Person
Jon Hilkevitch
Also known as Hilkevitch
- Transportation reporter, Chicago Tribune
Jon Hilkevitch covered transportation for the Chicago Tribune, as NPR introduced him in January 2007. His Tribune story of 1 January 2007 first reported that United Airlines employees had seen a disc-shaped object hover over gate C17 at O'Hare on 7 November 2006; he interviewed the witnesses anonymously and, through a Freedom of Information Act request, found that the FAA tower had in fact received a call about it.
The story was picked up worldwide, and he discussed it on NPR, CNN and local Chicago television in the following days. He is filed as a reporter: he relays what the witnesses and the records told him and did not see the object himself.
Sources: Chicago Tribune, 1 January 2007 · NPR, 1 January 2007 · the TV interviews on file.
Facts and claims
- claimed Hilkevitch said he was told one of the pilots of the 737 being pushed back from gate C17 “had a digital camera and snapped some pictures”, and that he had expanded his FOIA request to the flight plan, which might include the pilots' names. — Jon Hilkevitch Source: O'Hare UFO 2006: CNN's interview with United mechanic “Joe”, and Tribune reporter Jon Hilkevitch at 4:36
- claimed Hilkevitch said weather and astronomy experts he spoke to called the FAA's weather explanation “bunk”, and that United, “after first denying that they got any reports from employees about this sighting”, now said its employees had approached it immediately because of safety concerns. — Jon Hilkevitch Source: O'Hare UFO 2006: CNN's interview with United mechanic “Joe”, and Tribune reporter Jon Hilkevitch at 10:24
- claimed Hilkevitch said reporting the story took several months because he had to track down the witnesses, pilots, ramp workers and mechanics who “all, down to a person, reported the exact same sighting.” — Jon Hilkevitch Source: O'Hare UFO 2006: CNN's interview with United mechanic “Joe”, and Tribune reporter Jon Hilkevitch at 12:04
- claimed Hilkevitch said he had correspondence from United managers to their bosses about the employees' reports, and that some employees were interviewed and asked to draw sketches; he called it a “cover-up by both United Airlines and the FAA”. — Jon Hilkevitch Source: O'Hare UFO 2006: CNN's interview with United mechanic “Joe”, and Tribune reporter Jon Hilkevitch at 14:54
- claimed Asked what weakens the case, Hilkevitch said “no air traffic controller saw it” and that nobody with a camera phone at O'Hare took a picture of it. — Jon Hilkevitch Source: O'Hare UFO 2006: CNN's interview with United mechanic “Joe”, and Tribune reporter Jon Hilkevitch at 15:47
Connected files
Incidents
- Disc reported hovering over gate C17 at Chicago O'Hare (7 November 2006) (reported on) — His Tribune story of 1 January 2007 broke the O'Hare sighting
Videos
- O'Hare UFO 2006: CNN's interview with United mechanic “Joe”, and Tribune reporter Jon Hilkevitch (appears in)