USS Nimitz Tic-Tac Encounter
Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego, California
Summary
Navy fighter pilots from the USS Nimitz carrier group encountered a white, oblong object (described as 'tic-tac' shaped) demonstrating extraordinary flight characteristics including instantaneous acceleration, transmedium travel, and no visible propulsion.
Background
On November 14, 2004, the USS Princeton (part of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group) had been tracking anomalous aerial vehicles on radar for several days. The objects were descending from 80,000+ feet to sea level in seconds, far exceeding any known aircraft capability.
The Encounter
Commander David Fravor and Lt. Commander Alex Dietrich were vectored to investigate. They observed a white, oblong object approximately 40 feet long hovering over a disturbance in the ocean. When Fravor descended to investigate, the object mirrored his movements and then accelerated away at extraordinary speed — crossing 60 miles to the carrier group’s CAP point in seconds.
The FLIR Video
A subsequent flight captured the now-famous “FLIR1” infrared video showing the object. The video was officially declassified and released by the Department of Defense in 2020.
Significance
This case is considered one of the most credible UAP encounters due to:
- Multiple trained military witnesses (pilots, radar operators)
- Corroborating radar data from multiple platforms (SPY-1 radar, E-2C Hawkeye, F/A-18 FLIR)
- Official government acknowledgment and declassification
- Congressional testimony by Commander Fravor