Former members of the military have suggested that
glitches in the infrared camera in Underwood's plane may have been playing tricks on the pilot's eye.
Retired Air Force Maj. James McGaha also proposed that the object might have appeared to veer dramatically because of the way Underwood was maneuvering his aircraft. Underwood told New York magazine that he wasn't able to see the object when it veered to the left but believed it moved on its own.
"That part kind of sucks, because I can't confirm that the object aggressively accelerated that way," he said. "But I have my feelings, based off of my experience with my equipment — and also just logic, when it comes to, you know, physics."
He also dismissed the possibility that the UFO was part of covert tests done by NASA or the military. He told New York magazine that he was never instructed to keep silent about what he saw.
"I've got top-secret clearance with a ton of special-project clearances," he said. "So, it's not like I wasn't cleared to know. Clearly, whatever it was, if it was a government project, I did not need to know."