FAA Audio: UFO Sighting Above New Mexico, Arizona Desert

📍 Location

📝 Description

In February 24, 2018, multiple commercial aircraft reported an unidentified flying object over southern Arizona at about 40,000 feet, with FAA audio released later showing a Learjet (Phoenix Air) and another aircraft (Airbus A321) along with American Airlines Flight 1095 noting a sighting. The Albuquerque Center asked the American Airlines aircraft to watch for anything passing over in the vicinity. The object was described as not clearly an airplane, with observers noting a bright reflection or beam. No radar target was detected in the area, and the FAA publicly acknowledged that high-altitude weather balloons could be present in the airspace. The incident lasted roughly six minutes. Despite extensive media coverage and public FOIA interest, there is no official confirmation of the object's nature, and mundane explanations (e.g., weather balloons) remain plausible. The story has resurfaced in 2018 coverage and then in retrospective summaries in 2025 (e.g., Newsweek re-reporting the event with the same basic details).

🔍 Circumstances

Date/time: February 24, 2018, around 3:30 p.m. local; location: over southern Arizona, between the Sonoran Desert National Monument and the New Mexico border; flights involved: Phoenix Air Learjet 36 (N71PG), an Airbus A321, and American Airlines Flight 1095; altitude reported: ~40,000 feet; air traffic control: Albuquerque Center; duration: about six minutes; aircraft did not appear on radar; no confirmed radar targets; official comment: FAA indicated no additional commentary beyond the audio and suggested weather balloons as a possible explanation.

👤 Physical Description

Witnesses described the object as not evidently an airplane, with a bright reflection or beam observed; no definitive shape or transponder data reported; not confirmed on radar; some speculation about a weather balloon or other high-altitude object.

ℹ️ Additional Details

Audio recordings released by the FAA captured the exchange; subsequent reporting highlighted that the object did not appear on radar and not all agencies could verify other traffic in the area. The FAA acknowledged weather balloons as a plausible airspace presence. Several outlets (Newsweek, The Washington Post, The War Zone) documented the incident and its lack of a definitive explanation; a FOIA interest exists regarding any further information.

🔗 Sources (3)

👥 Community Contributions

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