DOW-UAP-D176, Triangular UAP AARO Memorandum for Record, 2026

Official Conclusion

No conclusive finding; the object remains unidentified and AARO considers the incident to warrant further investigation.

Official Description

This document is a memorandum for record documenting an AARO witness debrief concerning reported unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) observations at a sensitive national security site in the western United States over two days in 2026. AARO considers this incident to warrant further investigation due to the close alignment of the phenomena’s reported morphological features and kinematic profiles with those of other reported incidents in the western United States region. The memorandum records an interview with two Federal Special Agents and incorporates a corroborating account from a third official positioned at a separate observation post. The memorandum describes a primary event in which the reporting individuals stated that a triangular object rose vertically, remained stationary, and then banked and descended into a canyon. It records their descriptions of the object’s shape, color, apparent thermal signature, perceived lack of conventional propulsion features, and absence of an associated audible signature. The memorandum further records a secondary observation on the following evening, and a subsequent ground search that found no visible debris or evidence of an impact in the accessible survey area. The file is an investigative record preserving witness accounts, chronology, and associated analytic support material developed by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) and does not present a conclusive finding regarding the nature or origin of the reported object or objects. All descriptive and estimative language reported by the individuals interviewed reflects their subjective interpretations at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

Key Findings

• →At 2023L, federal law enforcement agents observed a matte black, nonreflective triangular craft (est. 13-15 ft wingspan, 6-9 ft length, 1-2 ft thick) rise vertically about 200-300 ft over a ridge line in roughly 10 seconds without tilting or wobbling.
• →The craft stopped vertical motion instantly and hovered for about 20 seconds, then transitioned directly to high-speed horizontal flight without an observable acceleration ramp and descended into a canyon drainage in 2-3 seconds.
• →Witnesses reported no acoustic signature throughout, and said a conventional drone or rotary-wing aircraft at 1.4 miles would have been clearly audible at that location.
• →Handheld thermal monocular observation showed a spatially uniform thermal signature with no exhaust, hot spots, or propulsion features; the surface looked seamless and featureless.
• →Three witnesses were involved (two primary, one corroborating at a separate post); a next-morning ground survey found no wreckage, scarring, or vegetation damage, and no physiological effects or EM interference were reported.

Extracted Entities