FBI-UAP-D033, FD-302, “Thermally Elevated Aerial Object,” 2026
This document is an FBI FD-302, a form the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uses to record interviews. This FD-302 records a 2026 interview with a U.S. Government Special Agent, in which the interviewee describes an incident potentially involving unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) in the western United States, at approximately 9:00 PM local time, in 2026.
The summary above is sourced from the released file metadata as published to war.gov. The analysis sections below are original to this tracker.
Text of the document
Machine-extracted from the PDF war.gov published (its text layer or OCR), so expect errors, especially in names, numbers and handwriting; the PDF is the authoritative copy. Lines that did not extract as readable text are left out. Showing about 387 words from pages 1, 2 of 2.
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FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION Date ofentry ----- On or about - /2026, received from - Special Agent a written statement signed by llllspecial Agent statement will be attached t o this FD-302 and is provided verbatim below for ease of "Unidentified Aerial Object Observation Report evening of 1111126 Special Agent positi oned in the same general observation area referenced in my prior statement from . While conducting observati on i n the area, I observed a thermally e l evated aerial object in the same general western sector and along a s i milar heading as t he object observed t he previous The object appeared approximately two ridge lines f arther west t han the l ocation where the object was observed. Due t o the increased distance and terrain separation, I was unable t o identify specific physical characteristics of t he object or determine its exact configuration. However, the object presented as a hot aerial object t h rough thermal observation and appeared t o be f lying southbound, consistent with the general direction of travel observed during t he prior ni ght's sighting_ During this same operational period, I also recorded video of a u _s . Army Black Hawk hel icopter operating in the same general area . The purpose of recording the he licopter was t o establish a vi sual and thermal reference point for scal e, flight characteristics, and comparative size assessment . Based on my observation and compari son t o the Black Hawk helicopter, t he unidentified aerial object appeared t o be approximately hal f the size of t he Bl ack Hawk. This size comparison is an estimate onl y, based on observed appearance, distance, and availabl e reference footage . I was unable to determine the object' s make, model, propulsion type, or Investigation on This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions ofthe FBI. It is the property ofthe FBI and is loaned toyour agency; it and its contents are not to be distributed outside your agency.
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Statement of - SA - whet her it was a fi xed-wi ng, rotary-wing, or other unmanned aerial system due t o the distance and limited observable detail - The object cont inued southbound and was eventua lly l ost from observation due t o terrain and
Where this file fits in the PURSUE archive
This file is one of FBI's 104 files in the Trump PURSUE disclosure. Within the FBI agency block it ranks #101 of 104 by Anomalousness Index. Across the entire 450-file archive it ranks #332 of 450.
That places it in the lower-scoring band of the archive (332 of 450 by score), typical of investigative-record style files where the report is paper-based rather than instrumented.
For the broader cluster context, this file is part of FBI Modern UAP Files - the FBI's modern UAP files: the 2022 Colorado Springs interview and the FBI-authenticated northeastern orb videos. The cluster page walks through all 47 member files with regional grouping, sensor breakdown, and standout analysis.
Anomalousness Index: 55/100
Evidentiary weight that this encounter remains unexplained after conventional analysis. Not a probability of extraterrestrial origin - that number is not honestly computable from the released files and this tracker refuses to publish it.
🤖 AI-ASSISTED SCORING · methodology
The six rubric components break down for this file as follows. Each component has a weighted contribution to the final score; the per-component explanation below describes what this file's particular value on that component means in the rubric's framework.
Reported by a witness with no instrumented record. The lowest tier in the rubric's sensor axis. Eyewitness perception in field conditions, even when the witness is highly credentialed, scores below capture by any instrumented modality. This report reached the federal record through the FBI.
Federal agency personnel (FBI investigators or equivalent) recording the report into the federal investigative system. Investigative credentials, but typically operating in a reactive rather than mission-active posture.
Single-witness or single-instrument capture. This is the corroboration tier for the overwhelming majority of the PURSUE archive on the released metadata - the rubric records the honest limit of the underlying record rather than inferring multi-witness corroboration that the released summaries do not establish. A small number of files with an independent second witness or instrument score on the multi-witness/multi-instrument tier above this one.
No kinematic measurements - speed, acceleration, vector - are published in the released file with sufficient precision to score on the kinematic axis. The rubric does not infer kinematic anomaly from narrative observer estimates. Every file in the archive carries this value, which is itself an observation about the disclosure: kinematic-grade telemetry was not part of what was released.
A conventional candidate explanation has been considered but is not dispositive. Every file in the archive scores this way - reflecting that the underlying release metadata systematically caveats strong determinations in either direction. The released summaries warn against reading them as conclusive analytical judgments, and the rubric respects that.
Catalogued as unresolved with no formal review process having concluded. This is the disposition for a large share of the archive's military infrared captures - the reports are logged into the system as unresolved, but no formal review has finalized. The rubric distinguishes this from 'open after review' because the absence of review is itself a status signal.
Bottom line on the score: the Anomalousness Index of 55/100 reflects evidentiary weight that this specific file's encounter remains structurally unexplained by the rubric's six axes - it is not a claim that the underlying event involved anything non-conventional, and it is not comparable across rubrics that use different weights. For the full per-axis weights and the rubric JSON, see /methodology.
Related files in FBI
Other PURSUE files in the same category, ranked by Anomalousness Index.
FBI-UAP-PR001, “Triangle Orbs,” Northeastern United States, 2021
FBI-UAP-PR002, “Red Orb Rotation,” Northeastern United States, 2022
FBI-UAP-PR003, “Orbs Over the Pond,” 2024
FBI-UAP-PR004, “Northeastern Orb Sighting,” 2025
FBI-UAP-PR005, Digital Recreation, Narrative Statement 3-1, Western United States Event, 2…
FBI-UAP-PR006, Digital Recreation, Narrative Statement 3-2, Western United States Event, 2…
Verification
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