On the afternoon of February 21, 2021, American Airlines Flight 2292, an Airbus A320, was flying from Cincinnati to Phoenix when it experienced an unusual close call. The aircraft was traveling at 36,000 feet and 400 knots when the pilots reported seeing “something elongated cylindrical shape much like a cruise missile” pass quickly overhead. West of Des Moines, in the northern part of New Mexico, is where the incident took place.
The following was captured from the pilot at around 1:19 CST on the Albuquerque Core frequency of 127,850 MHz or 134,750 MHz (the frequency record was not identified): “Do you intend to do anything up here? We recently experienced a minor run-over. Sadly, it looked like a cruise missile, a long, cylindrical object that was moving very quickly.” The famous quote from Douglass goes, “Things are not always as they seem.” AAL 2292 was discovered by Flight 24 and Flight Conscious in the northeastern region of New Mexico, just west of Clayton. AAL 2292 evaded detection by the Albuquerque Center while flying through a densely populated area with local aviation traffic (yellow). When it was found, the aircraft was circling at a height of 37,000 feet. The plane carried on its course toward Phoenix, Arizona, with no signs of any military aircraft in the area.
Written affirmations:
After speaking with the flight crew and receiving more information, it was determined that American Airlines Flight 2292’s radio communication took place on February 21. The FBI is currently looking into the incident, and an American Airlines spokesman has confirmed that the recordings have been verified. As a result, the FAA has released additional guidance to guarantee passengers’ safety in the near future.
Background:
Nearly three years ago, an incident with extraordinary circumstances took place in eastern Arizona. Multiple close calls with unidentified aircraft occurred as a Learjet and an Airbus flew at a height of 37,000 feet. Later, a veteran Learjet pilot working for the defense contractor Phoenix Air gave local media a detailed account of the incident. His description of a missile-like object matched accounts given by US Navy fighter pilots who reported anomalies off the East Coast in the previous decade. Unidentified Flying Object At this point, it is difficult to comment on what the pilots of American Airlines Flight 2292 might have observed. Unbeknownst to many, New Mexico is also home to a number of other military installations and restricted areas, including the sizable White Sands Missile Range (WSMR). There are procedures in place to warn pilots of such a risk to their lives, even though it is unlikely that a missile will be fired during a training exercise or other military activity. Given that it could have been flying in uncontrolled airspace without informing air traffic control, the likelihood that this aircraft is illegal is extremely remote. However, given the proximity of the Mount Dora Military Operations Vicinity (MOA), airline pilots must have received a warning that the airspace was “hot” and that other potential problems could develop.
