David Fravor
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 👤 Person
Contents 6
| Type | Person |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Cmdr. David Fravor, Fravor |
| On the Timeline | 3 events, 1991–2022 |
David Fravor is a retired U.S. Navy commander and fighter pilot who, on 14 November 2004, led the flight that encountered the "Tic Tac" object off southern California during the USS Nimitz incident. His public account from 2017 onward made him one of the most prominent military witnesses in the modern UAP debate.[1][2]
Navy career
Fravor was a naval aviator who flew attack and strike fighter aircraft. In 2004 he commanded Strike Fighter Squadron 41, the "Black Aces", aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet. He later retired from the Navy with the rank of commander.[2][3]
The 2004 encounter
On 14 November 2004, during training off southern California, Fravor and his wingman, Lt. Cmdr. Alex Dietrich, were directed by the cruiser USS Princeton to investigate an unknown radar contact. Fravor said they saw a disturbance in the ocean and, above it, a white, oval object about 40 feet long with no wings, rotors or exhaust. As he spiralled down toward it, he said, the object rose to meet him, mirroring his movements, and then accelerated away and vanished; the four aircrew watched for about five minutes. He told The New York Times the object "accelerated like nothing I've ever seen".[1][2]
Public statements
Fravor described the encounter publicly in December 2017 in The New York Times and in interviews, including a 2018 Boston Globe profile, The Joe Rogan Experience in October 2019, and CBS's 60 Minutes in May 2021 alongside Dietrich.[2][3][4] On 26 July 2023 he testified under oath before a House Oversight subcommittee with former Navy pilot Ryan Graves and whistleblower David Grusch, saying the Princeton's radar had detected objects descending from 80,000 feet in under a second and that "the technology that we faced was far superior than anything that we had".[1][5]
Skeptical views
Skeptic Joe Nickell called the 2004 episode "a comedy of errors", and analyst Mick West has argued that infrared glare and distant aircraft can explain features of the Navy videos. Journalist Keith Kloor has criticised media coverage of the case for relying on thin sourcing. Fravor maintains that what he saw with his own eyes was unlike any known aircraft.[1][6]
On the UAP Timeline
- Kevin Thomas and the Nimitz black triangle (1991) — A Nimitz petty officer says he saw a huge black triangle rise out of the ocean.
- USS Princeton data recordings claim (14 November 2004) — USS Princeton radar staff say two men took the Tic Tac encounter data recordings.
- Liberation Times whistleblower hearings report (14 October 2022) — Insiders tell a journalist that congressional whistleblower hearings are coming.
References
- Pentagon UFO videos — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- "2 Navy Airmen and an Object That 'Accelerated Like Nothing I've Ever Seen'", The New York Times (16 Dec 2017) · nytimes.com · archived copy
- "This former Navy pilot, who once chased a UFO, says we should take them seriously", The Boston Globe (16 Jan 2018) · web.archive.org · archived copy
- "UFOs regularly spotted in restricted U.S. airspace", CBS News 60 Minutes (16 May 2021) · cbsnews.com · archived copy
- "Officials and lawmakers push for more government transparency on UFOs", CNN (26 Jul 2023) · cnn.com · archived copy
- Joe Nickell, "Navy Pilot's 2004 UFO: A Comedy of Errors", Skeptical Inquirer (2018) · web.archive.org · archived copy
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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