FBI Triangle Sightings (2002–2023) – PURSUE Files

FBI interviews and digital renderings of large dark triangular objects reported by former military pilots, service members and others, released in PURSUE Release 05

⚠ Note on validity: All are listed as unresolved. Triangle reports are among the most common UFO descriptions; at night, three or more aircraft lights, or a group of drones, are often perceived as a single dark shape connecting them.

FBI triangle sightings
Dates	2002; 2011; 2023 – 2024
Locations	Northeastern U.S., Afghanistan, Colorado Springs, undisclosed
Witnesses	A former military pilot, former service members, a former Department of War employee, a U.S. person
Agency	FBI
Released	Release 05 (Aug. 7, 2026)
Files	8 (PDF, Image)
Previously public?	No — new in PURSUE Release 05
Official releaseUnresolved

PURSUE Release 05 included four FBI interviews about triangular objects, each with an FBI digital rendering based on the witness’s description:

“Airborne Lights and Triangle“: a former U.S. military pilot describing sightings in 2023–2024 in the Northeast and a 2002 incident in Afghanistan.
“Dark Translucent Triangle” and “Large Triangle with Red Lights“: two separate accounts from Colorado Springs in October 2023, from a former Department of War employee and a U.S. person.
“Dark Triangle with Lights“: two former service members recalling an incident in June or July 2011.

^[1]

The records

FBI-UAP-D024, FD-302, “Airborne Lights and Triangle,” 2002, 2023-2024

Open FBI-UAP-D024 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is an FBI FD-302, a form the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uses to record interviews. This FD-302 records a March 2024 interview with a former U.S. military pilot, in which the interviewee describes several incidents potentially involving unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) in 2023 and 2024. The interviewee also recalls a 2002 incident potentially involving UAP, while deployed as a military reservist in Afghanistan. An FBI digital rendering based upon the observer’s description accompanies this document, under the title FBI-UAP-D025.
— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-D025, Digital Rendering, “Airborne Triangle,” 2002

This image is an artistic interpretation of a reported incident above Bagram Air Force Base, Afghanistan, potentially involving unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) in June 2002. This image is based upon a first-hand description provided by a former military service member, as described in FBI-UAP-D024. The Federal Bureau of Investigation prepared this digital rendering as a visual aid in 2026 in support of the PURSUE initiative.
— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-D026, FD-302, “Dark Translucent Triangle,” 2023

Open FBI-UAP-D026 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is an FBI FD-302, a form the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uses to record interviews. This FD-302 records a January 2026 interview with a former employee of the Department of War, in which the interviewee describes an incident potentially involving unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in October 2023. An FBI digital rendering based upon the observer’s description accompanies this document, under the title FBI-UAP-D027.
— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-D027, Digital Rendering, “Dark Translucent Triangle,” 2023

Open FBI-UAP-D027 (PDF) on war.gov →

This image is an artistic interpretation of a reported incident near Colorado Springs, Colorado, potentially involving unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) in October 2023. This image is based upon a first-hand description provided by a former Department of War employee, as described in FBI-UAP-D026. The Federal Bureau of Investigation prepared this digital rendering in 2026 as a visual aid in support of the PURSUE initiative.
— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-D030, FD-302, “Large Triangle with Red Lights,” 2023

Open FBI-UAP-D030 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is an FBI FD-302, a form the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uses to record interviews. This FD-302 records an October 2025 interview with a U.S. Person, in which the interviewee describes an incident potentially involving unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in October 2023. An FBI digital rendering based upon the observer’s description accompanies this document, under the title FBI-UAP-D031.
— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-D031, Digital Rendering, “Large Triangle with Red Lights,” 2023

This image is an artistic interpretation of a reported incident potentially involving unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) near Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2023. This image is based upon a first-hand description provided by a U.S. Person, as described in FBI-UAP-D030. The Federal Bureau of Investigation prepared this digital rendering in 2026 as a visual aid in support of the PURSUE initiative.
— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-D028, FD-302, “Dark Triangle with Lights,” 2011

Open FBI-UAP-D028 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is an FBI FD-302, a form the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uses to record interviews. This FD-302 records an April 2025 interview with two former U.S. military service members, in which the interviewees describe an incident potentially involving unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) in June or July of 2011. An FBI digital rendering based upon the observers’ descriptions accompanies this document, under the title FBI-UAP-D029.
— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-D029, Digital Rendering, “Dark Triangle with Lights,” 2011

This image is an artistic interpretation of a reported incident potentially involving unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) in June or July of 2011. This image is based upon a first-hand description provided by two former U.S. military service members, as described in FBI-UAP-D028. The Federal Bureau of Investigation prepared this digital rendering in 2026 as a visual aid in support of the PURSUE initiative.
— Official PURSUE description

Analysis

Possible explanations. Dark triangles with lights at the corners have been reported since the Hudson Valley wave of the 1980s (traced in part to pilots flying light aircraft in formation) and the Belgian wave of 1989–1990. Common explanations include formations of aircraft or drones, the eye “filling in” a dark shape between separate lights, and military aircraft such as the B-2. Colorado Springs is home to multiple Air Force and Space Force bases and heavy military flight traffic. The two October 2023 Colorado Springs accounts came from different people, which makes them worth comparing with flight records if they become available.

New or previously released? New.

Released files

PURSUE ID	Title	Type
FBI-UAP-D024	FD-302, “Airborne Lights and Triangle,” 2002, 2023-2024	PDF
FBI-UAP-D025	Digital Rendering, “Airborne Triangle,” 2002	Image
FBI-UAP-D026	FD-302, “Dark Translucent Triangle,” 2023	PDF
FBI-UAP-D027	Digital Rendering, “Dark Translucent Triangle,” 2023	PDF
FBI-UAP-D030	FD-302, “Large Triangle with Red Lights,” 2023	PDF
FBI-UAP-D031	Digital Rendering, “Large Triangle with Red Lights,” 2023	Image
FBI-UAP-D028	FD-302, “Dark Triangle with Lights,” 2011	PDF
FBI-UAP-D029	Digital Rendering, “Dark Triangle with Lights,” 2011	Image

References

^ U.S. Department of War (2026). PURSUE Release 05 (Aug. 7, 2026): FBI-UAP-D024, FBI-UAP-D025, FBI-UAP-D026, FBI-UAP-D027, FBI-UAP-D030, FBI-UAP-D031, FBI-UAP-D028, FBI-UAP-D029, with official descriptions. war.gov/ufo.

Source: U.S. Department of War, PURSUE (Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters), war.gov/ufo. Official records are U.S. government works in the public domain; summaries and analysis on this page are by UFO UAP Wiki.