Retired U.S. Navy Commander / Nimitz Pilot
U.S. Navy — VFA-41 "Black Aces"
David Fravor is a retired U.S. Navy Commander and experienced F/A-18F pilot who led the flight element that intercepted the now-famous "Tic Tac" object during a training exercise off the coast of California in November 2004. The encounter is one of the most thoroughly documented UAP cases in history, supported by radar data, pilot testimony, and authenticated gun camera footage.
Fravor had over 16 years of flying experience and was commanding officer of VFA-41, the "Black Aces" strike fighter squadron, aboard the USS Nimitz in November 2004. During a training exercise, he and three other pilots were directed by USS Princeton to investigate unusual radar contacts that had been tracked for several days.
What Fravor and his wingman Alex Dietrich observed was a roughly 40-foot white, oblong object — described as "Tic Tac"-shaped — hovering at low altitude over the ocean with no visible means of propulsion, no wings, no rotors, and no exhaust signature. The object demonstrated extraordinary manoeuvrability, mirroring his aircraft's movements and then accelerating to disappear instantaneously.
Fravor has described the encounter in hundreds of interviews and before Congress, and his account has remained consistent. The U.S. Navy confirmed in 2019 that the FLIR1 video of the encounter is authentic and that the object remains officially "unexplained." Fravor has been unambiguous: "I think it's not from this world."
Intercepts "Tic Tac" UAP during USS Nimitz COMPTUEX off southern California
Goes on record with The New York Times after FLIR1 video is published
U.S. Navy officially confirms FLIR1 video is authentic and the object remains unexplained
Testifies under oath before House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security
Widely regarded as one of the most credible UAP witnesses on record. Career naval aviator with no history of anomalous reporting prior to the Nimitz incident. His account has been consistent across seven years of public interviews.
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