FBI-UAP-D033, FD-302, “Thermally Elevated Aerial Object,” 2026

FBIPDFIncident ReportModerate redactionPURSUE Release 5

5/10

solid newsworthy item

UAP Insight significance score

Location: Western United States
Incident date: 2026
Witnesses: Human + sensor
Released: August 7, 2026

UAP Characteristics

? Unknown shapeLuminous

Evidence Types

IR VideoTestimony

Official Conclusion

Unresolved; agent was unable to determine make, model, propulsion type, or aircraft category of the object.

Official Description

This document is an FBI FD-302, a form the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uses to record interviews. This FD-302 records a 2026 interview with a U.S. Government Special Agent, in which the interviewee describes an incident potentially involving unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) in the western United States, at approximately 9:00 PM local time, in 2026.

Key Findings

→An FBI Special Agent observed a thermally elevated aerial object at approximately 2100 hours on a second consecutive night in the same general western observation area.
→The object appeared approximately two ridge lines farther west than the prior night's sighting location, making specific physical characteristic identification impossible due to distance.
→The unidentified aerial object appeared to be approximately half the size of a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter based on thermal and visual comparison footage recorded during the same operational period.
→The object traveled southbound and was eventually lost from observation due to terrain and distance, consistent with the previous night's observed direction of travel.
→The agent was unable to determine the object's make, model, propulsion type, or aircraft category (fixed-wing, rotary-wing, or UAS).

UAP Insight Analysis— AI generated, not official

This FBI FD-302 documents a written statement from a redacted Special Agent describing a second-night observation of a thermally elevated aerial object in a western U.S. location in 2026. The agent used thermal imaging to observe an unidentified aerial object flying southbound and recorded a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter in the same area as a comparative size reference, estimating the UAP to be approximately half the size of the Black Hawk. The agent was unable to determine the object's make, model, propulsion type, or whether it was fixed-wing, rotary-wing, or UAS.

Analyst Notes

Single-witness thermal observation with no corroborating independent sensor data beyond the agent's own recording; specific location, date, and agent identity are all redacted, limiting independent verification. The object was observed at significant distance across multiple ridge lines, reducing observable detail. No shape could be determined and mundane explanations (conventional aircraft, UAS) could not be ruled out. This is a second-night sighting by the same agent, which adds consistency but not independent corroboration.

Extracted Entities

People

Redacted FBI Special Agent (witness/author of statement)

Agencies & Organizations

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)U.S. Army

Locations

Western United States (general area, specific location redacted)

Aircraft & Objects

Thermally elevated unidentified aerial object, approximately half the size of a Black Hawk helicopterU.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter (used as visual and thermal reference)

Dates

2026 (specific date redacted)Approximately 2100 hours on the date of the incidentPrior night referenced (date redacted)

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AI analysis by claude-sonnet-4-6 · September 5, 2026