Claim:
A video authentically shows a UFO taking off from the Amazon rainforest in 1987.
Rating:
A rumor that circulated online in the latter months of 2025 claimed a video showed a UFO taking off from the Amazon rainforest in 1987.
The clip allegedly depicts a helicopter pilot’s view of a round, disc-like object lighting up and rising from surrounding trees. The pilot says, “Command. Object in sight. Black disc. Stationary in canopy clearing. Surface: matte. No reflection. Standby. Object moving. It’s rising.” After an alarm begins blaring, the pilot’s voice continues, “Mayday! Mayday! We’re losing altitude. Command, do you c- …”
For example, on Dec. 3, an X user posted (archived) the 20-second video with the caption, “1987 Amazon Flight Captures Glowing UFO[.] Instruments Fail, Pilot Terrified!” That X post and a prior October Facebook post (archived) each received hundreds of thousands of views.
In short, the video was fake and generated with artificial intelligence (AI).
Snopes contacted a TikTok user who originally created the clip to ask about the creation process and will update this article if we receive more information.
The AI origins of the video
The aforementioned X post displayed a draft community note — not yet displayed to the public — identifying the source of the video.
On Oct. 5, a TikTok user displaying the handle VOID TAPES (@voidtapes_x) first posted (archived) the clip, to date receiving nearly 1 million views. The video displayed an indicator reading, “Creator labeled as AI-generated.” The user’s bio identified the clips as being created with AI, including a mention of the BigMotion.ai video-creation website.
The TikTok video’s text caption read as follows:
Archival footage from 1987 captures a mysterious encounter during a flight over the Amazon jungle. According to the crew’s later reports, a glowing UFO was spotted rising from the treetops, emitting bright beams and concentric rings of light. Moments later, the aircraft’s instruments went haywire — gauges dropped to zero, turbulence shook the plane, and communication with the control center was lost. The footage cuts off abruptly. Thankfully, the pilot managed to stabilize the aircraft and land safely at the nearest runway. When a follow-up expedition returned to the coordinates, they found only a perfect circular clearing where the UFO had appeared. The phenomenon was never seen again. #foundfootage #ufo #uap #alien #extraterrestrial
In our private TikTok message to the user, we asked if the person used the BigMotion.ai website to create the video. We also inquired about money earned by posting AI-generated videos and will update this story if we receive details.
Meme shares screenshot from the video
In other posts on Facebook, Instagram (archived) and TikTok (archived) — appearing in the weeks after the VOID TAPES (@voidtapes_x) TikTok user posted the AI-generated video — users shared a meme with a screenshot from the clip, reading, “Military Expedition Records UFO Taking Off from the Amazon Rainforest in Stunning Footage.”
(We love the Great Zimbabwe/Facebook)
The Facebook post featured a text caption telling a tale that very much resembled the writing of an AI tool. For example, the dramatized, forward-thinking final paragraph (highlighted below in bold) contained the same sort of wording often found in the conclusions of AI-generated stories:
A recently leaked video from a Brazilian military expedition has stunned both officials and the public, allegedly showing a UFO taking off from deep within the Amazon rainforest. The footage, reportedly captured by reconnaissance drones during a remote jungle operation, reveals a bright, disc-shaped object lifting silently above the treetops before accelerating upward at impossible speed — vanishing into the clouds in seconds. Witnesses from the expedition describe the craft as metallic, luminous, and completely silent, moving with precision and power far beyond known aviation technology.
Sources close to the operation claim the event occurred in a restricted region of the Amazon Basin, where the military was conducting environmental surveillance. According to leaked testimony, instruments reportedly malfunctioned moments before the sighting — compasses spun erratically, and communication systems briefly failed, consistent with electromagnetic interference often reported in other UFO encounters.
Analysts reviewing the video highlight the object’s flawless vertical ascent, lack of exhaust plume, and reflective metallic structure. These characteristics align with descriptions from decades of unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) sightings, reigniting questions about whether the Amazon — one of Earth’s least explored regions — might conceal evidence of non-human technology or hidden bases.
Skeptics suggest possible explanations, such as experimental drones or natural optical effects, but experts note the object’s controlled trajectory and sudden acceleration are inconsistent with any conventional or classified aircraft currently known.
As military authorities remain silent, the footage continues to circulate online, captivating millions and drawing attention from international UFO researchers. Whether a glimpse of advanced technology or something otherworldly, the Amazon UFO incident stands as one of the most compelling and mysterious cases ever recorded in South America.
#HiddenFacts #USAUFOSightings #USAMilitaryMysteries #AmazonUFO #UnexplainedPhenomena
For further reading, we previously investigated numerous instances of UFO sightings and rumors that users shared online, including the tale of Frederick Paul Valentich.
