Large Metal Object Spotted Over Rural Road Near Springfield, MO

There's a new report of an unidentified flying object that's just been spotted from someone driving down a rural road toward Springfield, Missouri. They described it as a large metal object that had lights on the bottom and appeared to land, but it's not like any aircraft they had ever seen before.

The National UFO Reporting Center says that this encounter happened late at night on September 17, 2026 near Springfield, Missouri on Missouri Route 123

Google Maps Street View

Here are the exact words of what they say they encountered:

"Large round metal craft with changing lights pointing down around it at a slight angle. Moved fast and smooth looked like it landed.

Driving north down 123 when I saw a large “helicopter” landing about 1/4 mile to my left. It was moving erratically and had light beams pointing down that changed colors and when closer it turned and I saw it was a large metal sphere and moving fast and smooth —but erratic directions. It disappeared near some trees and appeared to maybe have landed —but disappeared from my sight."

Let's start with the obvious possibilities. Missouri Route 123 is approximately an hour and a half south of Whiteman Air Force Base. That's a long distance for someone who's driving, but very close when you're talking about aircraft. I'm not saying it was a military craft, but you have to at least allow for the possibility that it's a drone or even a helicopter. That would be an odd area for Whiteman to have aircraft at late at night for no reason, but it's the first possibility I would explore.