{"type":"events","slug":"2004-uss-nimitz-encounter","title":"USS Nimitz Encounter","url":"https://disclosdex.com/events/2004-uss-nimitz-encounter","description":"Navy pilots from the USS Nimitz carrier group tracked tic tac-shaped craft performing impossible maneuvers","date":"2004-11-14T00:00:00.000Z","tags":["Sighting"],"updated":"2025-06-13T13:26:43.000Z","disclosureRating":5,"status":"unresolved","lat":31.9686,"lng":-117.825,"connectionCount":3,"content":{"markdown":"On 14 November 2004 the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group operating about 100 nautical miles southwest of San Diego diverted two F/A-18F Super Hornets to investigate anomalous radar contacts.\n\nCommander David Fravor, leading the section, reported a 40-foot white object that exhibited instantaneous acceleration, lacked visible control surfaces, and produced no sonic boom.[^1]\n\nMultiple sensors recorded data: the SPY-1B phased-array radar on USS Princeton tracked dozens of fast-moving objects, an E-2C Hawkeye confirmed airborne contacts, and Lt. Chad Underwood captured the 76-second FLIR1 infrared video later released by the Department of Defense.[^3][^4]\n\nThese records, together with sworn testimony from shipboard technicians, have made the incident a focal point of modern U.S. investigations into unidentified aerial phenomena.\n\n## Personnel\n\n| Name                  | Role                                                                       | Affiliation             |\n| --------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- |\n| Cdr. David Fravor     | Commanding officer, VFA-41; lead F/A-18F pilot who visually engaged object | USS Nimitz              |\n| Lt. Cdr. Jim Slaight  | Weapon Systems Officer in Fravor's aircraft                                | USS Nimitz              |\n| Lt. Chad Underwood    | F/A-18F pilot who recorded FLIR1 video                                     | USS Nimitz              |\n| SCOS Kevin Day        | Senior Chief Operations Specialist; SPY-1B radar operator                  | USS Princeton           |\n| FC2 Gary Voorhis      | Aegis fire-control technician tracking returns                             | USS Princeton           |\n| Lt. Cdr. Jason Turner | Air Control Officer aboard E-2C Hawkeye (VAW-117)                          | Carrier Air Wing Eleven |\n\n## Timeline\n\n| Date & Time (PST) | Event                                                                                                                                                 |\n| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| 10–13 Nov 2004    | SPY-1B radar logs >100 high-altitude objects dropping from 80,000 ft to sea level in <1 s and hovering.[^3]                                |\n| 14 Nov 2004 12:00 | USS Princeton diverts Fravor and Slaight from training to a \"real-world\" intercept.[^2]                                                               |\n| 14 Nov 2004 12:15 | Pilots observe turbulent patch of sea and a 40-ft \"tic tac\" 50 ft above the water; object reacts to fighter maneuver and departs in <2 s.[^2] |\n| 14 Nov 2004 12:30 | Princeton reacquires target 60 nm away at CAP point within seconds of loss of visual.[^3]                                                             |\n| 14 Nov 2004 13:00 | Second section launches; Lt. Underwood films FLIR1 video showing featureless oblong target rotating without heat plume.[^4]                           |\n| 15–16 Nov 2004    | Air-wing intelligence officers collect flight data recorders; sailors report external technicians removing Aegis and CEC storage media.[^5]           |\n| 16 Dec 2017       | The New York Times publishes article with FLIR1 clip, bringing case to public attention.[^6]                                                          |\n| 27 Apr 2020       | DoD officially declassifies FLIR1, GIMBAL, and GOFAST videos, affirming their authenticity.[^4]                                                       |\n\n## Evidence\n\n| Evidence             | Description                                                                                                       | Source                    |\n| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------- |\n| Eyewitness testimony | Pilots and radar operators describe oval object showing instantaneous acceleration and right-angle turns.[^1][^2] | Multiple sworn interviews |\n| SPY-1B radar tracks  | Phased-array radar captured altitude & speed changes that exceed known aircraft performance.[^3]                  | USS Princeton logs        |\n| E-2C Hawkeye data    | Airborne early-warning crew confirmed target location enabling intercept.[^3]                                     | VAW-117 mission tapes     |\n| FLIR1 infrared video | 76-second ATFLIR clip displays target without exhaust plume and apparent rotation.[^4]                            | DoD FOIA release          |\n| CEC/Aegis logs       | Cooperative Engagement Capability network recorded tracks; media reportedly seized after event.[^5]               | Crew statements           |\n| Sea disturbance      | Pilots observed 100-m patch of frothing water as if large object submerged.[^2]                                   | Visual report             |\n\n## Assessment\n\nSensor correlation, pilot testimony, and publicly released video support that an unknown airborne object was present, moved rapidly, and interacted with carrier-group aircraft. The data set is richer than typical sightings and remains one of the Navy's best-documented cases.\n\nSkeptical reviews note that FLIR1 may depict a distant jet and that radar anomalies can arise from software injection or clutter.[^7] The Office of the Director of National Intelligence concluded in 2021 that available evidence was insufficient to attribute extraordinary capabilities[^8], urging release of additional telemetry.\n\nWithout raw radar files or fused telemetry, the performance claims rest on observer interpretation. Further disclosure of classified sensor data would permit independent reconstruction of kinematics and determine whether the \"tic tac\" represented advanced human technology, a sensor artifact, or something not yet understood.\n\n[^1]: [History.com article – \"When Top Gun Pilots Tangled with a Baffling Tic-Tac-Shaped UFO\" (2019)](https://www.history.com/articles/uss-nimitz-2004-tic-tac-ufo-encounter)\n\n[^2]: [Cmdr. David Fravor interview, Lex Fridman Podcast No.122 (2020)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB8zcAttP1E)\n\n[^3]: [Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies: 2004 USS Nimitz Strike Group Incident Report](https://1ad59488-e74b-484c-a673-93655740754d.usrfiles.com/ugd/1ad594_bdf33403d1044939845a00a5bbf6d844.pdf)\n\n[^4]: [Department of Defense statement on the release of historical Navy videos](https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2165713/statement-by-the-department-of-defense-on-the-release-of-historical-navy-videos/)\n\n[^5]: [Documentary – \"The Nimitz Encounters\" (2018)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRgoisHRmUE)\n\n[^6]: [New York Times – \"Glowing Auras and Black Money\" (2017)](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html)\n\n[^7]: [Mick West – \"Is the Nimitz UFO Video Just a Plane?\" Metabunk analysis (2021)](https://www.metabunk.org/threads/is-the-nimitz-ufo-video-just-a-plane.11703/)\n\n[^8]: [ODNI Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena](https://www.odni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Prelimary-Assessment-UAP-20210625.pdf)","readingTime":"4 min read"},"relatedRecords":[{"ref":{"type":"locations","slug":"pacific-ocean-san-diego","title":"Pacific Ocean / San Diego","url":"https://disclosdex.com/locations/pacific-ocean-san-diego"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"mick-west","title":"Mick West","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/mick-west"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"robert-powell","title":"Robert Powell","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/robert-powell"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1}],"citation":{"canonicalUrl":"https://disclosdex.com/events/2004-uss-nimitz-encounter","title":"USS Nimitz Encounter","publisher":"Disclosdex","retrievedFrom":"https://disclosdex.com/api/v1/events/2004-uss-nimitz-encounter","license":"CC-BY-4.0"},"witnesses":["Navy pilots from the USS Nimitz carrier group"],"evidence":["Video"]}