Overview
On December 23, 2025, a private‑flight pilot operating out of T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, reported an unexpected visual contact with an unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) while cruising at 3,500 feet above the Atlantic coastline. The incident was captured in an audio recording posted by the aviation‑focused YouTube channel VAS Aviation, which includes the complete radio exchange between the pilot and ground‑control personnel. The pilot’s description matches the “cylindrical, silver‑colored” objects that have appeared in several U.S. Navy reports, most famously the “Tic‑Tac” sightings documented in 2014‑2015.
Flight Encounter
According to the VAS Aviation audio, the pilot first noticed the object “floating” alongside the right wing of his Cessna‑172. He described it as a “small silver cylinder, no visible propulsion, just hovering there.” The aircraft was maintaining a steady altitude of 3,500 feet when the contact occurred. The pilot’s exact words, as transcribed from the recording, were:
“I’m at three‑five‑zero‑zero feet, and there’s a silver cylinder just hovering next to my wing. It’s not moving, no lights, no sound. I don’t know what it is—it was amazing.”
The pilot continued to monitor the object for approximately 30 seconds before reporting the sighting to the tower. No visual recordings were made; the evidence consists of the pilot’s verbal account and the contemporaneous radio transcript.
Ground‑Control Response
Ground controllers initially queried whether the object could be a drone or a weather balloon, common explanations for low‑altitude anomalies. After the pilot ruled out those possibilities, the controller’s tone shifted to one of surprise mixed with light‑hearted banter:
“Copy that, we’ll check for any known traffic. Good luck with the extraterrestrials.”
A second pilot on a nearby frequency interjected with a reference to the television series The X‑Files: “I want to believe you.” While the remarks were informal, they underscore the genuine uncertainty faced by air‑traffic personnel when confronted with phenomena that do not fit standard flight‑deck classifications.
Broader Context
The Rhode Island sighting adds to a growing catalog of UAP reports submitted by trained aviators. Since the Pentagon’s 2022 establishment of the All‑Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), more than 800 credible sightings have been logged, many involving objects that exhibit unusual flight characteristics such as sudden acceleration, high‑altitude hovering, and lack of conventional propulsion signatures. The “cylindrical” shape and silent hover observed by the private pilot echo the Navy’s 2014‑2015 Tic‑Tac encounters, which were later confirmed by released sensor data. Dr. Hiroshi Yamaguchi, a senior researcher at the UAP‑focused nonprofit UFO Insight, notes that “repeated visual reports of smooth‑hovering, non‑emissive objects at low to mid‑altitude suggest a pattern that merits systematic data collection, even when the source remains unidentified.”
Investigation Status
At present, no radar returns, photographic evidence, or recovered debris accompany the pilot’s testimony, limiting the ability of investigators to draw definitive conclusions. The FAA has logged the incident as a UAP report and forwarded the transcript to AARO for review. Analysts will compare the timing and location with known flight paths of government‑operated test platforms, as well as with civilian drone activity logs. Until additional data emerges, the Rhode Island encounter remains an anecdotal but credible addition to the public record of unexplained aerial observations.
