Phenomenon type
Pilot / aircrew witness
Cases with a named or documented aircrew witness. Aircrew observations carry weight in AARO and Blue Book adjudication because pilots are trained observers.
40 cases in the archive
- DoD · 2026-02-08 · unresolvedDepartment of the Army Encounter, 2026
One-minute-forty-nine-second infrared video from a Department of the Army encounter in early 2026, location undisclosed.
- FBI · 2025-09-15 · unresolvedWestern US FBI Imagery
Black-hot infrared imagery and witness composite documentation from western US encounters, captured during 2025 by FBI personnel and aviation crews.
- OTHER · 2025-06-01 · unresolvedODNI Senior US Intelligence Officer narrative, Western US
First-person narrative account from a Senior US Intelligence Community official describing UAP behavior observed during a Western US incident in 2025. Released through PURSUE Release 02 on May 22, 2026. The first ODNI co...
- CENTCOM · 2025-04-15 · unresolvedDjibouti 2025 Mission Report
Mission report documenting a 2025 unidentified airborne phenomenon observed at or near US military operations in Djibouti.
- CENTCOM · 2024-10-08 · unresolvedSyria October 2024 Mission Report
Mission narrative report documenting an unidentified airborne object observed during US operations in Syria, October 2024.
- INDOPACOM · 2024-07-04 · unresolvedIndo-Pacific 2024, Companion Footage
Second 2024 infrared encounter from US Indo-Pacific Command, companion to the Japan football-shape case.
- CENTCOM · 2024-06-12 · unresolvedUAE June 2024, Inverted Teardrop
21-second infrared video of an inverted-teardrop-shaped object with an apparent vertical pole or bar feature, observed off the UAE coast in June 2024.
- INDOPACOM · 2024-04-10 · unresolvedJapan Football-Shaped Object
Indo-Pacific Command imagery and 9-second IR clip showing a football-shaped body with three radial projections, observed near Japan.
- CENTCOM · 2024-01-15 · unresolvedGreece SWIR Diamond, January 2024
Multi-sensor capture of a diamond-shaped object moving at approximately 800 km/h, detectable only via short-wave infrared. A separate Greece encounter from the October 2023 series.
- CENTCOM · 2023-10-22 · unresolvedUAE October 2023, Companion Stills
Companion observation set from the UAE October 2023 encounter cluster, distinct from but related to the primary 43-second annotated clip.
- CENTCOM · 2023-10-20 · unresolvedUAE Coastal Encounter
43-second clip and companion stills from US Central Command observing an elongated object off the UAE coast, October 2023.
- INDOPACOM · 2023-08-22 · unresolvedIndo-Pacific 2023, Companion Footage
Companion infrared footage from US Indo-Pacific Command operations in 2023, related to but distinct from the Japan football-shaped object encounter.
- CENTCOM · 2023-08-15 · unresolvedGreece IR Encounter
2:57 IR video of a white object near the ocean surface making multiple 90-degree turns at approximately 80 mph, captured aboard a US military platform.
- DoD · 2023-02-12 · unresolvedLake Huron F-16 UAP engagement
Declassified military footage of the February 12, 2023 NORAD engagement over Lake Huron, in which an F-16 fired an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at an unidentified object. The video was released as part of PURSUE Release 02 ...
- CENTCOM · 2022-12-01 · unresolvedIraq Small UAP Encounter
10-second IR sensor footage paired with mission reports describing a small unidentified object observed during ISR operations in Iraq, December 2022.
- CENTCOM · 2022-05-15 · unresolvedIraq May 2022, Baghdad Phantom
ISR mission infrared footage from May 2022 supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, capturing an unidentified small object during routine surveillance over Iraq.
- CENTCOM · 2020-11-12 · unresolvedIran November 2020 Mission Report
Mission narrative report documenting an unidentified airborne object reported during operations near Iran, November 2020.
- DoD · 2019-07-15 · unresolvedUSS Omaha Pyramid Footage
Navy night-vision video from the USS Omaha and adjacent vessels captured multiple pyramid-shaped objects circling the ships off San Diego. The footage was leaked publicly in 2021 and subsequently authenticated by the Dep...
- DoD · 2019-06-01 · unresolvedEastern US Range Fouler debrief, 28-year aviator account
Range Fouler debrief of a 2019 Eastern US encounter in which a US military aviator with 28 years of flight experience reported a large rectangular object with characteristics 'unlike anything I had seen.' Released throug...
- CENTCOM · 2016-11-20 · unresolvedSyria November 2016 Mission Report
Earlier-decade mission report documenting an unidentified airborne object observed during US operations in Syria, November 2016.
- DoD · 2015-01-21 · contestedGimbal Video, USS Roosevelt
Approximately 35-second ATFLIR video showing an apparently rotating glowing object filmed by an F/A-18F from the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group, with audio capturing aircrew reactions to a 'whole fleet' of similar o...
- DoD · 2015-01-20 · explainedGoFast Video, USS Roosevelt
Approximately 35-second ATFLIR video appearing to show a small object skimming rapidly above the ocean surface, with aircrew exclaiming 'Look at that thing! It's flying!'
- DoD · 2013-04-25 · contestedAguadilla CBP Thermal Video
U.S. Customs and Border Protection released approximately three minutes of thermal video showing an unidentified object passing rapidly across the runway at Rafael Hernández Airport, briefly entering the water and contin...
- DoD · 2004-11-14 · unresolvedUSS Nimitz Tic Tac Encounter
Multi-day series of radar contacts and visual encounters by F/A-18F crews from Strike Fighter Squadron 41 with a small white object resembling a Tic Tac, observed near the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group during pre-deplo...
- NASA · 1996-12-01 · explainedNASA STS-80 space shuttle imagery
Three photographic frames from Space Shuttle Columbia mission STS-80 in December 1996, depicting an unidentified object exterior to the orbiter. Released through PURSUE Release 04 on July 10, 2026 as NASA-UAP-D030, D031,...
- State · 1994-01-15 · unresolvedKazakhstan 1994, Pilot Witness Cable
January 1994 State Department cable from the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe reporting a UAP encounter observed during a jet flight over Kazakhstan. A Tajik commercial pilot and three U.S. nationals on the aircraft described a ...
- NASA · 1991-09-15 · explainedSTS-48 Discovery Footage
Footage from a Space Shuttle Discovery external camera shows a number of bright objects appearing to change direction abruptly when a flash of light occurs from the spacecraft.
- OTHER · 1986-11-17 · contestedJAL Flight 1628, Alaska
Japan Air Lines cargo flight 1628, a 747-200F, reported a sustained encounter with three unidentified objects, two smaller and one very large, over Alaska, with corroborating FAA Anchorage radar contacts.
- DoD · 1980-12-26 · contestedRendlesham Forest Incident
USAF security personnel stationed at the joint RAF Bentwaters / RAF Woodbridge bases reported encountering an unidentified object in the adjacent Rendlesham Forest over the nights of December 26-28, 1980.
- State · 1976-09-19 · unresolved1976 Tehran Incident, DIA Report
DIA Defense Information Report documenting the Imperial Iranian Air Force F-4 intercept of an unidentified luminous object over Tehran, including reported electronic system anomalies.
- DoD · 1973-10-18 · contestedCoyne Helicopter Encounter
A U.S. Army Reserve helicopter crewed by Capt. Lawrence Coyne and three others reported a near-collision with an unidentified cylindrical object that bathed the cockpit in green light. The crew also reported anomalous al...
- NASA · 1973-09-22 · explainedNASA Skylab technical crew debriefing
Skylab mission technical crew debriefing documenting visual contacts during orbital operations. Released through PURSUE Release 01 on May 8, 2026.
- NASA · 1972-12-12 · explainedApollo 17 Lunar Anomalies
Astronaut Jack Schmitt's flash sighting near Grimaldi crater plus a separate photo showing three dots in triangular formation in the lunar sky.
- NASA · 1969-11-19 · contestedApollo 12 Photographic Anomalies
Photographic frames from Apollo 12 reported to show unidentified objects or particles in proximity to the spacecraft and lunar environment.
- NASA · 1969-11-14 · explainedNASA Apollo 12 crew debriefing
Apollo 12 mission transcript and technical crew debriefing documenting brief unidentified-object observations during cislunar transit. Released through PURSUE Release 01 on May 8, 2026 along with five photographic stills...
- NASA · 1969-07-21 · explainedApollo 11 Technical Crew Debriefing
Excerpt from the Apollo 11 technical crew debriefing transcript discussing observations of unidentified objects during the lunar mission.
- NASA · 1965-12-05 · explainedGemini 7 Borman 'Bogey' Audio
Air-to-ground audio of astronaut Frank Borman reporting an unidentified object he refers to as a 'bogey' to NASA mission control.
- DoD · 1957-07-17 · unresolvedRB-47 Multi-Sensor Encounter
An RB-47 reconnaissance aircraft of the U.S. Air Force reported a coordinated multi-sensor encounter with an unidentified object during a training mission across the southern United States. Detection was via ECM gear, on...
- DoD · 1948-01-07 · explainedMantell Incident
Captain Thomas F. Mantell, a Kentucky Air National Guard pilot, died after his F-51 Mustang crashed during a high-altitude pursuit of an unidentified object reported by Godman Field tower personnel and civilian witnesses...
- OTHER · 1947-06-24 · contestedKenneth Arnold Sighting
Civilian pilot Kenneth Arnold reported observing nine bright crescent-shaped objects flying near Mount Rainier in Washington state at unusually high speed. His description gave rise to the term 'flying saucer.'