The UFO Phenomenon

Former MoD UFO investigator Nick Pope has died, aged 60

By T.K. Randall
April 7, 2026

Image: Nick Pope
Credit: David Howard / CC BY 2.0 (adapted) Born in 1965, Nick Pope rose to prominence due to his work at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) which, from 1991 to 1994, saw him investigate reports of unidentified flying objects for Secretariat (Air Staff) Sec (AS) 2a - better known as the "UFO desk".

Due to the popularity of The X-Files at the time, Pope ended up being likened to a real-life Fox Mulder.

In the early 2000s, he revealed that the MoD has closed down their investigations of UFOs, but Pope himself remained a prominent figure, appearing at events and on numerous TV shows.

For years, if UFOs were in the news, Pope would be sure to make a TV appearance, often being regarded as the UK's foremost expert on the phenomenon.He wrote a book about his own experiences - Open Skies, Closed Minds - and continued to make appearances for many years, including on TV shows such as UFOs Declassified and Ancient Aliens.

His written works later extended to several science fiction novels and additional books about UFOs, including one about the Rendlesham Forest incident.

Sadly, on February 12th of this year, he posted an update on social media to say that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer.

He died on April 6th, aged 60.

Source: The Sun

Tags: Nick Pope, UFO