The USS Nimitz Tic Tac Encounter

On November 14, 2004, Navy pilots from the USS Nimitz carrier strike group encountered an object that defied explanation. Commander David Fravor’s account of the “Tic Tac” UFO became the most significant military UFO encounter of the modern era.

The Setting

November 14, 2004:

• Pacific Ocean
• Off San Diego coast
• USS Nimitz carrier group
• Training exercises
• Clear conditions

Prior Tracking

For days:

• USS Princeton tracked objects
• On advanced radar
• Descending from 80,000 feet
• To sea level
• In seconds

The Objects

Radar showed:

• Multiple unknowns
• Impossible altitude changes
• No aircraft could match
• Several days
• Pattern observed

The Scramble

Two F/A-18s:

• Commander David Fravor
• Lt. Commander Alex Dietrich
• Vectored to investigate
• Clear instructions
• Real-world scenario

What Fravor Saw

Approaching coordinates:

• Disturbance in water
• Something below surface
• Then saw object
• Hovering above
• Tic-tac shape

The Tic Tac

The object:

• 40 feet long
• White, smooth
• No wings
• No visible propulsion
• Oblong shape

The Engagement

Fravor descended:

• Toward the object
• It mirrored his moves
• Then rapidly ascended
• Met him at altitude
• Then disappeared

Gone in Seconds

The object:

• Vanished instantly
• To CAP point
• 60 miles away
• Appeared on radar there
• Seconds later

Dietrich’s Observation

Second pilot:

• Witnessed from above
• Confirmed account
• Same object
• Same behavior
• Corroborating witness

The Second Flight

Lt. Chad Underwood:

• Launched after Fravor
• FLIR camera rolling
• Captured footage
• “FLIR1” video
• Historic recording

The Video

Footage shows:

• Object on targeting system
• Performs rotation
• Accelerates away
• No explanation
• Authenticated by Pentagon

Pilot Reactions

The aviators:

• Highly experienced
• Career officers
• No explanation
• Changed by experience
• Maintain accounts

Commander Fravor

His assessment:

• Technology 50-1,000 years ahead
• Not Russian
• Not Chinese
• Not American
• Something else

Princeton Radar

Ship’s radar:

• SPY-1 system
• Among world’s best
• Tracked the objects
• For days
• Reliable data

The Water Disturbance

Multiple witnesses:

• Something underwater
• Churning water
• Object interacting
• Then rose
• Trans-medium?

Official Acknowledgment

2017 revealed:

• Pentagon confirmed video
• Authentic footage
• Object unknown
• No explanation
• Historic admission

Congressional Interest

After revelation:

• Hearings held
• Pilots testified
• National security concern
• Ongoing investigation
• Official attention

Significance

Nimitz encounter significant for:

• Multiple witnesses
• Radar confirmation
• Video evidence
• Top Gun pilots
• Pentagon acknowledgment

Legacy

The USS Nimitz encounter represents the gold standard of modern UFO cases. Multiple credible military witnesses, radar tracking, and video evidence combined with official acknowledgment make it impossible to dismiss.