Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA)

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the statutory regulator for civil aviation in the United Kingdom, established in 1972. Headquartered at Aviation House near Gatwick Airport, the CAA oversees airworthiness, licensing, airspace management, and the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) jointly with the UK government.

Role in UAP Records

As the authority responsible for commercial airspace safety, the CAA routinely receives pilot reports of unusual aerial objects, near-mid-air collisions, and anomalous radar tracks. Notable CAA-documented cases include the 1978 Heathrow Airport radar UFO (where the CAA cited national security to suppress detail), the 1981 Lyons France British CAA radar tracking of an oval UFO, the Gatwick Airport UFO incidents, and the Dinkelsbühl Germany 41,000-foot translucent object report logged via UK-coordinated airspace control.

Release Policy

The CAA routes UAP-related reports to the Ministry of Defence when defence-relevant, while retaining aviation-safety data internally. Some CAA-origin records have been released through UK National Archives UFO file disclosures (2008-2013), including pilot reports and radar traces reviewed by the former MoD UFO desk.