USS Nimitz Tic Tac Encounter — Navy Pilots Track Inertia-Defying Craft

In November 2004, pilots from the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group encountered a series of unknown objects off the coast of southern California during routine training operations. Commander David Fravor and Lieutenant Commander Jim Slaight were diverted to investigate an object that the USS Princeton had been tracking for two weeks on advanced radar systems.

Fravor observed a white, Tic Tac-shaped object approximately 40 feet long with no wings, no visible propulsion, and no exhaust. It performed instant accelerations and direction changes that were impossible for any known aircraft. When Fravor attempted to engage the object, it appeared to react to his approach before departing at extraordinary speed.

A video later released by the Department of Defense, known as the FLIR1 video, shows the object on infrared camera. Analysis revealed the object displayed no heat signature from propulsion. Navy officials confirmed the authenticity of the footage.

The incident became one of the central cases in the 2017 New York Times investigation that revealed the existence of the Pentagon's secret Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) and sparked the modern UAP disclosure movement.