Not A Bird, Not A Plane, Not Superman – Was it a UFO?

So, here’s a fun little UFO mystery. Thankfully no one was hurt, and it can still be fun. But the FAA has apparently confirmed that on December 11, 2024, a Gulfstream G550 sustained engine ingestion damage at about 27,000 feet from some sort of metallic object. The aircraft was flying from Ft. Lauderdale. FL to Westchester County, NY when the impact occurred and had to make a precautionary landing in Palm Beach.

That altitude is Class A airspace, generally reserved for airlines and larger private jets, and is highly regulated and monitored. Interestingly, there were no flight plans filed for any other aircraft in the area and no transponder codes identifying any plane or balloon. Inspections after the incident revealed that the damage was not caused by a bird strike or any biological impact but was in fact damage from contact with metal aloft.

The altitude is too high for drones or most normal helicopters, so the potential causes are limited. Perhaps a balloon with a faulty or de-activated transponder is responsible. That’s unlikely, but so are the other options. Maybe a component part from a higher-flying aircraft came off and impacted the engine as it was falling. The odds, timing and placement in space of that scenario are astronomical, but strange things do happen. Beyond that, we enter the realm of Ancient Aliens (maybe not being so ancient) and UFOs.

Not many things are in the air at FL270, and those that are can generally be seen on radar or are known about in advance. According to Aviation International News, the FAA has declined to comment on whether it will further investigate the incident. That decision is probably a matter of administration and poor public communication, but it does add to the intrigue. Was Florida visited by a pre-holiday UFO? Sounds like we’re not finding out anytime soon.