FAA Denies Radar and Audio Data for Honolulu UAP Incident Du

FAA Denies Radar and Audio Data for Honolulu UAP Incident Due to 45-Day Retention Rule

The FAA released a redacted Mandatory Occurrence Report about a possible downed aircraft near Honolulu on December 29, 2020, but withheld radar and audio data because the request came after the 45-day retention period.

Published

September 11, 2026

Declassified

Date not listed

Source agency

The Black Vault (FOIA archive)

faaradaruapfoiaaudiodatahonoluluincident

FAA FOIA Response Denies Honolulu UAP Radar Data

The Federal Services data from any FAA Air Traffic Control facility related to an unidentified flying object reported on December 29, 2020, near Honolulu, Hawaii. The agency's Air Traffic Organization, Mission Support Services, Western Service Center, answered with a partial denial and partial no-records determination. A search conducted by the Honolulu Control Facility produced exactly one responsive record: a redacted copy of a Mandatory Occurrence Report dated December 29, 2020.

That report was released only after personnel names and personal cell phone numbers were withheld under Exemption 6 of the FOIA, which protects personally identifiable information where the agency determined privacy interests outweigh the public interest in release. The more consequential withholding, however, involved data the FAA said it no longer possessed. The requester had also sought audio re-recordings and radar data, but the agency stated there were no responsive records because the request was received outside the 45-day record…

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Based on the official release at https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/faa-releases-report-of-december-29-2020-hawaii-ufo-sighting/

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