The case files
The record of every report the Council has reviewed.
Each entry is numbered, dated, located, and cited. Verdicts are revised when the evidence is.
Disclosure Day — Spielberg cultural moment, 12 June 2026
Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day opens in U.S. theaters on 12 June 2026 (U.K.: 10 June) with a 83% Rotten Tomatoes critics' score and pull quotes calling it his strongest film in two decades. Emily Blunt plays a meteorologist drawn into a U.S. government cover-up of decades of extraterrestrial contact — a dramatisation of the disclosure debate itself. The Council logs the release as a cultural-signal event in the modern disclosure timeline, not as evidence.
Capitol Hill UAP Disclosure Act Rally — 9 June 2026
On 9 June 2026 at 1:00 pm ET, intelligence-community whistleblower David Grusch joined four sitting members of Congress on the steps of the U.S. Capitol for a press conference demanding a floor vote on the UAP Disclosure Act before the August recess, full publication of all PURSUE tranches, and statutory immunity for intelligence-community witnesses. Hosted by Leslie Kean and James Fox. The Council is logging the rally as a discrete legislative-pressure event in the modern disclosure timeline.
3I/ATLAS: Webb Finds CO₂-Dominated Coma; Allen Telescope Array Returns Clean SETI Null
James Webb Space Telescope spectroscopy of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS reveals a CO₂-dominated coma with a CO₂/H₂O mixing ratio of 7.6 — 4.5 standard deviations above the trend line for known comets — along with confirmed methane, water vapor, CO, OCS, water ice, and dust. Independently, a 7-plus-hour radio survey by the SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array returned no technosignatures; all candidate signals traced to terrestrial or orbital sources. The Council's verdict is Inconclusive: the anomalous chemistry is real and scientifically significant, but unusual volatile ratios are not evidence of artifice, and the SETI null, while a clean negative result, cannot rule out non-radio signal modalities or future observations.
PURSUE Release 02 — Shoot-Down Video and Senior Intel Officer Encounter
The second PURSUE tranche published 222 documents including 51 audio recordings and over 40 videos. Notable materials include footage of a UAP being shot down — likely the February 2023 Lake Huron object — infrared footage of four UAPs in formation, and a first-person account by a senior intelligence officer describing hour-long close encounters with orange orbs from a military helicopter in late 2025.
PURSUE Release 1 — Department of War Publishes 162 UAP Files at war.gov/UFO
On 8 May 2026, the Department of War released 162 UAP-related files — 120 PDFs, 28 videos (41 minutes), 14 images — through the PURSUE portal (war.gov/UFO), the first formal multi-agency disclosure deliverable of the 2026 cycle. Contributing agencies included the FBI, DoS, NASA, DoE, and ODNI. Officials stated explicitly that the release contains no evidence of extraterrestrial contact. Analytical review by Metabunk identified recycled public material in several files. A second tranche is expected within 30 days.
3I/ATLAS — Interstellar Water with 40× Earth's Deuterium Ratio
University of Michigan-led research published in Nature Astronomy reveals interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS has a deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio approximately 40 times higher than Earth's oceans and 30 times higher than any solar-system comet — the first water-isotope analysis of an interstellar object. The findings indicate formation in a planetary system far colder (below 30 Kelvin) and less irradiated than our own.
3I/ATLAS Deuterium Study Confirms Ultra-Cold Stellar Origin — May 2026
A peer-reviewed study published in Nature Astronomy on 23 April 2026 reports that the ALMA radio telescope detected deuterium-enriched water in 3I/ATLAS at a D/H ratio exceeding 30 times that of Solar System comets, a chemical signature consistent with formation and long-term storage in a planetary environment below 30 Kelvin — far colder than any known region of our own solar system. The Council confirms the finding as peer-reviewed and methodologically sound.
Rep. Luna Claims SCIF Viewing of Nonhuman-Origin Materials — April 2026
On 29 April 2026, House Oversight UAP Task Force Chair Anna Paulina Luna publicly stated she has personally viewed classified evidence in a SCIF of 'things that are of nonhuman origin and creation' and pledged to hold a press conference once materials are declassified.
3I/Atlas — Anomalous brightening event of 23 April 2026
Multiple observatories report an unexpected 0.6-magnitude brightening of the third confirmed interstellar object, 3I/Atlas, between 21 and 23 April 2026. The Council is monitoring; current evidence does not require a non-natural explanation.
Senate Intelligence Committee UAP hearing — 22 April 2026
On 22 April 2026, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence convened an open session on the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office's progress and the FY2025 annual UAP report. The Council is logging the hearing's substantive disclosures, witness commitments, and any new case references.
AARO FY2025 Annual Report on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena
The AARO FY2025 annual report, released in April 2026, is the third such mandated report to Congress under the FY2023 NDAA. The Council is logging its case-resolution statistics, new disclosures, and any references to specific incidents for individual case-file follow-up.
Pentagon 46-UAP-Video Deadline Miss — Congressional Subpoena Watch
On 31 March 2026, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna's House Oversight UAP Task Force named 46 specific classified video files and gave the Pentagon until 14 April to produce them. The deadline passed without delivery or response. As of 5 May 2026 — Day 21 past deadline — Luna is coordinating with Chairman Comer to issue a subpoena, while a related hearing on whistleblower protection is scheduled for 14 May. The institutional contradiction between the executive branch's public disclosure promises and the Pentagon's non-compliance is factual and documented.
Brazilian Air Force release of 1986 'Night of the UFOs' radar tapes
The Brazilian Air Force has, across multiple announcements, indicated additional declassification of materials related to the 19 May 1986 'Night of the UFOs' (Case #00114) including primary radar data. The Council is watching for the release window and is prepared to update Case #00114 substantially if the underlying tapes become public.
Trump UAP File Release — Promise vs. Delivery
From February through May 2026, President Trump issued a series of executive orders and public statements promising imminent UAP file releases; AARO confirmed coordination with the White House on 'never-before-seen' material; as of 5 May 2026, no primary-source documents have been released, and structural classification barriers may prevent full delivery regardless of presidential intent.
Reported PLA-AF J-16 UAP encounters — 2024 disclosures
Reports surfaced in 2024 of PLA Air Force J-16 fighter encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena, sourced to academic papers published by personnel affiliated with the People's Liberation Army. The Council is watching for primary-source confirmation; current public material is largely indirect.
Western U.S. Orange Orbs — AARO's 'Most Compelling' Case, December 2023
AARO designated a December 2023 western U.S. incident — observed by three separate federal law enforcement teams — as 'the most compelling within our current holdings,' the agency's highest analytical rating for any case in its files. The incident involved orange orbs described as launching smaller orbs. A separate September 2023 FBI case documents a 130–195-foot bronze ellipsoid that reportedly materialized from a bright light in the same general region. Both cases were released in PURSUE Release 1 on 8 May 2026 without accompanying technical analysis.
Eglin AFB radar tracks — 26 January 2023
Eglin Air Force Base reported a series of radar contacts in restricted airspace in late January 2023 that AARO has acknowledged in its historical records review. Public detail remains limited; the Council is watching for additional declassification.
USS Omaha — Spherical object encounter, 15 July 2019
FLIR video taken from the bridge of the USS Omaha shows a spherical object tracking the ship before descending into the ocean. The Department of Defense has confirmed the footage is authentic Navy material; the object's identity remains unresolved.
GoFast — F/A-18 ATFLIR encounter, 2015
ATFLIR video from a 2015 USS Theodore Roosevelt training cruise shows a small, fast-moving object skimming above the ocean surface. The Department of Defense has confirmed the recording's authenticity; debate centers on whether the object's apparent speed is real or a parallax effect.
Gimbal — F/A-18 ATFLIR encounter, 2015
ATFLIR video captured from an F/A-18 Super Hornet operating with the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group shows a saucer-shaped object rotating against the prevailing wind. The Department of Defense has confirmed the footage as authentic Navy material; its identity remains officially unresolved.
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico — CBP thermal video, 25 April 2013
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection DHC-8 surveillance aircraft recorded approximately three minutes of thermal imagery showing a small, fast-moving object that crossed land, entered the ocean, and apparently split. The Council finds the official chain of custody intact and the object's behavior unresolved.
Stephenville, Texas — radar-confirmed sighting wave, January 2008
Dozens of witnesses around Stephenville, Texas reported a large, low-flying object in early January 2008. FAA radar data subsequently obtained by MUFON investigators correlated unidentified contacts with U.S. Air Force F-16 traffic, raising — and partially answering — questions about official involvement.
Chicago O'Hare International Airport — Gate C17, 7 November 2006
On the afternoon of 7 November 2006, multiple United Airlines employees and at least one pilot reported a metallic, disc-shaped object hovering over Gate C17 at O'Hare International Airport. The object reportedly punched a circular hole through the cloud layer as it ascended. The FAA acknowledged the report but did not investigate; no radar trace has been released.
USS Nimitz — "Tic Tac" encounter, 14 November 2004
Over a roughly two-week window in November 2004, radar operators aboard the USS Princeton and pilots from the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group tracked anomalous objects — colloquially the 'Tic Tac' — exhibiting flight characteristics outside the documented performance envelope of any known aircraft. The 14 November intercept by Cmdr. David Fravor and the subsequent FLIR1 video by Lt. Cmdr. Chad Underwood remain the modern reference standard for a multi-sensor military UAP report. The Council assesses the case as Inconclusive: the evidentiary record is exceptionally strong, no proposed mundane explanation accounts for all of the data, and 'no explanation' is not the same as 'non-human technology.'
The Phoenix Lights — 13 March 1997
Two distinct events on the night of 13 March 1997 — a triangular formation of lights moving silently across Arizona, and a row of stationary lights observed near Phoenix later that night. The Council finds the second event explained by military flare exercises; the first remains separately documented.
Phoenix Lights — Triangular formation, 13 March 1997
Separate from the later flare exercise (Case #00012), an earlier triangular formation of lights moved silently across Arizona on the evening of 13 March 1997, observed by witnesses including former Governor Fife Symington. The Council distinguishes this event from the explained later observations and assigns it Inconclusive.
Ariel School encounter — Ruwa, Zimbabwe, 16 September 1994
On the morning of 16 September 1994, an estimated 62 students at Ariel Primary School in Ruwa, Zimbabwe reported observing a craft and small humanoid figures during morning recess. Harvard psychiatrist John E. Mack interviewed the witnesses extensively. The Council finds the witness density and consistency unusual; no physical evidence exists.
Belgian UFO wave — November 1989 to April 1990
From November 1989 through April 1990, thousands of Belgian witnesses — including police officers — reported large, slow-moving triangular craft. The Belgian Air Force's response on the night of 30–31 March 1990 produced an official radar-and-interceptor report that remains one of the most-cited military UAP documents in Europe.
Japan Airlines Flight 1628 — Alaskan airspace, 17 November 1986
On 17 November 1986, the crew of Japan Airlines Flight 1628 — a Boeing 747 freighter — reported a sustained 50-minute encounter with multiple unidentified objects over eastern Alaska, with corroborating radar contacts at Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control. The FAA's contemporaneous investigation file was released; Captain Kenju Terauchi's account remains one of the most-detailed civil aviation UAP reports.
Brazilian Air Force 'Night of the UFOs' — 19 May 1986
On the night of 19 May 1986, Brazilian Air Force radar tracked up to 21 unidentified contacts over southeastern Brazil, prompting the scramble of F-5 and Mirage interceptors from multiple bases. The case received an official FAB press conference within days and remains one of the strongest publicly-documented military UAP incidents in the southern hemisphere.
Hudson Valley wave — 1982 to 1986
Between 1982 and 1986, thousands of witnesses across the Hudson River Valley reported large, slow, V-shaped formations of lights. Investigation by the New York State Police, contemporaneous reporting, and admissions from local pilots converge on coordinated formation flights of ultralight aircraft based at Stormville Airport — a well-documented, if unconventional, mundane explanation.
Hessdalen lights — ongoing scientific monitoring, 1981 onward
The Hessdalen Valley in central Norway has produced recurring luminous-phenomenon sightings since the early 1980s. Project Hessdalen, an instrumented monitoring program operated continuously since 1984, has captured the lights on cameras, magnetometers, and spectrum analyzers. Multiple working hypotheses exist; no single explanation accounts for all observations.
Cash–Landrum incident — 29 December 1980
On the evening of 29 December 1980 near Dayton, Texas, Betty Cash, Vickie Landrum, and Landrum's grandson Colby reported a close encounter with a diamond-shaped object emitting flame, escorted by approximately 23 military helicopters. All three witnesses subsequently developed symptoms consistent with acute radiation exposure. The U.S. government denied involvement; the resulting federal claim was dismissed.
Rendlesham Forest — 26–28 December 1980
Across three nights in late December 1980, U.S. Air Force personnel stationed at the twin RAF Woodbridge / Bentwaters airbases in Suffolk reported unexplained lights and a structured object in the adjacent Rendlesham Forest. Deputy Base Commander Lt. Col. Charles Halt's official memorandum to the UK Ministry of Defence — written on 13 January 1981 and released to the public in 2001 — remains one of the most documented first-hand military UAP records in any nation's official archive. The Council assesses the case as Inconclusive: the evidentiary record is exceptional for the era, several mundane explanations have substantial weight, and the documentary record has been measurably contaminated by claims added years and decades after the fact.
Imperial Iranian Air Force F-4 incident — Tehran, 19 September 1976
On the night of 19 September 1976, two Imperial Iranian Air Force F-4 Phantoms scrambled to investigate an unidentified luminous object over Tehran experienced repeated avionics and weapons-system failures. The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency's contemporaneous report remains a central document in the international UAP record.
Westall, Australia — schoolyard mass sighting, 6 April 1966
On the morning of 6 April 1966, an estimated 200 students and staff at Westall High School in suburban Melbourne observed one or more disc-shaped objects descending into a nearby paddock and ascending again. Witnesses report subsequent ground impressions and an official advisory not to discuss the event. The Council finds the witness density unusual and the official record incomplete.
Levelland, Texas — vehicle interference reports, 2–3 November 1957
Over an approximately three-hour window on the night of 2–3 November 1957, at least 15 motorists in and around Levelland, Texas reported their vehicle engines and headlights cutting out as a luminous, egg-shaped object passed at low altitude. Project Blue Book attributed the reports to ball lightning; independent atmospheric scientists argued the explanation does not fit.
RAF Lakenheath–Bentwaters radar–visual incident, 13–14 August 1956
Multiple ground and airborne radar systems at RAF Lakenheath and RAF Bentwaters tracked unidentified high-speed contacts on the night of 13–14 August 1956, with corroborating visual sightings and a vectored RAF interceptor. The Condon Committee — generally a skeptical reviewer — classed the case as 'puzzling' and lacking a satisfying explanation.
Washington D.C. flap — 19–26 July 1952
On consecutive weekends in July 1952, radar operators at Washington National Airport tracked unidentified contacts over restricted airspace including the U.S. Capitol. The U.S. Air Force's contemporaneous explanation — temperature-inversion radar returns combined with misidentified celestial bodies — was substantiated by Project Blue Book and remains the well-supported account.
The McMinnville (Trent) photographs — 11 May 1950
Two photographs taken on the evening of 11 May 1950 by farmer Paul Trent at his property near Sheridan, Oregon, show a metallic, disc-shaped object hanging in the sky west of the farmhouse. The images were investigated by Project Blue Book, the Condon Committee (1968), and several independent analysts over seven decades. The Condon Report's photoanalyst concluded the object was "an extraordinary flying object" and could not be shown to be a hoax. Subsequent skeptical re-analyses have argued for a small model suspended from overhead wires. The Council assesses the case as Inconclusive.
Kenneth Arnold sighting — Mount Rainier, 24 June 1947
On 24 June 1947, Idaho-based businessman and private pilot Kenneth Arnold reported observing nine objects flying in formation past Mount Rainier at extraordinary speed. His description — that the objects moved 'like a saucer if you skip it across the water' — gave rise to the term 'flying saucer' and effectively opens the modern UAP era.
Roswell incident — July 1947
Debris recovered in mid-June 1947 from a ranch near Corona, New Mexico is, by the U.S. Air Force's 1994 and 1997 official reports, attributable to a Project Mogul high-altitude balloon train designed to detect Soviet nuclear tests. The Council finds the Mogul attribution well-documented and assigns Debunked.