore it was lit up. Thanks for sharing your story!"

Ottawa is approximately 150 miles northeast of Wichita, in the opposite direction of the Super Guppy's stated flight path, which, combined with the timing of the sighting, make it an unlikely suspect for the object witnessed by Nottingham and her husband.

While Marler’s footage might be explained by the Super Guppy, the experiences of Nottingham and others who came forward after viewing it remain unexplained.

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

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