Summer 1993 – Shirley – Black Rhomboid UFO Sighting

Birmingham UFO Group Case Report

Author: Dave Hodrien

Release Date: 18/07/2021

On 13th July 2021 I was contacted by a man named Colin Smith via Facebook Messenger. He informed me of a sighting his wife Anne had experienced back in 1993 while they lived in Shirley, England and asked some questions relating to it. With his and Anne’s permission I decided to write this report on the incident.

Sighting Details

Back in the summer of 1993, potentially July, Colin and Anne lived on Bronte Farm Road. It was between 6-6.30pm and Anne was on her way to a dance class in Sheldon. It was a sunny and pleasant evening. Anne was driving along Yoxhall Road when she suddenly noticed a strange looking object over the roof of a nearby house. It was shaped like a Rhomboid and was black in colour, but was hollow or clear in the centre. She pulled up alongside the house, stopped the car and got out to get a better look.

Aerial map of Yoxhall Road with the house the UFO was over indicated

Photograph of the sighting location near to where Anne was standing

The object appeared to be hovering approximately 6 feet above the roof of the house. It was silent and completely motionless. Anne estimates it was approximately 15 feet across. She was looking up at it at an elevation of about 45 degrees. It was jet black in colour and the edges looked sharp and defined rather than curved. Amazed at what she was looking at, she glanced around to see if there was anyone else around but the road was deserted.

Photo of the location with the UFO drawn on top

She continued looking up at the object in amazement for about 5 minutes. She did not have a camera on her at the time so could not photograph it. In the end she got back into her car and continued on her way to the lesson, with the object still present in the air. She is unaware how long it continued to remain in the area.

Sighting Analysis

This is a rather bizarre sighting of an unusual object. My initial thought was that it could have been some kind of tethered solar airship. These are black in colour, quite large, but usually just cylindrical in shape. However a novelty one of a rectangular shape could in theory be possible, as could numerous solar airships purposely tied together.

An example photograph of a solar airship

I asked Anne whether this could have been the explanation. However she does not think so. She says the corners were much too sharp as opposed to rounded, which they would be if it was a solar airship or other inflatable. Colin also confirmed that they have both purchased and flown a solar airship before, so Anne knows what they look like. Also, even though the weather was calm, it is likely that there would still be a small amount of drift to the object even if it was tethered to the roof or the ground a short distance away.

Another possibility I suggested was an unusual large aerial of some kind attached to the house. However Anne confirmed that she initially thought this, but that she could clearly see sky beneath it from the angle she was observing it from, there was nothing connecting it to the house. In addition to this it does sound too large to have been this, it was essentially as wide as the house it was over.

A remote controlled hovering model of some kind would very likely have made noise, and again would have likely swayed. It is also worth asking why someone would construct and then fly such a model in this fashion. It was clearly not an aircraft or helicopter, and a kite tethered or otherwise would not remain stationary for such a period of time.

This sighting is truly anomalous, and at present I have no real explanation for what it could have been. It is a shame that Anne did not knock on the door of the house it was over and see if anyone inside had a camera in order to take a photo or video of it. I have investigated a few cases involving UFOs that look like shapes made out of bars but never one this particular shape before.

Copyright Dave Hodrien 2021