Sightings

F/A-18F Super Hornet flight crew recorded a small object moving against the wind over Atlantic waters off the U.S. East Coast on FLIR ATFLIR pod. Released by the To The Stars Academy in 2018 and authenticated by the Pentagon in 2020. Apparent low altitude and high speed remain unexplained by AARO. Source: DoD release (April 27, 2020).

F/A-18F Super Hornet flight recorded what appeared to be a rotating gimbaled object on FLIR. The voice channel captures crew commentary: "There's a whole fleet of them. Look on the SA." Released and authenticated by the Pentagon in April 2020. Source: DoD release.

Dozens of Erath County, TX residents — including a police officer, a pilot, and a constable — reported a large silent object with bright lights and military F-16s in pursuit over multiple nights. Radar data obtained via FOIA from FAA showed the object tracking toward President Bush's Crawford ranch. Source: MUFON field investigation, FAA FOIA radar tapes.

F/A-18F WSO Chad Underwood recorded the original FLIR1 video of the USS Nimitz tic-tac encounter from a follow-on flight that intercepted the object near a designated CAP point ("the cap"). The 76-second IR recording is the most-replicated UAP footage in public media. Source: DoD release (April 2020), Underwood interview.

Commander David Fravor and Lt. Cmdr. Jim Slaight, flying F/A-18F Super Hornets from USS Nimitz, intercepted a smooth white "tic-tac"-shaped object near San Clemente Island. The object responded to Fravor's approach with extreme acceleration. The encounter was tracked by USS Princeton's SPY-1 radar, recorded on FLIR1 video, and confirmed in 2017 by Pentagon as authentic. Triggered the modern UAP disclosure era. Source: ODNI 2021 preliminary assessment, Fravor congressional testimony 2023.

Japan Air Lines flight 1628, a Boeing 747 cargo plane on the Reykjavik-Anchorage route, was followed for over 400 miles by two small craft and a larger "walnut-shaped" mothership-class object. Captain Kenju Terauchi reported visual and on-board radar tracking; Anchorage ATC confirmed independent radar returns. FAA Division Chief John Callahan publicly preserved the case files. Source: FAA records, NTSB briefing, Callahan deposition (2001).

Betty Cash, Vickie Landrum, and Colin Landrum reported observing a diamond-shaped craft emitting intense heat and flames near Huffman, TX, escorted by approximately 23 military helicopters. Witnesses subsequently developed severe radiation-burn-like symptoms; medical records were obtained in a federal lawsuit. Source: federal court records (Cash v. United States, 1986).

Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker reported being approached by a glowing oval-shaped craft while fishing on the Pascagoula River. Sheriff Diamond recorded their accounts privately and described the men as visibly traumatized. The case received extensive contemporary investigation by Dr. J. Allen Hynek. Source: Sheriff Department records (FOIA), Hynek field notes.

A fireball was reported over six U.S. states and parts of Canada, with witnesses near Kecksburg, PA describing an acorn-shaped metallic object descending into woods. U.S. military cordoned the area and removed an object on a flatbed truck. NASA later cited a Soviet Kosmos 96 satellite reentry, which timing analysis disputes. Source: contemporary AP wire reports, NBC News 2003 investigation.

Rancher Mac Brazel discovered metallic debris on the Foster ranch near Corona, NM. Roswell Army Air Field 509th Bomb Group press release initially announced recovery of a "flying disc"; retracted within hours as a weather balloon. 1994 Air Force report concluded debris was from Project Mogul. Remains a foundational case in UAP discourse. Source: USAF 1994 + 1997 reports, public domain.