During a flight from Cincinnati to Phoenix on Sunday, an American Airlines pilot reported seeing “a long, cylindrical object” soaring over New Mexico. A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation says the department is “aware” of the sighting, but declined to say whether agents were investigating the matter.
“The FBI is aware of the reported incident,” FBI spokesperson Frank Connor told CBS News on Thursday. “While our policy is to neither confirm nor deny investigations, the FBI works continuously with our federal, state, local, and tribal partners to share intelligence and protect the public. Anyone who is aware of suspicious or criminal activity should contact their local law enforcement agency or the FBI.”
At around 1 p.m. CST, a pilot on Flight 2292 radioed Albuquerque’s Air Route Traffic Control Center, claiming to have seen a UFO that “almost looked like a cruise missile.” CBS News obtained a recording of the transmission, in which the pilot seemed somewhat hesitant to describe what he saw.
“Do you have any targets up here? We just had something go right over the top of us,” the pilot said in the recording, which was authenticated by American Airlines. “I hate to say this but it looked like a long cylindrical object that almost looked like a cruise missile type of thing — moving really fast right over the top of us.”
A representative for the Pentagon said the military wasn’t conducting any aircraft tests in the area that day. The Federal Aviation Administration told CBS News that they were also aware of the report, but said its air traffic controllers didn’t see any objects in the area on their radarscopes.
