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UFO/UAP
Single-Record File

FAA Report 237UAP00048: Red Orb Sighting at FL250

Single-Record File: Only one inspectable record is attached. It documents a source or allegation but cannot independently corroborate the broader claim.
OverviewEvidenceTimelineAnalysisSources
2021-04-19
Vicinity of Denver, Colorado, USA
5/10
7/10
A pilot reported a red orb with black markings passing within 30 feet of his aircraft at 25,000 feet.
low

Investigative Assessments

"The reported claim remains worth testing against the record: A pilot reported a red orb with black markings passing within 30 feet of his aircraft at 25,000 feet. The strongest documented reasons to keep the file open are: FAA SKYWATCH Incident Form 237UAP00048: Documents a pilot report of A pilot reported a red orb with black markings passing within 30 feet of his aircraft at 25,000 feet.. Key unresolved lead: How did the balloon reach 25,000 feet without bursting?"
"Evidentiary limitations: low Note that: FAA SKYWATCH Incident Form 237UAP00048 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 237UAP00048 recording an aircrew reporting an unidentified aerial phenomenon. A pilot reported a red orb with black markings passing within 30 feet of his aircraft at 25,000 feet. 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 237UAP00048

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

“UFO Report: PIC observed a "UFO" described as a red orb with black markings off the right side, 30 feet above and 200 feet laterally. ACFT was at FL250, south bound at the CVG360015. PIC later suggested it was a possible weather balloon, but was unsure. 0013 UPDATE/CLOSEOUT: ZID OM reviewed tapes and determined PIC did not state that object was a "UFO", but did state that it passed within very close proximity to the ACFT. JH notified.”
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 red orb with black markings passing within 30 feet of his aircraft at 25,000 feet.
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

  • A high-altitude weather balloon or scientific balloon.
  • A commercial drone or toy balloon drifting into flight lanes.
  • An anomalous structured orb.

Open Questions

  • How did the balloon reach 25,000 feet without bursting?
  • Was the object tracked by ATC radar before or after the near-miss?
  • What wind currents could explain the object's relative position?

Archival Landing Pages and Evidence Corpus

NARA Record Group 615, FAA UAP Records

Official Bulk Archive

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