The 2013 Aguadilla Coast Guard UAP Incident: Analysis of Declassified Airborne Sensor Records

Background and Airborne Detection

On the evening of April 25, 2013, a twin-engine turboprop DHC-8 maritime surveillance aircraft operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was conducting routine aerial patrols near Rafael Hernandez Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. At approximately 9:20 PM local time, the flight crew observed a low-altitude object operating without standard navigation lights inside controlled civilian airspace. The airborne surveillance system—an advanced MX-15 forward-looking infrared (FLIR) optical turret—tracked the object across several minutes, recording precise thermal, telemetry, and targeting data.

Kinematic Observations and Transmedium Transit

The recorded thermal footage revealed an anomalous object measuring between three and five feet in diameter, moving horizontally across land at speeds ranging between 80 and 120 knots. Throughout the tracking sequence, the object exhibited no discernible control surfaces, heat plumes, exhaust signatures, or acoustic signs consistent with internal combustion or jet propulsion systems. Air traffic control radar confirmed an intermittent target return that matched the visual trajectory.

As the target tracked northwest over the coastline toward the ocean, the sensor documented a transmedium transition. The object dipped into the Atlantic surf at high speed without exhibiting hydrodynamic splash impacts, structural disintegration, or immediate speed reduction. While submerged, the thermal imagery continued tracking the object below the surface. Moments later, the return re-emerged from the water and appeared to split into two distinct, parallel-flying thermal signatures before losing sensor lock.

Scientific Analysis and Official DoD Review

Independent analysis conducted by the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU) evaluated radar returns from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and San Juan terminal radar, calculating kinematics that defied standard commercial or consumer drone capabilities in 2013. The case was formally evaluated by the Department of Defense's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) and integrated into official historical and analytical review files as a premier example of instrument-recorded, unresolved transmedium activity.