USS Nimitz UAP Encounter

November 14, 2004 — Pacific Ocean, off San Diego, California, USA

The Encounter

On November 14, 2004, the USS Princeton, part of the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, had been tracking anomalous aerial vehicles on radar for two weeks. The objects were detected descending from 80,000 feet to sea level in less than a second, a feat that would generate forces lethal to any known biological organism and beyond any known material science.

Fravor's Intercept

Commander David Fravor and Lt. Commander Alex Dietrich, flying F/A-18F Super Hornets, were vectored to intercept one of the objects. Fravor described encountering a white, Tic Tac-shaped object approximately 40 feet long, hovering above a churning disturbance in the ocean. The object had no visible wings, rotors, exhaust plume, or propulsion system.

The FLIR Video

A subsequent intercept by another pilot captured infrared video of the object, known as the "FLIR1" or "Tic Tac" video. This footage, officially released by the Pentagon in 2020, shows an object demonstrating acceleration and maneuverability far exceeding any known aircraft. The object appeared to actively jam the aircraft's advanced radar system.

Official Acknowledgment

This case is significant as one of the first UAP encounters officially acknowledged by the US Department of Defense. The Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), a secret Pentagon program, investigated this and similar encounters. The case was central to the 2017 New York Times article that reignited mainstream UFO discourse.