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On Sunday, December 22, 2024, a video of an alleged UFO sighting from a United Airlines flight from Tampa to Newark went viral on social media. The video was first posted by TikTok user @fiendcore on the short video platform and has since spread to other platforms like Instagram, X, and more.
The six-second clip appears to have been shot by a passenger from the window on a United Airlines flight. It shows a flying body, seemingly a UFO, traveling close to the flight. The alleged UFO seems to have an aerodynamic triangular form and radiates green light from the back.
The video has already amassed millions of views online, with several users debating its authenticity. However, the video is fake and has been generated using artificial intelligence. As per X's 'Community Notes,' the creator of the video (@fiendcore) has labeled it as AI-generated on TikTok.
Furthermore, a close inspection reveals errors that are hallmarks of a quintessential AI-generated video. For instance, objects seem to emerge and disappear in the background in the clip.
Despite the obvious use of AI, many users on X were divided in their opinions. Some claimed that it was real and implored real passengers on the flight to provide clarifications. Meanwhile, others pointed out the obvious errors in the clip to prove that it was a work of artificial intelligence.
Leaked cabin audio reveals that pilots were told to 'maneuver' around alleged UFO
On December 8, 2024, a leaked recording allegedly captured two pilots reporting to air traffic control about UFOs "zipping" through the sky west of Eugene, Oregon, according to Newsweek.
Reddit user SabineRitter posted the recording of the pilots' conversation with the air traffic control during the alleged spotting of the UFO. The user claimed that it was an archived recording obtained from LiveATC.net, a website that posts air traffic control transmissions.
According to the 44-minute recording, the pilots allegedly saw objects emitting red, circular lights and moving erratically at various altitudes and toward the ocean at extreme speeds. According to a pilot, their movement resembled a corkscrew.
In the recording, the air traffic controllers could be heard advising the pilots to "maneuver as necessary left and right to avoid the UFO out there."
According to a report by Newsweek, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) confirmed the authenticity of the recording and claimed that the pilots saw "unidentified lights." The recording's metadata also matches the flight's records.
As per the outlet, the recording's URL contains the timestamp (December 8, 2024, 0430Z), specifying the date and time of the recording, i.e., 4.30 am on December 8, 2024, in UTC. It also contains the codes KEU and ZSE, which are the official codes for Eugene Airport and Seattle Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), respectively.
Flight tracking site flightradar24.com revealed the conversation between the pilots and the air traffic control while the plane was over Willamette National Forest. It went as follows:
"Looking straight west to Eugene. We're seeing 3 or 4 targets... they're at all altitudes, up and down, it's pretty crazy," the pilot said.
The controller asked:
"Does it look like it's at your altitude?"
The pilot responded by saying:
"There was some at 30 [thousand feet] probably, they're shooting way up, we say, even up to the 50s it looked like."
Six minutes later, the pilot inquired whether there was traffic at a distance of about "20 or 30 miles."
"No, is that the four different lights going up and down? I'm getting a few reports. Are you seeing it right in front of you as well?" replied the controller.
According to the pilot, the lights were "2 to 3 o'clock" from their position, and it looked "about 20 miles, going in circles."
A few minutes later, the controller allowed the pilots to go left or right to avoid the 'UFO' when another one allegedly showed up. As per the recordings, the controller also gave the pilot his phone number so that he could record the flying objects and send him the footage.
The UFO reports in Oregon follow prior drone sightings in New Jersey and New York. The FBI is currently investigating all of them.
