Retired F/A-18 Pilot Reports Unidentified Aircraft-Like Objects Beyond Normal Flight Levels

During the 0730Z–0930Z period on August 18, 2022, several aircraft flying through Los Angeles Center airspace reported seeing unusual lights or aircraft-like objects at an estimated altitude above 50,000 feet. The reports extended across a large area west of Los Angeles.

The reported objects were described as white lights or aircraft-like shapes moving in circular patterns. The observations were not limited to a single aircraft: controllers contacted other crews to determine whether anyone else could see the same phenomenon.

Radar checks did not produce a corresponding primary radar target for the reported objects. One crew reported seeing nothing unusual, while another crew confirmed a similar observation. The differing observations are significant because they show that the reports were not uniformly reproduced across every aircraft in the area.

One of the pilots who reported an object was a retired F/A-18 pilot. He said he had never seen anything like it and did not believe the objects resembled satellites or conventional aircraft. That was the pilots assessment of what he observed, not an official identification.

The reported viewing area stretched from roughly 50 miles west of Los Angeles to nearly 280 miles west of the city. The objects were said to remain visible over a substantial portion of the route, while controllers continued checking with aircraft in the area.

The incident is therefore defined by multiple independent observations, the lack of a corresponding primary radar target and the absence of a confirmed explanation. Nothing in the record establishes that the objects posed a direct threat to the aircraft, and no collision or loss of control was reported.

The event remained an air-traffic and observation anomaly rather than a confirmed identification. Controllers gathered reports, checked available radar information and passed the reports to operational management. The objects themselves remained unexplained.

The report ended without a confirmed explanation. There was no collision, no reported aircraft damage and no documented loss of separation. What remained was a set of pilot observations, controller checks and an unresolved identification.

The reported altitude was far above the normal operating levels of most civilian traffic in the area. The crews nevertheless described the lights as aircraft-like rather than simply distant stars, and one pilot specifically rejected the idea that they resembled satellites or conventional aircraft.

The reports were handled through normal air-traffic channels. Controllers asked other crews whether they could see the objects and checked the radar information available to them. The responses varied, with at least one crew reporting no unusual sighting while another reported something similar. One pilot said, I have never seen anything like it.

Accident facts

Chronology of the event

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