Within Pilot Safety
The W-72 near miss matters because it transformed an abstract debate about unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) into a concrete aviation-safety question.
Page outline Jump by section
Why the W-72 near miss still matters
Unlike many famous UFO stories, the W-72 case is remembered primarily because of its operational consequences. According to Graves’s congressional testimony, Navy aviators operating near Virginia Beach had already been observing unusual contacts after upgraded radar systems began detecting objects in training airspace. The event that became central to his safety argument involved two aircraft encountering an object described by one pilot as a dark grey cube enclosed within a transparent sphere. Graves testified that the object appeared near an entry point to the training area and that the pilots took evasive action and terminated the mission. GovInfo [Oversight Committee]oversight.house.govRyan HOC TestimonyOversight CommitteeRyan HOC Testimony25 Jul 2023 — My name is Ryan “FOBS” Graves and I am a former F-18 pilot with over a decade of servi…
The significance of the encounter is not that it proved an extraordinary explanation. The significance is that trained military aviators believed they had come close enough to an unidentified object to alter their flight path and stop training. In aviation, that is precisely the type of event safety systems are designed to capture and analyse. Whether the object was a balloon, drone, sensor error, atmospheric effect, or something still unidentified, the near-miss aspect created a legitimate safety concern. GovInfo
Accounts associated with the incident have consistently emphasised how seriously the pilots took it at the time. Reports of the event describe aircraft flying in close formation when the object appeared between them, prompting concern serious enough for a formal flight-safety report to be filed. [Reddit]reddit.comNew York Times interviews Navy fighter pilots who…May 28, 2019 — It looked to the pilot, Lieutenant Graves said, like a sphere e…
What Graves said happened in W-72
Graves has described the W-72 encounter as part of a broader pattern rather than a single isolated mystery. In his testimony to Congress, he stated that after radar upgrades, unidentified contacts were observed repeatedly in the Virginia training areas and that sightings became common enough to enter routine discussions among aviators. The W-72 event stood out because it allegedly involved a direct flight-safety risk rather than a distant observation. GovInfo
His account contains three elements that are important from a safety perspective:
- Multiple trained aviators were operating in a controlled military training environment.
- The encounter was serious enough to interrupt the planned mission.
- The object remained unidentified despite the concern it generated. GovInfo
These details explain why Graves framed the event as an aviation issue rather than a disclosure issue. Aviation investigators routinely examine events even when the underlying cause is initially unknown. A near collision with an unidentified object is still a near collision.
Why a safety report was not enough
The central criticism advanced by Graves is that the filing of a safety report did not create an effective investigative trail. According to his testimony, a report was submitted after the incident, but there was no broader mechanism for collecting, correlating, and analysing similar reports across units or over time. GovInfo
This distinction is crucial. A traditional safety report documents a specific occurrence. It does not necessarily create a searchable dataset that allows investigators to identify patterns across months or years. If ten pilots independently encounter similar objects in the same training area, the value comes not only from each individual report but from the ability to connect them.
Graves has argued that pilots faced a gap between ordinary flight-safety reporting and any formal UAP reporting process. The result was that unusual observations could be recorded locally yet remain disconnected from a larger analytical effort. Congressional discussions surrounding his testimony repeatedly highlighted concerns about inadequate reporting mechanisms and the absence of clear channels for aircrew to escalate such encounters. [Oversight Committee]oversight.house.govRyan HOC TestimonyOversight CommitteeRyan HOC Testimony25 Jul 2023 — My name is Ryan “FOBS” Graves and I am a former F-18 pilot with over a decade of servi…
The problem was not unique to W-72. The US intelligence community’s 2021 preliminary UAP assessment explicitly identified flight-safety concerns, noting 11 documented instances in which pilots reported near misses with UAP. The report also observed that pilots may terminate training missions when hazards appear in military ranges, creating operational consequences that can discourage reporting if aircrew see little investigative follow-through. [ODNI]dni.govof a foreign collection program or indicativeODNIPreliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena…25 Jun 2021 — The UAPTF has 11 reports of documented instances in which pilo… [ODNI]dni.govof a foreign collection program or indicativeODNIPreliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena…25 Jun 2021 — The UAPTF has 11 reports of documented instances in which pilo…
What a better reporting trail would preserve
A stronger reporting system would not necessarily solve the mystery of every sighting. Its value would lie in preserving evidence and context before information is lost.
For a case such as W-72, an effective reporting trail could preserve:
- Pilot observations recorded close to the event.
- Radar and sensor data from relevant aircraft and platforms.
- Airspace information showing authorised traffic in the area.
- Timing and location data that could be compared with other reports.
- Follow-up assessments documenting whether explanations were found later.
This is how aviation safety systems normally identify hidden hazards. A single report may reveal little. Hundreds of reports can expose trends that would otherwise remain invisible.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence emphasised this same principle in its 2021 assessment, calling for standardised reporting, consolidated data collection, and deeper analysis. The report argued that broader and more consistent reporting would improve the ability to detect patterns and distinguish between different categories of events. [ODNI]dni.govof a foreign collection program or indicativeODNIPreliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena…25 Jun 2021 — The UAPTF has 11 reports of documented instances in which pilo…
More recent aviation-safety discussions have echoed that logic. Aerospace safety specialists have argued that even uncertain UAP observations should be reported because seemingly minor observations can contribute to identifying operational risks, recurring airspace problems, or previously unrecognised patterns. [AIAA]aiaa.orgShaping the future of aerospace ADDRESSING THE UNKNOWNShaping the future of aerospaceADDRESSING THE UNKNOWN:August 8, 2025 — the UAP Task Force preliminary report included 11 near miss… - Shaping the future of aerospace
The lasting lesson from W-72
The enduring relevance of the W-72 near miss is that it highlights a reporting problem rather than an explanation problem. The case does not establish what the object was, nor does it prove any particular theory about UAP. What it demonstrates is how an event perceived by military pilots as a potential collision hazard could enter the system yet fail to generate a transparent, long-term investigative record. GovInfo
For Graves and others advocating aviation-focused UAP reform, that is the key lesson. A reporting framework should not depend on knowing the answer in advance. Its purpose is to preserve evidence, encourage reporting without stigma, and allow investigators to determine later whether a sighting reflects a mundane object, a technical error, an airspace violation, or something still unresolved. The W-72 incident remains a reference point because it illustrates what can be lost when that framework is missing. [ODNI]dni.govof a foreign collection program or indicativeODNIPreliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena…25 Jun 2021 — The UAPTF has 11 reports of documented instances in which pilo… [Oversight Committee]oversight.house.govRyan HOC TestimonyOversight CommitteeRyan HOC Testimony25 Jul 2023 — My name is Ryan “FOBS” Graves and I am a former F-18 pilot with over a decade of servi…
eBay marketplace picks
Marketplace Samples
Example marketplace items related to this page. Use the search link to explore similar finds on eBay.
Endnotes
-
Source: govinfo.gov
Title: CHRG 118hhrg53022
Link: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-118hhrg53022/html/CHRG-118hhrg53022.htmSource snippet
UNIDENTIFIED ANOMALOUS PHENOMENA[House Hearing, 118 Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] UNIDENTIFIED ANOMALOUS...
-
Source: dni.gov
Title: of a foreign collection program or indicative
Link: https://www.dni.gov/files/[ODNISource snippet
ODNIPreliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena...25 Jun 2021 — The UAPTF has 11 reports of documented instances in which pilo...
-
Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/btte4d/like_a_sphere_encasing_a_cube_new_york_times/Source snippet
New York Times interviews Navy fighter pilots who...May 28, 2019 — It looked to the pilot, Lieutenant Graves said, like a sphere e...
Published: May 28, 2019
-
Source: dni.gov
Title: DF 2021 00275 Preliminary Assessment Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
Link: https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/FOIA/DF-2021-00275-Preliminary-Assessment-Unidentified-Aerial-Phenomena.pdfSource snippet
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena 25 June 202125 Jun 2021 — UAP pose a hazard to safety of flight and could pilots may cease their tests and/...
-
Source: aiaa.org
Title: Shaping the future of aerospace ADDRESSING THE UNKNOWN
Link: https://aiaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AIAA-UAPIOC-Opinion-Paper-UAP-Occupational-Safety-Reporting_ForPublication_kb.pdfSource snippet
Shaping the future of aerospaceADDRESSING THE UNKNOWN:August 8, 2025 — the UAP Task Force preliminary report included 11 near miss...
Published: August 8, 2025
-
Source: secnav.navy.mil
Title: mil Prelimary Assessment UAP
Link: https://www.secnav.navy.mil/foia/readingroom/CaseFiles/UAP%20INFO/Prelimary%20Assessment%20UAP.pdfSource snippet
Assessment UAP - secnav.navy.mil25 Jun 2021 — The UAPTF has 11 reports of documented instances in which pilots reported near misses with...
-
Source: oversight.house.gov
Title: Ryan HOC Testimony
Link: https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Ryan-HOC-Testimony.pdfSource snippet
Oversight CommitteeRyan HOC Testimony25 Jul 2023 — My name is Ryan “FOBS” Graves and I am a former F-18 pilot with over a decade of servi...
-
Source: oversight.house.gov
Link: https://oversight.house.gov/release/hearing-wrap-up-lack-of-transparency-and-reporting-mechanisms-have-eroded-public-[trustSource snippet
Oversight CommitteeHearing Wrap Up: Lack of Transparency and Reporting...26 Jul 2023 — Subcommittee members discussed with witnesses the...
Additional References
-
Source: researchgate.net
Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353539589_Analysis_of_ODNI_Preliminary_Assessment_Unidentified_Aerial_PhenomenaSource snippet
Analysis of ODNI Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified...PDF | The unclassified document titled Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aeri...
-
Source: commons.wikimedia.org
Link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3A2023House_Oversight_and_Accountability_Hearing_on_UAP%E2%80%93Unidentified_Anomalous_Phenomena%E2%80%93_Implications_on_National_Security%2C_Public_Safety%2C_and_Government_Transparency.webmSource snippet
wikimedia.orgFile:2023 House Oversight and Accountability Hearing on...File:2023 House Oversight and Accountability Hearing on UAP – Uni...
-
Source: commons.wikimedia.org
Link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AUS_congressional_hearing_on_UAPs_on_26_July_2023_with_Grusch_Graves_and_Fravor.pngSource snippet
wikimedia.orgFile:US congressional hearing on UAPs on 26 July 2023 with...26 Jul 2023 — A congressional hearing on July 26, 2023, under...
Published: July 2023
-
Source: binj.news
Link: https://binj.news/2025/05/08/the-massachusetts-native-helping-the-government-study-unidentified-aerial-phenomena/Source snippet
The Massachusetts Native Helping The Government Study...8 May 2025 — Ryan Graves, a Massachusetts native and Navy F-18 pilot, is helping...
Published: May 2025
-
Source: iowapublicradio.org
Link: https://www.iowapublicradio.org/news-from-npr/news-from-npr/2023-07-27/u-s-recovered-non-human-biologics-from-ufo-crash-sites-former-intel-official-saysSource snippet
recovered non-human 'biologics' from UFO crash sites...27 Jul 2023 — David Grusch and retired Navy Cmdr. David Fravor are sworn in durin...
-
Source: cbsnews.com
Title: Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) Officials pored over 144
Link: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pentagon-ufo-report-released-many-uap-cases-remain-unexplained/Source snippet
Pentagon task force's UFO report released — many cases...25 Jun 2021 — Over the years, the task force determined there have been 11 near...
-
Source: legistorm.com
Link: https://www.legistorm.com/[hearingsSource snippet
July 25, 2023 · Mr. Ryan Graves. Executive Director – Americans for Safe Aerospace.Read more...
Published: July 25, 2023
-
Source: breakingdefense.com
Title: pentagon pilots have reported 11 near misses with ufos
Link: https://breakingdefense.com/2022/05/pentagon-pilots-have-reported-11-near-misses-with-ufos/Source snippet
Pentagon pilots have reported 11 'near misses' with UFOs18 May 2022 — Military pilots have reported almost a dozen dangerous close approa...
Published: May 2022
-
Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/cgtnamerica/videos/former-navy-pilot-testifies-on-ufos/245459478413960/Source snippet
tnessing Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), commonly known as UFOs...
-
Source: youtube.com
Title: Ryan Graves Opening Statement at Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Hearing
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf6y9QHj5S8Source snippet
Former Navy pilot Ryan Graves describes a UAP/UFO object: “Black cube inside of a clear sphere”...
Topic Tree