Within Multi Sensor Study
What Really Happened in the Aguadilla UFO Video
Aircraft motion, wind, cloud and thermal visibility turned an extraordinary-looking video into two objects drifting over land.
On this page
- Why the footage looked extraordinary
- How motion parallax altered apparent speed
- What wind and cloud data showed
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Introduction
The 2013 Aguadilla infrared video, recorded from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft near Rafael Hernández Airport in Puerto Rico, has become one of the most closely examined UFO cases because it demonstrates how combining multiple independent data sources can fundamentally change the interpretation of an apparently extraordinary event. Early analyses focused mainly on the infrared footage itself, leading some researchers to argue that the object displayed unusual speed, divided into two separate objects, and even entered and exited the sea. Later reconstructions integrated aircraft telemetry, sensor geometry, wind measurements, terrain mapping and cloud information into a single model. Rather than simply offering another opinion, this approach changed the central question from “What does the video appear to show?” to “What physical motion is consistent with every available measurement?” That shift has made Aguadilla one of the clearest examples of why modern UFO investigations increasingly depend on multi-sensor reconstruction rather than visual interpretation alone.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
Why the footage looked extraordinary
Viewed in isolation, the infrared recording appears highly unusual. The thermal target seems to accelerate rapidly, fly close to the airport without visible navigation lights, split into two separate objects, skim across the coastline and disappear into the ocean. Because the camera records thermal contrast rather than ordinary visible light, depth and distance are not immediately obvious to viewers.
Several factors made the recording especially difficult to interpret:
- The camera was mounted on a moving aircraft rather than on a fixed platform.
- The infrared sensor continuously changed its zoom, viewing angle and line of sight.
- The aircraft itself climbed and turned during the observation.
- The video lacks direct range information to the target.
Without knowing exactly where the object was in three-dimensional space, apparent motion across the image could not automatically be converted into real-world speed. Independent researchers recognised this limitation but reached different conclusions depending on the assumptions they adopted about the object’s distance and altitude.[Zenodo]zenodo.org2013 Aguadilla Puerto Rico UAP: The detailed analysis of an Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon captured by the Department of Homelan…
How motion parallax altered apparent speed
The most significant development came from reconstructing the aircraft’s own movement alongside the sensor’s pointing direction.
Motion parallax is the apparent movement of an object caused by the observer changing position. Anyone looking out of a moving car sees nearby trees appear to race past while distant mountains barely move. The same principle applies to airborne infrared cameras.
In the Aguadilla case, the Customs and Border Protection aircraft flew a curved path while gaining altitude. As the aircraft moved, the infrared camera continuously tracked the target. A reconstruction combining aircraft flight data with the sensor’s look angle showed that much of the apparent high speed resulted from changing viewing geometry rather than extraordinary acceleration by the target itself.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
The reconstruction also demonstrated another important effect. As the aircraft climbed, the viewing angle changed from a more horizontal perspective to a steeper, more overhead view. Two nearby objects that initially overlapped from one viewing angle became easier to distinguish from another, making it appear as though a single object had divided into two. According to the reconstruction, the apparent “splitting” was primarily a consequence of perspective rather than a sudden physical transformation.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
This illustrates a broader lesson for multi-sensor UFO studies: camera footage alone often cannot distinguish between genuine acceleration and geometric illusion without accurate information about observer motion.
What wind and cloud data showed
Environmental information became just as important as the flight reconstruction.
Rather than analysing the video frame by frame in isolation, investigators compared the reconstructed trajectory with local meteorological data. The resulting path was consistent with objects drifting approximately at the recorded wind speed and direction rather than performing controlled, powered flight. The reconstruction estimated motion of roughly 3.6 metres per second, closely matching measured winds of about 4.4 metres per second from the east-northeast.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
Cloud observations also helped explain changes in the video’s appearance.
During the encounter, the aircraft climbed into scattered cloud layers while simultaneously increasing its distance from the objects. Both effects reduced image quality:
- Greater range lowered the infrared sensor’s effective resolution.
- Thin cloud partially obscured thermal contrast.
- The combination made the objects appear fainter and more difficult to separate visually.
Instead of requiring abrupt changes in the objects themselves, the changing image quality could be explained by changing environmental conditions together with the aircraft’s own movement.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
Why the apparent water entry changed interpretation
One of the most debated aspects of the Aguadilla video was the apparent transition between air and water, sometimes described as “transmedium” behaviour.
Earlier interpretations suggested the object entered the sea without slowing before emerging again. However, the later three-dimensional reconstruction projected the infrared camera’s viewing line onto mapped terrain. According to that reconstruction, the target remained over land throughout the observation. The apparent contact with the ocean resulted from the camera’s viewing geometry rather than an actual entry into the water.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
Another contributing factor involves infrared imaging itself. A thermal target can disappear if its temperature becomes similar to the background or if atmospheric conditions reduce contrast. In this interpretation, the disappearance near the coastline did not require the object to submerge; it became increasingly difficult for the sensor to distinguish it from its surroundings.[WikiDisc]wikidisc.orgWiki Disc Aguadilla UFO video | Wiki DiscAguadilla UFO video | WikiDiscApril 26, 2013…
Why the case remains debated
Although the multisensor reconstruction significantly changed how many investigators interpret the video, it did not eliminate disagreement.
The Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU) previously analysed the footage using frame-by-frame measurements, radar information available to the authors and witness accounts. Their report concluded that the object’s apparent behaviour remained difficult to reconcile with conventional aircraft or balloons and argued that the thermal recording captured an unidentified phenomenon.[Zenodo]zenodo.org2013 Aguadilla Puerto Rico UAP: The detailed analysis of an Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon captured by the Department of Homelan…
By contrast, the U.S. Department of Defense’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), using a later reconstruction based on aircraft telemetry, sensor geometry and environmental information, concluded with high confidence that the video showed two nearby objects drifting with the wind, assessed with moderate confidence to be sky lanterns. It also concluded that the objects neither split nor entered the water and did not exhibit anomalous performance.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
The continuing disagreement highlights an important methodological point rather than simply a disagreement over one case. Different assumptions about distance, geometry and available supporting data can produce very different physical interpretations from the same infrared recording.
What Aguadilla contributed to multi-sensor UFO investigations
Regardless of which interpretation one finds more persuasive, Aguadilla has had a lasting influence on how researchers approach UFO evidence.
The case reinforced several principles now widely regarded as best practice:
- Aircraft position and attitude should be reconstructed alongside the video.
- Sensor pointing angles must be calibrated before estimating object motion.
- Weather data should be incorporated into trajectory analysis rather than treated separately.
- Camera footage alone is rarely sufficient to determine true speed or altitude.
- Independent measurements should be combined into a single physical reconstruction whenever possible.
These ideas closely match the philosophy behind newer scientific UAP observation projects, which emphasise synchronised measurements from multiple instruments instead of relying on a single dramatic image. Rather than asking whether a video looks extraordinary, they aim to determine whether every available sensor supports the same physical explanation. Aguadilla became a landmark example because the addition of flight dynamics, environmental measurements and geometric modelling substantially altered what many investigators believed the infrared footage showed.[arXiv]arxiv.orgThe Scientific Investigation of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Using Multimodal Ground-Based ObservatoriesMay 29, 2023…
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Endnotes
1.
Source: zenodo.org
Link:https://zenodo.org/records/7844175
Source snippet
2013 Aguadilla Puerto Rico UAP: The detailed analysis of an Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon captured by the Department of Homelan...
2.
Source: wikidisc.org
Title: Wiki Disc Aguadilla UFO video | Wiki Disc
Link:https://www.wikidisc.org/wiki/Aguadilla_UFO_video
Source snippet
Aguadilla UFO video | WikiDiscApril 26, 2013...
Published: April 26, 2013
3.
Source: arxiv.org
Link:https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.18566
Source snippet
The Scientific Investigation of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Using Multimodal Ground-Based ObservatoriesMay 29, 2023...
Published: May 29, 2023
4.
Source: arxiv.org
Title: arXiv A Hardware and Software Platform for Aerial Object Localization
Link:https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.18555
5.
Source: ufotransparency.com
Link:https://ufotransparency.com/files/decade-2020s-aaro-puerto-rico-uap-case-resolution-2025-aaro-puerto-rico-uap-case-resolution
Source snippet
UFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2...
Published: March 2025
6.
Source: 7atc.army.mil
Link:https://www.7atc.army.mil/Media-News/Video/videoid/955936/
Additional References
7.
Source: nhianomalous.com
Title: aguadilla 2013 thermal uap
Link:https://nhianomalous.com/science/aguadilla-2013-thermal-uap
Source snippet
Aguadilla, 2013: The Trans-Medium Video Two Agencies Can't Agree On | NHI AnomalousMay 31, 2026 — AGUADILLA, 2013: THE TRANS-MEDIUM VIDEO...
Published: May 31, 2026
8.
Source: uaplogbook.com
Title: pr 046 ai reconstruction
Link:https://uaplogbook.com/pr-046-ai-reconstruction/
Source snippet
PR-046 UAP video: AI reconstruction and missing metadataMay 11, 2026 — note / May 11, 2026 AI COMPLETES THE UAP FOR YOU By Jan for UAP Lo...
Published: May 11, 2026
9.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7Br9k481rY
Source snippet
The Aguadilla UFO Case with Rich Hoffman (Scientific Coalition of UAP Studies)...
10.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqjXQPJwM-M
Source snippet
Aguadilla UFO infrared video analysis Puerto Rico 2013 2013 Aguadilla Puerto Rico UAP/USO...
11.
Source: youtube.com
Title: The Aguadilla UFO Case with Rich Hoffman (Scientific Coalition of UAP Studies)
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emLaXhjuxTw
Source snippet
The Aguadilla Infrared Video: What the Camera Actually Saw...
12.
Source: youtube.com
Title: The Aguadilla Infrared Video: What the Camera Actually Saw
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfZOuAdvPFg
Source snippet
Why is the Aguadilla, Puerto Rico UFO incident of 2013 credible?...
13.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6s5RwqnnLM
Source snippet
SIGHTINGS S01EP5: 2013 Aguadilla, Puerto Rico UAP Video with Robert Powell...
14.
Source: t.co
Link:https://t.co/4M3L5Trglk
15.
Source: ufouap.net
Link:https://www.ufouap.net/en/cases/aguadilla-ufo-incident
16.
Source: sciencedirect.com
Link:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0034425718302037