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UFO/UAP
Single-Record File

FAA Report 237UAP00017: Circular Silver UAP near Gaithersburg

Single-Record File: Only one inspectable record is attached. It documents a source or allegation but cannot independently corroborate the broader claim.
OverviewEvidenceTimelineAnalysisSources
2012-08-19
5 NM Southeast of Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
3/10
8/10
A pilot reported a circular, silver-colored UAP at approximately 12,500 feet, which was not detected on radar.
medium

Investigative Assessments

"The reported claim remains worth testing against the record: A pilot reported a circular, silver-colored UAP at approximately 12,500 feet, which was not detected on radar. The strongest documented reasons to keep the file open are: FAA SKYWATCH Incident Form 237UAP00017: Documents a pilot report of A pilot reported a circular, silver-colored UAP at approximately 12,500 feet, which was not detected on radar.. Key unresolved lead: Why did the following JetBlue flight on the same route report negative findings?"
"Evidentiary limitations: medium Note that: FAA SKYWATCH Incident Form 237UAP00017 fails to support: The operational log does not contain physical telemetry, radar recordings, or photos to independently verify the nature of the object.."

Case Summary

An intake summary of FAA operational log 237UAP00017 recording an aircrew reporting an unidentified aerial phenomenon. A pilot reported a circular, silver-colored UAP at approximately 12,500 feet, which was not detected on radar. This pilot synopsis is an intake summary requiring source-by-source verification.

Evidence Locker

1 inspectable evidence item. Claims and source findings are kept separate.

FAA incident report Local copy hash-verified

FAA SKYWATCH Incident Form 237UAP00017

Analyst rating: Primary operational record of an aircrew report and the FAA's contemporaneous assessment.

“PIC reported sighting an unidentified flying object 5 NM SE of GAI around 12,500 feet, circular shape, silver color. PCT was notified to report event as prescribed in FAA Order JO 7110.65U Section 8 paragraph9-8-1.JBU1260, same route 25 miles behind UAL976 did not see the object. No targets received on ADAPT or by EADS. 2345: EADS conducted a playback of RADAR tapes covering the time period of the UFO sighting reported by UAL976 with negative findings, NFA.”
Record locationPage 1
Evidence classFAA operational incident record
Relationship to claimPrimary document recording the pilot's intake report.
Authenticity assessmentHigh for document authenticity. The one-page FAA form was visually checked against the NARA PDF.
What this supportsDocuments a pilot report of A pilot reported a circular, silver-colored UAP at approximately 12,500 feet, which was not detected on radar.
What it does not supportThe operational log does not contain physical telemetry, radar recordings, or photos to independently verify the nature of the object.
ProvenanceOfficial NARA UAP bulk-download record, hash-registered in the Casebook manifest and served from the read-only VPS corpus mount.
Chain of custodyAircrew report -> FAA SKYWATCH incident form -> FAA transfer to NARA Record Group 615 -> NARA bulk archive -> Casebook.
Open Document (Local PDF Document) Download Copy Canonical Agency Record

Documented Timeline

Not documented: No source-verified chronology has been assembled.

Named Participants and Roles

Not documented: Named participants and roles have not been source-verified.

Contradictions and Record Conflicts

Not documented: Record conflicts have not been analyzed.

Conventional Explanations

Not documented: Conventional explanations have not been evaluated against evidence.

Missing Evidence

Not documented: The evidence gap itself has not yet been fully inventory.

What Remains Unresolved

Not documented: No source-level unresolved findings have been established.

Investigative Hypotheses

  • An anomalous circular structured craft.
  • A silver balloon or metallic debris drifting in the wind.
  • A drone or model aircraft operating near Gaithersburg.

Open Questions

  • Why did the following JetBlue flight on the same route report negative findings?
  • Why did the Eastern Air Defense Sector radar playback show no targets?
  • What was the angular size of the object as observed by the pilot?

Archival Landing Pages and Evidence Corpus

NARA Record Group 615, FAA UAP Records

Official Bulk Archive

External URL: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/493468575