Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, UAP, and International Air Safety Reports
Posted April 10, 2015
by Ted Roe
Executive Director
ted_roe@narcap.org
Over the past twenty years several nations and US government agencies have released files on unidentified aerial phenomena, UAP, reports and investigations. Nearly all of these case files contain reports of aviation related observations and aviation safety related incidents involving unusual lights or objects, UAP. These reports often involve commercial and military pilots, air crews and air traffic controllers dealing with UAP observations and incidents during the conduct of their duties as career professionals.
While there have been few official comments regarding the source or causes of these reports it is apparent that there are many commonalities in these reports that should be examined more closely. However, there has been no coordinated effort at the official level
to compare these reports and assess them for commonalities and “profiles” or for aviation safety.
Data regarding aviation related UAP observations and incidents flows away from the aviation system and is not examined for safety factors by US aviation authorities, the NTSB, etc. In fact, the FAA refers pilots and air traffic controllers that want to make a UAP or “UFO” report to contact civilian UFO research groups and private businesses. These organizations have not published a single study nor demonstrated the slightest concern for the matter of UAP and aviation safety.
The French Government has maintained a nearly constant official vigilance with respect to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena since the mid1960s. The current agency addressing UAP observations and incidents, GEIPAN – Groupe d’Études et d’Informations sur les
Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non-identifiés (unidentified aerospace phenomenon research and information group), is located in the French Space Agency CNES – Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (National Center for Space Studies). This organization collects reports
from across French bureaucracy including the French aviation authority and their files reflect aviation related observations and aviation safety related incidents involving UAP.
Many French officials including GEIPAN members and former members participated in the COMETA report which was prepared as an independent study through IDHN. This report contains several aviation related UAP reports that share consistent commonalities with
those reported in other parts of the world as well as a strong recommendation that the world look more closely at UAP manifestations.
In the late 1980s-1990s, in response to their own UAP cases, the governments of Chile, Peru and Uruguay established official UAP research teams and their case files also reflect aviation related observations and aviation safety related incidents involving UAP.
Dr. Richard. F. Haines, NARCAP (National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena) Chief Scientist, has collected over 3400 cases of aviation-related observations and incidents involving unidentified aerial phenomena, UAP.
NARCAP.org was founded in 1999 specifically to investigate and document aviation-safety related UAP reports for the benefit of aviation safety and global aviation. Reports are engaged confidentially to protect the reputation of the reporter. NARCAP has a staff of
about 50 specialists that can address investigations, analysis, publications and activism related to UAP and aviation safety. NARCAP has published numerous reports and studies.
NARCAP’s first Technical Report, Aviation Safety in America: A Previously Neglected Factor was prepared and released by Dr. Richard Haines in 1999. This paper documents over 100 examples of UAP incidents that involved aviation safety factors over a 50 year period.
NARCAP International Technical Specialist Dominique Weinstein, member CNES-GEIPAN College of Experts, has compiled a collection of 1300 international aviation-related observations and incidents involving UAP. Unidentified Aerial Phenomena – Eighty Years of Pilot Sightings: Catalog of Military, Airliner, Private Pilots sightings from 1916 to 2000.
In 2004, Mexican NARCAP Research Associates Carlos Guzman and Alfonse Salazar published a book documenting many examples of aviation related observations and safety related incidents involving UAP over Mexico – Ovnis y la Aviación Mexicana.
In 2006 the British Government, the UK Ministry of Defense, released the “Condign” report, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in the UK Air Defence Region (UKMOD), which states rather bluntly “that UAP exist is indisputable… and they (UAP) are probably a threat to safe aviation.” Airprox reports released by the UK CAA, Civil Aviation Authority, clearly reveal that some UAP cases do indeed involve aviation safety factors and that many UK UAP cases share commonalities with those reported in other countries. (CAA DOC LINK)
The official UAP research team of the Chilean Gov., CEFAA (Committee for the Study of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena), was established in 1997. In 2010, NARCAP signed an official research agreement with CEFAA and has participated in several studies for the
Chilean team. Since then NARCAP has published several related papers on its website addressing UAP and aviation safety factors in other nations, prepared by NARCAP staff and efforts of merit.
In 2010 NARCAP published Project Sphere, an international effort to examine aviation related observations and incidents involving UAP that present as spherical lights or objects. This report includes reports from six countries including the USA (click here) regarding
safety related incidents involving spherical UAP.
In September 2012 NARCAP’s Dr. Richard Haines presented to the Academie de l’Air et de l’Espace and le Groupe Ill-de-France de l’Association Aeronautique et Astronautique de France regarding UAP and air safety factors. Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and Aviation Safety: There is a Relationship
In 2013 the Government of Peru reopened its own UAP investigations team through its military, the Office for the Investigation of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena – OIFAA.
In response to UAP cases involving German and EU pilots NARCAP – Germany branch has been established.
In July of 2014 NARCAP Science Chief Dr. Richard Haines and NARCAP Executive Advisory Committee member Dr. Jacques Vallee presented at a closed workshop hosted by the official French UAP research team, CNES-GEIPAN, regarding investigation techniques for
examining alleged aviation related UAP encounters and developing a research strategy for engaging UAP research. CAIPAN Workshop.
Argentine researcher Carlos Daniel Ferguson has prepared a paper titled, “Aviation Safety Reports Related by Argentine Pilots Concerning Unidentified Aerial Phenomena”. This paper is published on the NARCAP website in Spanish and English. Again, we see commonalities in descriptions and “behaviors” of UAP that are consistent with those reported by other nations.
NARCAP Research Associate Priit Rifk, Estonia, has prepared a paper titled, “A Review of Suspected Aviation Safety Encounters with UAP by Estonian Pilots in Estonian and Soviet Union Airspace”, published on the NARCAP website. This paper also contains UAP reports that share consistent profiles with some aviation-related UAP that are reported elsewhere in
the world.
Over the past 15 years NARCAP.org has received numerous specific international reports from many different nations that apparently involve safety factors and UAP. These include claims of near midair collisions, loss of separation, crew distraction, failed radar detections,
incursions or manifestations inside of restricted or controlled air space, etc.
As the conversation continues to evolve the number of reports, historical and current, is increasing. While NARCAP’s investigations and research mandate applies to US aircraft and crews we acknowledge and encourage our international staff, partners and efforts of merit as they document and report their own cases involving UAP and aviation safety.
