The Federal Aviation Administration refused to investigate the matter because this unidentified flying object (UFO) was not seen on radar, instead calling it a "weather phenomenon".
The object was first spotted by a ramp employee who was pushing back United Airlines Flight 446, which was departing Chicago for Charlotte, North Carolina.
[4] [5][6][7] According to the Chicago Tribune's Jon Hilkevitch, "The disc was visible for approximately five minutes and was seen by close to a dozen United Airlines employees, ranging from pilots to supervisors, who heard chatter on the radio and raced out to view it".
[8][9] Some witnesses interviewed by the Chicago Tribune were apparently "upset" that federal officials declined to further investigate the matter.
On February 11, 2009, The History Channel aired an episode of the television show UFO Hunters with the title "Aliens at the Airport" in which they reviewed the incident.