Karson Kammerzell's Tic Tac account
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 9
_and_USS_PRINCETON_(CG-59).jpg)
| Witness | Karson Kammerzell, described as a former Navy cryptologic technician aboard USS Princeton |
|---|---|
| Event | "Tic Tac" encounters, Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, off southern California, November 2004 |
| Claim (as summarized) | The object was tracked closely by the ship's systems and data were collected |
| Date of account | Reportedly 2020 |
| Verification | No readable source found that records his account |
| Date | 30 November 2020 |
| Topics | Military encounters (topic), Secrecy & cover-up (topic), Government programs (topic) |
| People | Karson Kammerzell, Kevin Day, Gary Voorhis |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 197 |
| Year | 2020 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 2020 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 9 |
Karson Kammerzell is described as a former U.S. Navy cryptologic technician who served aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton during the November 2004 "Tic Tac" encounters off southern California. According to the earlier summary of his account, given in 2020, he said the object that interacted with Navy jets was tracked closely by the ship's systems and that data were collected. None of the sources listed for this article mention Kammerzell, and searches found no published interview with him. His account could not be checked.[1][9] The claim matches what other Princeton crew have said, but the ship's radar data have never been released.[8][9]
The encounter
The main events, as reported:[1][9]
- The radar tracks. For days before 14 November 2004, reportedly over 10–16 November, the Princeton's AN/SPY-1B radar and Aegis combat system tracked unusual contacts. They appeared at about 80,000 feet, descended rapidly toward the sea, and hovered around 20,000 feet.
- The intercept. Around 11 a.m. on 14 November, the Princeton's controller, Senior Chief Kevin Day, directed two F/A-18F Super Hornets from VFA-41 to a contact. Commander David Fravor saw a white, oval object hovering above a disturbance in the water. As he closed to about half a mile, it "rapidly accelerated and disappeared".
- The CAP point. The ship then reported the object at the fighters' rendezvous point, about 60 miles away.
- The video. Lieutenant Chad Underwood later filmed an object with a targeting pod in the video known as FLIR1.
Other Princeton witnesses
From 2019 several Princeton crew members described the ship's role. A November 2019 report summarized five interviewed by Popular Mechanics:[8]
- Kevin Day. The operations specialist senior chief directed Fravor's intercept.
- Gary Voorhis. The petty officer fine-tuned the radar after strange tracks appeared days before the sighting. He said he was ordered to surrender data recordings, and he has described seeing a distant white object darting about through binoculars.[9]
- Patrick "PJ" Hughes. The aviation technician, responsible for securing data recorders, said his commanding officer and two unknown people ordered him to hand over the recordings.
- Jason Turner. He watched the object's manoeuvres on a monitor.
- Ryan Weigelt. The helicopter power-plant specialist said 8–10 minutes of video captured the encounter, far more than the public clip.
Wikipedia summarizes this testimony as radar and combat-systems technicians saying the strike group tracked similar contacts for about a week, and a data technician securing recordings from the E-2 Hawkeye involved.[1] Kammerzell's reported account, that the systems tracked the object closely and collected data, would add a communications perspective to these.
The missing data
Several of these witnesses describe recordings being taken away.[8][9]
- Unconfirmed. One case file notes that the claim that officials collected the Princeton's data "remains anecdotal and is not confirmed by documentation", and that the ship's radar data, "if it still exists", remain classified.[9]
- Fravor's view. Fravor has said his own backup copies were lost, but probably because tapes were reused.[8]
- The Navy. It has not released the Princeton's radar data or said what happened to the recordings.[9]
Official context
The FLIR1 video, with two later Navy videos, was publicly released through the 2017 reporting on the Pentagon's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program.[1][2] Later developments:
- AARO. In 2024 the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office's historical report found no empirical evidence that any UAP sighting represented extraterrestrial technology.[5][6]
- Skinwalkers at the Pentagon. In the 2021 book, by James Lacatski, Colm Kelleher and George Knapp, one of the four Tic Tac pilots was given a pseudonym because they were still on active duty. Kelleher said the Pentagon's prepublication review took about 14 months.[3] The sceptic Robert Sheaffer reviewed the book harshly.[4]
- Unreadable. A New York Times article and a Herald-Tribune blog post listed among the sources refused access.[2][7]
Assessment
Kammerzell's account, as summarized, fits the wider testimony of Princeton crew. But no interview, statement or record from him could be located, so its content and his role aboard the ship are unverified.[1][8][9] The Tic Tac case remains one of the best-documented UAP encounters, with several aircrew witnesses and the FLIR1 video. The key shipboard sensor data have still not been released.[1][9]
People and topics
- U.S. Navy — The U.S. naval service, whose pilots reported the UAP encounters revealed in 2017.
- Nimitz Tic Tac encounter — The November 2004 encounter between Navy pilots and a white Tic Tac-shaped object off California.
- Karson Kammerzell — Former Navy technician aboard the USS Princeton in 2004.
- Kevin Day — Radar operator aboard the USS Princeton in 2004.
- Gary Voorhis — Technician aboard the USS Princeton in 2004.
- Unidentified anomalous phenomena — The U.S. government's current term for unidentified objects in the air, in space and underwater.
- Gimbal and GoFast videos — The Navy infrared videos of UAP released in 2017–2020.
On the Timeline
- Navy UAP briefing cards (24 July 2020) — A Navy briefing card tells staff to say 'UAP', not 'UFO'.
- Coast Guard silver disc claim (30 November 2020) — A Coast Guard retiree says he saw a silver disc pulled from the ocean.
See every 2020 event on the UAP Timeline →
Further reading
- Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
References
- USS Nimitz UFO incident — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Pentagon's mysterious UFO program — New York Times (2017) · nytimes.com · archived copy
- Documents on the vetting of 'Skinwalkers at the Pentagon' — The Black Vault · theblackvault.com · archived copy
- Skinwalkers at the Pentagon: book review — Bad UFOs (Robert Sheaffer) · badufos.blogspot.com · archived copy
- AARO historical report finds no evidence of alien technology (2024) — Space.com · space.com · archived copy
- AARO Report on the Historical Record, Volume I — The Black Vault · theblackvault.com · archived copy
- not-devoid.blogs.heraldtribune.com · not-devoid.blogs.heraldtribune.com · archived copy
- "Five USS Princeton officers add to details on 2004 Tic Tac UFO event", 8 News Now (Nov 2019) · 8newsnow.com
- "The Vault Files: The Tic Tac incident, November 14, 2004", The Black Vault · theblackvault.com
Facts in this article are drawn in part from the Wikipedia article “USS Nimitz UFO incident”, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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