FBI September 2023 Sighting - Serial 5

FBIPDFIncident ReportHeavy redaction5/10— solid newsworthy itemPURSUE Release 1

Location: United States
Incident date: 9/1/23
Duration: 5 to 10 seconds
Witnesses: Multiple witnesses
Released: May 8, 2026

UAP Characteristics

▬ RectangleLuminousSilent flight

Official Conclusion

Under investigation

Official Description

This is an FBI 302 interview conducted with a US citizen regarding their first-hand account of a UAP encounter at a US test site. USPER described a "bright light over the horizon."

UAP Insight Analysis— AI generated, not official

This is an FBI FD-302 interview report (2 pages) documenting a September 2023 witness interview conducted via FaceTime video by FBI Special Agents regarding a UAP sighting at a US test site. The witness, a contractor with drone pilot experience, observed a linear, metallic/gray object with an extremely bright white light at approximately 5,000 feet AGL during a LiDAR testing operation, visible for 5-10 seconds before the light extinguished and the object vanished. All witness and location identifying information is heavily redacted.

Key Findings

→A contractor with 10-15 hours of drone pilot experience observed a linear, metallic/gray object with a super bright white light on its east side at approximately 5,000 feet AGL, moving east to west parallel to the ground.
→The object was assessed to be smaller than a Boeing 737 but larger than one to two Blackhawk helicopters in length, and definitively larger than a drone.
→The object had no visible wings or exhaust, maintained constant size and light intensity during observation, and vanished after 5-10 seconds when the light extinguished.
→The airspace had been restricted for drone LiDAR testing at the time of the sighting, and a female witness in the vehicle was annoyed by the intrusion; a person in the second vehicle was unable to get a view of the object.
→The primary witness reported psychological aftereffects including trouble sleeping, weird dreams, and heightened anxiety for two nights following the sighting.

Extracted Entities

People

Redacted FBI Special AgentRedacted witness (contractor, drone pilot, 10-15 hours experience)Redacted female witness (passenger in first vehicle)Redacted person in second vehicle

Agencies & Organizations

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Locations

United States (specific location redacted)Redacted test site with restricted airspaceSmall bridge near a gate at the test site

Aircraft & Objects

Linear metallic/gray object with super bright white light, no wings, no exhaust, approximately 5,000 feet AGL, smaller than a Boeing 737, larger than one to two Blackhawk helicopters, larger than a drone

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AI analysis by claude-sonnet-4-6 · May 20, 2026