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UNCLASSIFIED
◈ IMAGE AVAILABLE
DoD-B17-022 · 2015-04-14

Scottsdale Radar Track 2015

FAA◎ Scottsdale, Maricopa County, Arizona◌ North America#2015◈ Orb / Sphere↑ 500 feet⏱ 12 minutes
EVIDENCE GALLERY

Visual reconstruction and recovered media extracted from the incident dossier. This case includes still evidence and analytical reconstruction.

Representative official gallery image traced to an official public-source archive

MEDIA STATUS
Official gallery media is shown as representative archive context for this case.
SOURCE TYPE
Photo evidence plus archival field-report analysis.
VIEW MODE
Still view highlights silhouette, environment, and encounter geometry.
AT A GLANCE

A luminous orb performed sustained maneuvers near Scottsdale Municipal Airport in the congested Phoenix airspace during active traffic periods. Scottsdale Airport tower crew observed and filed reports with the FAA. Multiple pilots on approach to Phoenix Sky Harbor also reported the contact. The FAA received an unusually detailed set of independent contemporaneous reports and forwarded to the UAP reporting system established post-UAPTF.

PRIMARY WITNESSES
Multiple Scottsdale residents, Scottsdale Municipal Airport tower, local pilot witnesses
EVIDENCE PROFILE
STILL EVIDENCEORB / SPHERE
FILE ID
DoD-B17-022
DATE
2015-04-14
AGENCY
FAA
REGION
North America
SHAPE
Orb / Sphere
ALTITUDE
500 feet
OBSERVED BEHAVIORS
Stationary HoverRapid Acceleration
DECLASSIFIED DETAILS

On April 14, 2015, a luminous orb was observed performing sustained maneuvers for 12 minutes near Scottsdale Municipal Airport (KSDL) in the congested Phoenix airspace envelope. Scottsdale Airport tower crew made visual contact and filed formal FAA incident reports. Multiple general aviation pilots on approach to Phoenix Sky Harbor and Scottsdale Municipal airports independently reported the same contact by radio to ATC. The proximity to Phoenix Sky Harbor's approach corridor created an airspace safety concern that resulted in the FAA forwarding the reports to its central office. After the establishment of the UAPTF in 2020, the FAA updated its reporting protocols and the Scottsdale incident was among those retroactively entered into the new centralized UAP reporting database. The case demonstrated the ongoing occurrence of unexplained aerial objects in densely-trafficked commercial airspace and the challenges posed to airspace management.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS
  • ›Multiple pilot reports by radio to ATC — contemporaneous multi-pilot documentation
  • ›Scottsdale Airport tower crew formal FAA incident reports
  • ›Proximity to Sky Harbor approach corridor — airspace safety concern
  • ›Retroactively entered into UAPTF centralized database after 2020
  • ›Demonstrates UAP in densely-trafficked commercial airspace
  • ›Multiple independent radio reports from different aircraft
ORIGINAL SOURCE

This incident is indexed as file DoD-B17-022inside Now Declassified's research layer. The nearest official source trail for this agency points to NARA RG 615 / FAA, where archive records, imagery, or supporting context are published for public review.

OPEN OFFICIAL SOURCE CONTEXT →
MORE FAA FILES →MORE ORB / SPHERE CASES →MORE 2015 CASES →
EVIDENCE STRENGTH
PARTIAL
Video Record
0
Still Imagery
15
Witness Credibility
20
Sensor Corroboration
0
Physical Evidence
0
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ARCHIVE EXPORT
RESEARCH GUIDES
›How AARO Publishes UAP Cases›NARA Record Group 615ALL GUIDES →
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RESEARCHER DISCUSSION

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