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Commercial Airline Pilots Report UFO Sightings

Writer's picture: Cristina GomezCristina Gomez

In a remarkable shift from decades of institutional silence, commercial airline pilots globally are stepping forward to report their UFO encounters in 2024, marking an unprecedented era of transparency in aviation. From the skies over Oregon to the airspace above Indonesia, pilots are documenting unexplained phenomena with increasing frequency and openness. In 2023–2024 alone, multiple high-profile cases involving major airlines have emerged, complete with radar confirmation, video evidence, and official acknowledgment from aviation authorities. These sightings, involving everything from mysterious light formations to objects performing impossible aerial maneuvers, are challenging our understanding of what occupies the airspace alongside commercial aircraft.



Pilot Encounters UFO over Oregon

A notable case occurred on December 7, 2024, over Eugene, Oregon, where multiple pilots, including those from United Airlines over Willamette National Forest and a medical evacuation flight above Siuslaw National Forest, reported unusual aerial phenomena to air traffic control, reported by News Week. In a 44-minute recorded exchange, pilots described the objects performing erratic maneuvers, including corkscrew patterns and rapid movements towards and away from the coast, with one pilot noting the objects would travel approximately 20 miles out to sea before returning. In response to an inquiry from Newsweek, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) validated the authenticity of the reported sighting, confirming that a pilot had indeed documented observing “unidentified lights” during their flight.


Rendition of Sighting, pilot is looking outside his cockpit at clouds
Rendition of Sighting

Texas Pilots see strange objects for 30 minutes

Dallas, Texas became the focus of UFO attention in December 2024 when two different pilots reported a formation of lights to air traffic control According to the pilot’s direct account, while cruising at 34,000 feet, they observed two lights in formation that exhibited unusual behavior — repeatedly becoming extremely bright before quickly fading away. These lights maintained a consistent position at the pilot’s 1–2 o’clock for approximately 250 miles and were positioned notably higher than the aircraft’s altitude. In the air traffic control audio recording, the pilot described the objects as “kinda jogging back and forth, left and right” for about thirty minutes.


Rendition of UFO Sighting, pilot sitting in plane looking outside this cockpit looking at a strange red light in the sky.
Rendition of UFO Sighting

Indonesian Pilot FILMS UFO Sighting

In early August 2024, Indonesian pilot Captain Captain Ruud Van Pangemanan inadvertently captured UFO footage during what was meant to be routine flight documentation from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria. The incident began with a bright luminous orb that displayed a visible tail as it descended through the clouds before vanishing. Shortly after, at least two distinct objects appeared on the starboard side of the aircraft, repeatedly appearing and disappearing, with one positioned slightly above the other. The sighting was significant enough to warrant the pilot’s own detailed analysis within his footage, where he enhanced, zoomed, and slowed the footage by 50%, ultimately ruling out conventional explanations like drones, satellites, or other aircraft. The event was particularly noteworthy as it was witnessed by multiple crew members in the cockpit and was inadvertently captured during what was intended to be routine flight documentation for the pilot’s YouTube channel, which has a quarter-million subscribers.


Captain Ruud Van Pangemanan with co-pilot sitting in cockpit looking at the sky.
Captain Pangemanan with co-pilot in cockpit — Credits: Ruud Van Pangemanan

Flight Attendant sees UFO over Poland

According to The Mirror, on January 10, 2024, a routine Wizz Air flight from Luton to Poland became the setting for an extraordinary encounter when 36-year-old flight attendant Denisa Tanase captured mysterious phenomena on her phone. What initially seemed unremarkable revealed itself as something extraordinary upon review: four distinctly pink orbs blinking in the night sky, moving in patterns that defied conventional explanation. While Tanase initially considered whether the pink glow might be a reflection of the airline’s uniforms, the objects’ movement and behavior quickly dispelled this theory. The incident was particularly puzzling as neither the pilots nor other crew members reported seeing anything unusual, and the aircraft experienced no turbulence during the sighting. Despite having traversed European skies numerous times in her year-long career as a flight attendant, this marked Tanase’s first and only unexplained aerial encounter, adding a compelling piece to the growing mosaic of commercial aviation UFO reports.


Flight attendant Denisa Tanase in a pink jacket and black scarf standing at airport (left) and her photo of the pink UFO (right)
Flight attendant Denisa Tanase (left) and her photo of the UFO (right) — Credits: Denisa Tanase

Global Aviation Authorities Forge New Paths for UFO Reporting

In a significant shift from historical silence, aviation authorities worldwide are establishing formal channels for pilots to report their UFO sighting, though the implementation varies by country.


The Netherlands

The Netherlands has recently broken decades of silence, with the Dutch Safety Board finally opening its doors to UAP reports from aviation professionals. This breakthrough came through the efforts of the UAP Coalition Netherlands (UAPNCL), which successfully brought UAP discussions to the European Parliament.


United States Navy and Congress

In 2019, the U.S. Navy made headlines by introducing new guidelines for its pilots to report UFO sightings, aiming to destigmatize these reports. However, civilian aviation has lagged behind. According to the National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena (NARCAP), as recently as 2015, FAA instructions directed pilots to contact civilian UFO reporting centers rather than submit official reports. A promising development emerged in January 2024 with the introduction of the bipartisan “Safe Airspace for Americans Act” by Representatives Robert Garcia and Glenn Grothman, which would enable commercial pilots to report UFO sightings to the FAA without fear of retaliation. However, this legislation remains unsigned.


First page of bill created by Rep. Garcia and Rep. Grothman
Bill created by Rep. Garcia and Rep. Grothman

The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has taken a different approach, establishing the “UK Pilots Reporting UAP” initiative. While lacking explicit legal protections against workplace repercussions, this program provides a confidential platform for pilots to report sightings to dedicated researchers. Though not government-backed, it represents a step toward destigmatizing such reports in British aviation.


Canada

Canada maintains a more structured approach through its Canadian Aviation Occurrence Reporting System (CADORS), managed by Transport Canada. While the system focuses primarily on safety hazards rather than protecting reporters from professional consequences, it demonstrates an official acknowledgment of the phenomenon’s significance to aviation safety.


France

France stands out with one of the more comprehensive approaches through GEIPAN (Study and Information Group on Aerospace Unidentified Phenomena), operating under the French Space Agency (CNES). Though lacking specific legal protections for pilots, GEIPAN’s existence as an official government body creates an environment where reporting such phenomena carries less professional risk. It’s official mandate includes collecting testimonies, analyzing sightings, and making this information accessible to the public, all of which are roles sanctioned by the government to educate and inform about UAP while maintaining scientific rigor.


silhouette of man pointing at the stars and woman holding binoculars
GEIPAN

These varied approaches reflect a growing global recognition that unidentified phenomena in our skies warrant serious attention and systematic reporting. However, the lack of standardized protection for aviation professionals who report such encounters remains a significant barrier to full transparency. As more countries develop their reporting mechanisms, the aviation community watches closely to see which model might emerge as the global standard for handling these mysterious encounters in our skies.


Sources


Pilot in Oregon


Texan Pilots ATC Recorded Audio


Captain Ruud Van Pangamanan UFO Sighting


Flight Attendant Captures Footage of Pink UFO


US Navy UFO Reporting


Rep. Garcia and Rep. Grothman's UFO Bill


UK Pilots Reporting UAP

1 Comment


Ion Storm
Ion Storm
Dec 13, 2024

You're kinda amazing, Cristina Gomez.🌻 M.A.N.

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