David Fravor

Retired Navy commander who led the November 2004 Nimitz 'Tic Tac' intercept and described it under oath to the House in July 2023.

Current role: Retired U.S. Navy Commander and former commanding officer of Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (as of 2023-07-26; no newer public UAP role located)

Former roles:

Commanding Officer, Strike Fighter Squadron Forty-One (VFA-41), Carrier Air Wing Eleven, USS Nimitz (2004)

Background

David Fravor is a retired Commander in the U.S. Navy. In November 2004 he was the commanding officer of Strike Fighter Squadron Forty-One (VFA-41), attached to Carrier Air Wing Eleven aboard the USS Nimitz (CVN-68), when he and his wingman were directed to investigate radar contacts tracked by the USS Princeton off southern California. His account of the object he saw, the "Tic Tac", became public after the New York Times reported on it in December 2017, and he described it under oath before a House Oversight subcommittee on 26 July 2023. He has made no new public statements on UAP that this registry could locate since that hearing.

On the record

2023-07-26 – House Oversight subcommittee, under oath – described the 14 November 2004 intercept: four aircrew saw a white Tic Tac shaped object over churning water, it climbed to mirror his aircraft, then "it rapidly accelerated and disappeared right in front of our aircraft" and reappeared on the Princeton's radar at the flight's CAP point about 60 miles away. On the aftermath: "What is shocking is that the incident was never investigated, none of my crew were ever questioned, tapes were never taken, and after a couple of days, it turned into a great story to tell friends." On the object: "the Tic Tac Object that we engaged in Nov 2004 was far superior to anything that we had at the time, have today, or are looking to develop in the next 10+ years." He also said his concern was the absence of congressional oversight over any programs that may hold such craft. Statement PDF · Video
2021-05-16 – CBS 60 Minutes, with Lt. Cmdr. Alex Dietrich – recounted the 2004 encounter on camera for the first time at length, saying the object climbed to meet him before vanishing, and that as far as the pilots knew there was no official investigation. CBS News · Clip
2019-10-06 – Joe Rogan Experience, as reported – said that more recordings from the event, including radar data, existed at the time and were not retained. Coverage

Timeline of involvement

2004-11-14 – leads the VFA-41 intercept of the "Tic Tac" off southern California; a second Nimitz crew records the FLIR1 video the same day
2009 – contacted by Jay Stratton, then part of the Pentagon's AATIP effort, about the event (per his 2023 statement)
2016 – contacted by Luis Elizondo (per his 2023 statement)
2017-12 – New York Times reports the encounter; FLIR1 video enters the public record
2019-10 – long-form account on the Joe Rogan Experience
2021-05-16 – 60 Minutes segment with Alex Dietrich
2023-07-26 – testifies under oath before the House Oversight subcommittee alongside David Grusch and Ryan Graves
2025-03-24 – co-pilot Alex Dietrich gives a new interview on the 2004 event to the American Veterans Center (interview); Fravor himself has made no new public statements located for 2025–2026

Relevant links

Part of the Key People in Disclosure series. Verified 2023-07-26. Spotted an error? Reach out.