PUBLIC RELEASE SOURCE REVIEW ยท INDEPENDENT ANALYTIC CASE FILE
CASE FILE 29 / 237UAP00613
237UAP00613
Radar/correlation-focused public UAP report; score 66
NORMAL-OBJECT FAVORED
Report No.
UAP-OM-29-237UAP00613
Disposition
NORMAL-OBJECT FAVORED
Primary Case
237UAP00613
Generated
2026-05-20 18:32 UTC
Report Time
2024-02-20T09:27:00+00:00
Observer
28.08999, -85.26925
Source Case IDs
237UAP00613
Abstract
This case file evaluates a reported UAP sighting against historical Starlink orbital elements. The primary external-object candidate is a 4-object same-launch group from 2024-02-10, spanning azimuth 52.16-68.98 deg and elevation 11.09-33.35 deg. The analysis distinguishes plausible geometric overlap from unresolved witness-language features.
This is a standalone independent analysis prepared from public-source records and public orbital datasets. It is not an official government determination, classification marking, or agency-authored report.
1. Executive Summary
237UAP00613 is assessed as normal-object favored because the available public evidence gives a case-specific ordinary-object candidate: strong ADS-B aircraft candidate N77530 B738 aa7e74 at 25.0 km, azimuth 31.4 deg, elevation 25.31 deg, 5.58 min from report. Dense satellite presence alone is not treated as causation in this packet.
1.1 Key Findings
Source score 66 based on: radar/primary-return language, high-altitude report, maneuvering/motion anomaly, UAP/UFO language.
Report time used: 2024-02-20T09:27:00+00:00.
External object layer used: Starlink.
Disposition standard: NORMAL-OBJECT requires case-specific causal fit. Satellite density above the horizon is context only and cannot by itself resolve the report.
Case-specific ordinary-object evidence: strong ADS-B aircraft candidate N77530 B738 aa7e74 at 25.0 km, azimuth 31.4 deg, elevation 25.31 deg, 5.58 min from report.
Top compact same-launch/designator group: 4 objects from 2024-02-10.
No explicit Starlink/balloon wording was found in the source excerpt used for ranking.
1.2 Bottom Line
NORMAL-OBJECT FAVORED: A case-specific ordinary-object candidate exists from source language, orbital geometry, launch-object context, or compact trajectory grouping. Dense ordinary sky traffic alone is not treated as causation.
2. Source Control
The source-control table identifies the public report records reviewed for this case and lists public access links where available. The table is included so this PDF remains interpretable when distributed by itself.
Washington Operations Center Date: 2/20/2024 3:27:00 AM (-06 CST) Title: AAL2054 UFO-UAP ACTIVITY 02-20-2024 Latitude: 28.089988000000002 Latitude: -85.269249070000001 DESCRIPTION PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: CRESTVIEW, FL/UFO-UAP ACTIVITY/0404C/JACKSONVILLE ARTCC ADVISED AMERICAN 2054, B38M, PHX - MIA, REPORTED AN UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENON OFF LEFT SIDE WHILE SE BOUND AT FL370 200 SSE CEW. THE PHENOMENON APPEARED AS THREE WHITE LIGHTS MAKING TIGHT SPIRALS AT FL450. THE UAP WAS NOT OBSERVED BY ATC RADAR. WOC 7-3333 RL/JW
Report time used
2024-02-20T09:27:00+00:00
Observer coordinate used
28.08999, -85.26925
Observer source basis
(public text extract 237UAP00613)
4. Methodology
Spacetime extraction. The report time and observer coordinate were extracted from the public text report and normalized to UTC. Aviation fixes/radials were resolved during earlier preprocessing where applicable.
External object dataset. The object layer used historical Space-Track/TLE-derived Starlink element rows. The analytic mode for this case is historical Starlink element propagation and same-launch/designator sky grouping.
Propagation. Orbital elements were propagated to the report minute and observer location. For launch-object checks, samples around the report minute were retained. For Starlink group checks, objects above the horizon were clustered by sky position and filtered for same-launch groupings.
Comparison. The output was compared against the report's count of lights, direction cue, motion language, altitude/radar language, and whether the file itself already suggested a satellite explanation.
Causation standard. Mere object presence above the horizon is treated as background context only. A normal-object disposition requires a case-specific causal fit, such as a named launch object, a compact same-launch trajectory group, or source language that directly supports that object class.
Disposition assignment.Identified means a specific normal object fits the report spacetime and the hard reported features do not materially conflict. Normal-object favored means a case-specific ordinary aerospace/orbital candidate exists, but it is not a full named identification. Insufficient means the file is too thin to carry high anomaly value. High-value unresolved is used when radar, video, rapid maneuver, or multi-witness features remain after reasonable normal-object checks.
5. External Object Evidence
5.1 Search Volume and Density
This table is a screening layer only. Objects above the horizon show background opportunity; they do not establish causation unless a specific object or compact trajectory group matches the reported behavior.
Starlink catalog IDs considered
5458
Historical element rows
5431
Above horizon at report minute
246
At/above 10 deg
101
Largest same-sky cluster
51
5.2 Same-Launch / Same-Designator Candidate Groups
Space-Track SATCAT metadata was pulled as a cached subset for NORAD catalog IDs appearing in this packet's evidence tables. This section adds owner/type/status context to the propagated object candidates.
Packet SATCAT subset rows
5370
Fetched
2026-05-19T01:19:50+00:00
This case NORAD IDs checked
33
SATCAT rows matched
33
Top owners
US: 33
Object types
PAYLOAD: 33
5.7 Space-Track Metadata for Top Propagated Objects
NORAD
Object Name
Type
Owner
Launch Date
Decay Date
56910
STARLINK-6179
PAYLOAD
US
2023-06-12
n/a
53851
STARLINK-4755
PAYLOAD
US
2022-09-19
n/a
57910
STARLINK-30453
PAYLOAD
US
2023-09-20
n/a
58931
STARLINK-31317
PAYLOAD
US
2024-02-10
n/a
58809
STARLINK-31169
PAYLOAD
US
2024-01-15
n/a
51115
STARLINK-3397
PAYLOAD
US
2022-01-19
n/a
55372
STARLINK-5568
PAYLOAD
US
2023-01-26
n/a
52455
STARLINK-3890
PAYLOAD
US
2022-05-06
n/a
47129
STARLINK-1838
PAYLOAD
US
2020-11-25
2025-05-08
46151
STARLINK-1631
PAYLOAD
US
2020-08-18
2025-06-06
58932
STARLINK-31378
PAYLOAD
US
2024-02-10
n/a
45690
STARLINK-1414
PAYLOAD
US
2020-06-04
2025-04-08
5.9 NASA / NOAA / ADS-B Expansion Layer
This source layer adds free NASA context that was previously missing from most packet cases. It is contextual evidence; it does not replace aircraft, satellite, balloon, or radar causation tests.
Requires targeted extraction from large daily history archives before claiming aircraft exhaustion.
NOAA GOES imagery
not yet exhausted
Needed for cloud/lightning visual context.
NOAA GOES ABI/GLM manifest
screened/present
Public S3 object availability for the report hour.
NOAA NEXRAD weather radar
not yet exhausted
Weather radar only; not ATC radar.
NOAA IGRA radiosonde
screened/present
Needed for balloon drift plausibility.
ASOS/METAR weather observations
screened/present
Nearest station surface observations around report time.
ADSB.lol historical: extract aircraft traces from adsblol/globe_history_2024 for 2024-02-20, then filter +/-60 min and 250 nmi around 27.7407,-85.2395.
NASA POWER/Horizons/DONKI: batch context for 237UAP00613 at 2024-02-20T09:27:00+00:00.
NOAA GOES: pull nearest ABI/GLM products for the UTC hour and render cloud/lightning map.
NOAA NEXRAD: select nearest radar stations and render Level-II/III weather radar sweep around event time.
NOAA IGRA: find nearest radiosonde station launches bracketing the event and model wind drift for balloon-like descriptions.
Space-Track gp_history/decay: fetch exact historical element rows and decay/reentry status for top candidate NORAD IDs.
5.12 Weather, Imagery, and Balloon Query Plan
This plan identifies the concrete free sources needed for the next case-specific weather and balloon checks. These are not treated as completed exclusions until the data are downloaded and plotted.
surface visibility ranged 10-10 statute miles; no precipitation was reported in the retained observations; no low broken/overcast cloud ceiling was evident in the retained station observations. Surface ASOS/METAR observations describe airport-level weather and visibility; they do not by themselves prove conditions at the sighting altitude or line of sight.
Nearest sounding implies mean 0-12 km wind drift toward 119.0 deg at 14.83 m/s; a passive balloon could drift about 106.7 km in two hours under this crude layer-average model. Radiosonde winds are sparse station soundings; balloon drift remains approximate without launch time, ascent rate, object altitude, and exact line-of-sight bearing.
Station
Name
Distance km
Sounding UTC
Mean drift bearing
Mean speed m/s
2h drift km
Max wind
USM00072210
TAMPA BAY AREA; FL.
279.50
2024-02-20T12:00:00+00:00
119.00
14.83
106.70
57.10 at 12090.00 m
5.17 NOAA GOES ABI/GLM Public File Manifest
GOES public S3 objects are listed for the report hour where available. This is an availability manifest, not yet a rendered satellite image.
This layer uses the downloaded ADSB.lol daily history archive to test actual aircraft tracks near the report coordinate and minute. It is not treated as a primary-radar substitute; it is a transponder/receiver-derived aircraft screen.
Archive window
2024-02-20T08:27:00+00:00 to 2024-02-20T10:27:00+00:00
Radius
250.00 nmi
Trace files scanned
54306
Tracks retained
129
Support status
aircraft strong candidate present
Best-candidate note
ordinary-object favored if the report's count, color, direction, and motion can be reconciled with the candidate track(s).
Strong candidates
5
Plausible candidates
10
Reporting-aircraft tracks excluded
2
Weak candidates
13
5.19 Top ADS-B Candidate Tracks
Aircraft
Status
Score
Min dist km
Nearest dt min
Alt ft
Az
El
N77530 B738 aa7e74
strong aircraft candidate
80.41
25.00
0.15
39000
31.40
25.31
N934NK A20N acf5bb
strong aircraft candidate
79.00
50.80
0.13
37000
202.60
12.27
N318DX A321 a364ea
strong aircraft candidate
76.23
55.70
0.09
33700
40.20
9.78
N532DN A21N a6b833
strong aircraft candidate
75.27
47.90
0.09
35000
225.90
11.67
N503DZ A21N a64578
strong aircraft candidate
66.01
19.60
0.00
15175
76.40
10.73
N422AN A21N a5031a
reporting aircraft track; excluded from support counts
95.37
3.80
0.13
34975
204.20
70.23
N904NK A20N ac7f3e
reporting aircraft track; excluded from support counts
85.40
9.40
0.22
37000
215.60
50.12
N423AN A21N a506d1
plausible aircraft candidate
74.80
2.30
0.08
23125
88.70
76.37
6. Annotated Evidence Figure
Generated figure copied from the local evidence-plot output. It is included as an analytic visualization, not as original sensor imagery.
7. Analytic Comparison
Criterion
Report Evidence
Analytic Treatment
Time constraint
2024-02-20T09:27:00+00:00
Directly used in propagation; this is a hard filter, not descriptive context.
Location constraint
28.08999, -85.26925
Directly used as observer point for azimuth/elevation/range computation.
Count / pattern
three-object/light language present
Primary same-launch group contains 4 propagated objects in a compact sky sector.
Motion language
not explicit
Apparent motion labels in the object table provide a plausible but not definitive comparison.
Radar / official check
not observed on ATC radar
No ATC radar return can be consistent with distant orbital objects or visual aircraft-light hypotheses, but it does not prove the match.
Analytic disposition
normal-object
237UAP00613 is assessed as normal-object favored because the available public evidence gives a case-specific ordinary-object candidate: strong ADS-B aircraft candidate N77530 B738 aa7e74 at 25.0 km, azimuth 31.4 deg, elevation 25.31 deg, 5.58 min from report. Dense satellite presence alone is not treated as causation in this packet.
8. Caveats, Limitations, and Collection Gaps
No raw cockpit video, ATC replay, radar plot, or witness interview transcript was reviewed unless explicitly stated in the public source text.
Aviation-derived coordinates can represent a nearby fix/radial or report point, not necessarily the actual line-of-sight intercept point.
Starlink visibility depends on illumination, observer altitude, atmospheric conditions, and apparent brightness; this analysis tests geometry, not photometry. No brightness model is used unless explicitly stated elsewhere in the case file.
TLE propagation is appropriate for screening and reconstruction but is not a substitute for authoritative operational ephemerides.
When many satellites are above the horizon, generic presence is weak evidence and is not treated as causation. The report emphasizes named launch-object checks or compact same-launch trajectory groups.
Normal-object favored is not the same as a perfect named-object identification; it requires a case-specific ordinary-object candidate stronger than simple object density.
Appendix A. Public Report Text Extracts
237UAP00613
Washington Operations Center
Date: 2/20/2024 3:27:00 AM (-06 CST)
Title: AAL2054 UFO-UAP ACTIVITY 02-20-2024
Latitude: 28.089988000000002 Latitude: -85.269249070000001
DESCRIPTION
PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: CRESTVIEW, FL/UFO-UAP ACTIVITY/0404C/JACKSONVILLE ARTCC ADVISED
AMERICAN 2054, B38M, PHX - MIA, REPORTED AN UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENON OFF LEFT SIDE WHILE SE
BOUND AT FL370 200 SSE CEW. THE PHENOMENON APPEARED AS THREE WHITE LIGHTS MAKING TIGHT SPIRALS
AT FL450. THE UAP WAS NOT OBSERVED BY ATC RADAR. WOC 7-3333 RL/JW
Appendix B. Computational Evidence Digest
This appendix preserves the principal computed values used in the assessment, shortened to the fields most relevant to audit and review.
This checklist records which source layers were actually applied to this individual report. It separates checked evidence from unexhausted collection gaps so the disposition is auditable when the PDF is read alone.
Source Layer
Status
Case-Specific Note
NARA public UAP/FAA report
reviewed
Source IDs: 237UAP00613
Time and observer coordinate
extracted
2024-02-20T09:27:00+00:00 at 28.08999, -85.26925
Orbital object propagation
screened
Starlink
Space-Track SATCAT metadata
screened
33 NORAD IDs checked; 33 matched in local SATCAT subset
Launch-object/SupGP layer
not applicable
not a launch-object case
NASA/JPL known small-body layer
not selected
CAD/Horizons secondary screen included when this case had NEO-relevant timing/geometry
NASA POWER/Horizons/DONKI context
screened
Hourly weather, sky geometry, and space-weather context where local JSON is present
Nearest station visibility, cloud, wind, precipitation, and METAR observations
Weather/balloon source plan
planned
Nearest weather-airport, GOES, and radiosonde queries are listed where local plan JSON is present
Final analytic disposition
normal-object favored
Presence-only satellite density is context only; a stronger case-specific fit is required for normal-object disposition
References and Source Links
National Archives and Records Administration. Records Related to Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs) at the National Archives.https://www.archives.gov/research/topics/uaps
National Archives Catalog. Records from the Federal Aviation Administration Relating to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, National Archives Identifier 493468575.https://catalog.archives.gov/id/493468575
Space-Track.org. Public source for the underlying U.S. Space Surveillance Network TLE distribution referenced by the historical TLE archive.https://www.space-track.org/