In September, a US Air Force pilot, known as “Troy 21,” encountered a mysterious, dark grey, cylindrical object about the size of a football during a classified flight over California at 20,000 feet. The close encounter, documented in newly leaked audio, raised questions about unidentified aerial phenomena. The object passed just ten feet beneath his wing, moving with precision and showing no visible means of propulsion. Air traffic control considered the possibility of it being a drone, but drones of that size are rare at such altitudes. The incident was recorded with the National UFO Reporting Center amid ongoing debates about UAPs.
A seasoned US Air Force pilot experienced an encounter with the unexplained during a classified flight over California last September. Flying at 20,000 feet in controlled airspace, he observed a peculiar object—a dark grey, cylindrical shape, approximately the size of a football—darting dangerously close under his wing.
This fascinating incident, recently revealed through leaked audio, has reignited discussions about unidentified aerial phenomena. “This might sound strange,” the pilot, known by the call sign “Troy 21,” communicated to Los Angeles air traffic control at 2:30 pm on September 17.
“But I just had something pass beneath my wing. It could have been a football-sized object right under my wing,” he informed them.
According to The New York Post, during the incident, the pilot was executing a mission associated with the Department of Homeland Security, although specific details of his task were not disclosed. With clear skies promoting excellent visibility, he noted that the object moved with remarkable accuracy, showing no obvious means of propulsion.
The air traffic controller, attempting to comprehend the sighting, speculated whether it could have been a drone. However, at that altitude, especially for something as small as a football, drones are quite uncommon.
“I’ve got my sensor operator searching for it on the camera right now; we’ll see if we can locate it,” Troy 21 relayed while scanning for any indication of the mystery object.
“It was a dark grey, cylindrical object, probably the size of a football, and it passed maybe 10 feet beneath our right wing,” he reiterated, highlighting the proximity of the near miss.
In less than a minute, the pilot’s onboard radar identified an object at a distance. Within 40 seconds, it reappeared, now an astonishing 60 miles away. If it were the same object, it would have needed to travel at speeds surpassing Mach 2 to cover that distance in such brief time.
Later in the audio, another air traffic controller is heard acknowledging the report: “There was a UFO reported here, but that’s all sorted now.”
This peculiar sighting was subsequently recorded with the National UFO Reporting Center, contributing to the expanding documentation of unexplained aerial incidents.
???? This is absolutely incredible.. A football-sized UAP flies directly beneath a passenger plane’s wing. It was captured by pilots, video, and sensors. @NewsNation #ufotwitter #ufoX #uaptwitter #UAP pic.twitter.com/bdVfAOlQmd
— UAP Reporting Center (@UAPReportingCnt) February 20, 2025
Interestingly, this incident mirrors a report by former NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao, who last summer saw two metallic, cylindrical objects while piloting his personal aircraft over the Texas panhandle.
“There was nothing around me except the Texas panhandle at nine-thousand feet on this instrument flight plan, and suddenly these objects appeared,” Chiao recounted.
He described them as smooth, propulsion-less orbs that flew just ten feet beneath his wings—an eerily similar description to what Troy 21 experienced.