American Airlines Pilots Baffled by UFO Near Their Aircraft

Despite the pilots' report of a fast-moving "missile-like" object passing close to their aircraft, ground control detected nothing on their monitoring systems.

By Faun Grey

What started as a routine commercial flight turned into an extraordinary encounter for the crew of American Airlines flight 2292 en route to Phoenix, Arizona in February, 2025. On that Sunday afternoon, around 1:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, the flight crew witnessed something unusual - an unidentified flying object (UFO) passing directly above their aircraft at an altitude of 37,000 feet.

As reported by The Drive, the journey began smoothly from Cincinnati, Ohio. The aircraft was cruising at its designated altitude toward Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, with passengers settling into their journey, completely unaware of the remarkable event unfolding in the cockpit.

While flying over northeastern New Mexico, the pilots reached out to the Air Route Traffic Control Center in Albuquerque seeking clarification. According to Q13 Fox, the communication was captured by Steve Douglass, an experienced radio interceptor, who later shared the recording on his blog, Deep Black Horizon.

The pilot's transmission revealed their bewilderment: "Do you have any targets up here? We just had something go right over the top of us. 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. It went right over the top of us."

Intriguingly, not a single passenger aboard the flight noticed the UFO or was aware of the pilots' unusual observation.

On the ground, radar operators and UFO enthusiasts worked diligently to identify the mysterious object that had approached the Airbus A320. Initially, American Airlines appeared reluctant to acknowledge the incident.

"At this time, we do not have any indication the radio transmission was from the flight crew onboard American Airlines Flight 2292 on Feb. 21," the airline initially stated.

However, Steve Douglass maintained that the transmission appeared genuine, without any signs of manipulation. After their initial denial, American Airlines reversed course and officially confirmed the incident.

"Following a debrief with our Flight Crew and additional information received, we can confirm this radio transmission was from American Airlines Flight 2292 on Feb. 21," the company stated. "For any additional questions on this, we encourage you to reach out to the FBI."

The significance of this incident cannot be understated, considering American Airlines' position as one of the world's largest airline operators. Their confirmation of the UFO encounter and subsequent referral to the FBI is particularly noteworthy - especially following the Pentagon's recent acknowledgment of the Navy's own UFO encounters.

This incident gains additional context when considering that between 2007 and 2017, footage from the U.S. Navy showing rapidly moving UFOs had surfaced online. While initially met with skepticism, these videos were later authenticated by the Pentagon, lending further credibility to such aerial phenomena.

This remarkable incident gained further significance following the U.S. Navy's 2019 announcement regarding new internal protocols for reporting such aerial phenomena.

The location of this sighting near New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range - renowned as the Department of Defense's most extensive and comprehensively equipped open-air testing facility - naturally drew attention. However, Scott Stearns, the facility's chief of public affairs, dismissed any connection to their operations. He emphasized two crucial points: the considerable distance of approximately 400 miles between the range and flight 2292's position, and the absence of any testing activities at the facility on that particular Sunday.

This unexplained encounter now joins the extensive catalog of mysterious aerial phenomena in American history, adding another layer to the ongoing discussion about unexplained objects in our skies.

For those intrigued by this American Airlines encounter at 37,000 feet, explore the fascinating Phoenix lights UFO incident of 1997. Additionally, delve into nine of the most compelling alien abduction narratives documented in recent history. Have you seen a UFO? We'd like to hear about it!