Homemade Flying Saucer? What Was That Thing?

Officials in Colorado's Larimer County actively searched for a child who they believed had floated away from his family's home on an experimental aircraft. He was later found safe at home.

(ABC News)

Ship Was Leaking Helium

Whatever it was, people who thought Heene's young son was aboard as it floated over Colorado seemed anxious to see it land safely.

"We've been inundated with phone calls with people from all across the country suggesting how to get the balloon down," said Rita Davis, a spokeswoman for Police Services in Fort Collins, Colo.

The Heene family has a Fort Collins address, but it is not actually within the city limits or her department's jurisdiction.

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It was apparent from helicopter video that the ship was leaking helium. It gradually descended and slowed, and a law enforcement officer was able to grab one of several tethers hanging from it as it came down to the ground.

Temperatures at its highest altitude would have been below zero. Prevailing wind speeds could have approached 100 miles per hour, said the Experimental Aircraft Association.

The flight ended in a field near the farming town of Hudson, Colo., northeast of Denver. The ship had been airborne for more than two hours.

"I guess the good news is that he's fine," said Alderden.