Pilot: its bigger than a drone, Controller: I don't see anything on radar, 05/26/2018

On May 28, 2018, a pilot flying a Piper Saratoga single prop plane, was cruising at 6000 feet, over Huntsville, Long Island, when he spotted a large, lighted craft, directly in front of him. He then contacted air traffic controllers, who wanted to know if he needed to change his course, to avoid the object. The pilot requested a slight change in direction. The controller responded that he didn't see anything on his radar and wondered if the pilot saw a drone. The pilot stated that it was larger than a drone and had it had lights, before disappearing behind a cloud.

He called air traffic controllers stating "I have an object in front of me, I don't know what it is." The controller replies "You mean like a drone or something?" The pilot responds: "I don't know if it's a drone... It's bigger than a drone." The controller responds "Ummmm, I don't show anything on radar."

The pilot responded, "Actually, it looked, uh, like it had lights on it." The controller responds "That's uh, really interesting, uh again, I show nothing on radar so I don't know what to say." The pilot then states "Ok and I know I'm not delusional."

www.thedrive.com...

There's a link to the May 26, 2018 air traffic conversation, between the pilot and controller, in the article link above, or at the link below:
www.liveatc.net...

FAA STATEMENT: The pilot of a Piper PA32 reported to the FAA that he saw a "drone-like object" approximately 14 miles northeast of John F. Kennedy International Airport on May 26, 2018 at 12:59 p.m. The FAA will investigate.

The author of this article in "THE DRIVE", was denied a request for a copy of the pilot's report and was told to file a Freedom Of Information Act request to see it.

Hobbyist drones aren’t supposed to fly higher than 400 feet, unless they have special exemptions from the FAA. They also aren't permitted to fly near an airport. Certain drones have software that limits the maximum altitude they can fly at. DJI quadcopters have software that limits the maximum altitude to 1,500 feet. However, a DJI Phantom 4's max service ceiling above sea level is 19685 feet, assuming all the software limitations were removed. It should be noted, that Republic Airport (which is @4 miles South of Melville, Long island), is in close proximity to where this sighting took place.

Many pilots, who report seeing UFO's while flying, are often told that the controller doesn't see anything on their radar screen. Here's a case that occurred in February, above Southern Arizona:

on February 24th, 2018. Between roughly 3:30pm and 4:15pm local time, N71PG, a Learjet 36 belonging to Phoenix Air, and American Airlines Flight 1095, an Airbus A321, had independent close encounters with a strange craft flying at around 40,000 feet.The planes were flying east at about 37,000 feet between the Sonoran Desert National Monument and the New Mexico border when the incident took place.

The initial report came from N71PG, the Learjet, asking Albuquerque Center if traffic had passed above them. The controller replied "negative," meaning that there was no traffic to his knowledge that would account for such an observation. The Learjet pilot replies defiantly, "somethin' did." Another pilot chimed in on the frequency saying "a UFO" and the Learjet pilot replied "yeah."

A minute later American 1095 calls back in saying "yeah something just passed over us, like a--I don't know what it was, but it was at least two-three thousand feet above us. Yeah it passed right over the top of us." The controller calmly acknowledges the pilot's report and says nothing else.

Shortly after that communiqué a pilot asks on the frequency "was it a Google balloon?" To which AAL1095 responds in a troubled tone "Doubtful." Another voice then comes on the frequency saying "a UFO!"

And no story of a rogue drone or a military aircraft with malfunctioning communications surfaced with the FAA after the incident

There is more information, including audio of air traffic communications regarding this sighting, in the link below:
www.thedrive.com...

Cool, the air traffic radar won't see anything trave!ing under 40 Miles and hour.......

I mean not.....cool

a reply to: shawmanfromny

Im sure air traffic is under strict orders to NEVER confirm a visual sighting with radar under any circumstances.

The pilots themselves know they can easily be exiled if they push the issue.

The "drone" thing is just another convenient and soon-to-be overused excuse for solid sightings by trained professionals like these.

Good find s & f.
Glad to see that drone excuse out the way being that it seems like the go to explanation around here.

a reply to: shawmanfromny
FYI most airport radar are designed to locate transponder signals..big airports & military can locate aircraft

If there's more and more sightings of unknown origin (don't laugh at me) why don't all airline fit a sort of "dash cam" as sooner or later there might be a mid air collision and this would prove valuable. The cost of decent cameras would be peanuts compared to the cost of an aircraft. These would also back up what pilots see.

a reply to: crayzeed

These would also back up what pilots see.

That's true but don't think for a minute that TPTB will ever let us see the evidence..They already know damn well ufos exist, and so do I.

a reply to: Urantia1111

Very true about the pilots, and don't think they don't already know this. As for the FAA, seems they end up usually either being silent, think Chicago O' Hare incident of 2009, or shifty and evasive.

originally posted by: crayzeed
If there's more and more sightings of unknown origin (don't laugh at me) why don't all airline fit a sort of "dash cam" as sooner or later there might be a mid air collision and this would prove valuable. The cost of decent cameras would be peanuts compared to the cost of an aircraft. These would also back up what pilots see.

You know that is an extremely interesting thing that I didn't think about until you posted it. Why isn't there a Video Cam on an airliner? I am betting DOD/Air force restrictions? But all video could be saved in the "Black Box"...

Of course that would mean verification of what pilots are seeing...

If I were a pilot, I would spend the couple hundred bucks and get the cameras you can mount in your car. Deal with the repercussions later. Because you would not get busted until you filmed something and the big proof news would be your get out of jail free card.

a reply to: shawmanfromny

Thank you for the interesting article.

a reply to: abeverage

There is a camera system on many aircraft, but they're designed for passenger use and don't record anything. There are no cameras that record because every time they've brought up installing them the pilot union fights it tooth and nail.

a reply to: Zaphod58


No cameras wanted, due to hanky-panky in the cock pit?

a reply to: shawmanfromny

If you're in a plane traveling over 200mph and see an object ahead of you, and have time to call air traffic control, that object is larger than a drone, isn't it?

Or maybe a drone flying a little slower than the plane, and the plane was gaining on it?

a reply to: carewemust

Their official reasoning is that its an invasion of privacy. Unofficially, their reasoning is that it would make it too easy for them to declare an accident pilot error, even when it wasn't.

Personally, I think it's because it would expose too many pilots playing fast and loose with regulations, skipping checklists, bypassing company procedures, etc.

originally posted by: Urantia1111
a reply to: shawmanfromny

Im sure air traffic is under strict orders to NEVER confirm a visual sighting with radar under any circumstances.

The pilots themselves know they can easily be exiled if they push the issue.

The "drone" thing is just another convenient and soon-to-be overused excuse for solid sightings by trained professionals like these.

That isn't true fortunately. The FAA won't deny anything to a pilot in the air that could jeopardize air safety in any way shape or form. If the FAA controller can see it on RADAR they will warn the pilot always, in every case. Imagine the FAA denying a blip on his scope just because it isn't squawking ident from a transponder because it might be one of those "UFO's" and then the pilot doesn't have FAA help to avoid it and hits it and crashes. Of course pilots who later do TV interviews for having a near miss with a UFO are going to see some career changes.

a reply to: NoCorruptionAllowed

Of course pilots who later do TV interviews for having a near miss with a UFO are going to see some career changes.

Do you have examples?

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: NoCorruptionAllowed

Of course pilots who later do TV interviews for having a near miss with a UFO are going to see some career changes.

Do you have examples?

Yes the most well known example is the Japan airlines flight 1628. Capt. Kenju Terauchi was grounded and given a desk job for talking about the huge UFO he claims he saw to the media.

There are plenty of others, but none I know of are recent ones.. Pilots these days rarely say anything to anyone because of current culture.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: abeverage

There is a camera system on many aircraft, but they're designed for passenger use and don't record anything. There are no cameras that record because every time they've brought up installing them the pilot union fights it tooth and nail.

Not to topic drift but I am betting because of liabilities on the pilots...


Back on Topic smart phones are powerful enough I hope the pilots start taking video!