Oceania1978-12-21civilian claim

Kaikoura Lights

On December 21 and 30–31, 1978, pilots and a Channel 0 television crew filmed luminous objects tracking their cargo aircraft above New Zealand's Kaikoura ranges.

Brief

On December 21 and 30–31, 1978, pilots and a Channel 0 television crew filmed luminous objects tracking their cargo aircraft above New Zealand's Kaikoura ranges. Wellington air traffic control tracked unidentified radar targets simultaneously, and the RNZAF, DSIR, and Carter Observatory launched a formal investigation. The December 21 encounter involved Safe Air pilots Vern Powell and Ian Pirie, with Wellington WATCC detecting three unknown radar returns, one estimated at airliner size moving 60 nautical miles at high speed. On December 30, reporter Quentin Fogarty and cameraman David Crockett filmed a luminous orb tracking the aircraft for fifteen minutes. Declassified Archives New Zealand files released in December 2010 show DSIR analysts were unable to debunk the TV1 footage, formally classifying the objects as UFOs in a January 1979 UN report.

Metadata

Date: 1978-12-21
Year: 1978
Location: Kaikoura ranges, South Island, New Zealand
Region: Oceania
Status: confirmed
Tag: civilian claim
Primary: Govt officials couldn't explain Kaikōura lights UFO sightings, documents show
Source type: html
Sources: 3

Key Points

On December 21 and 30–31, 1978, pilots and a Channel 0 television crew filmed luminous objects tracking their cargo aircraft above New Zealand's Kaikoura ranges.
Wellington air traffic control tracked unidentified radar targets simultaneously, and the RNZAF, DSIR, and Carter Observatory launched a formal investigation.
The December 21 encounter involved Safe Air pilots Vern Powell and Ian Pirie, with Wellington WATCC detecting three unknown radar returns, one estimated at airliner size moving 60 nautical miles at high speed.
On December 30, reporter Quentin Fogarty and cameraman David Crockett filmed a luminous orb tracking the aircraft for fifteen minutes.

Most Interesting

The December 21 encounter involved Safe Air pilots Vern Powell and Ian Pirie, with Wellington WATCC detecting three unknown radar returns, one estimated at airliner size moving 60 nautical miles at high speed.
On December 30, reporter Quentin Fogarty and cameraman David Crockett filmed a luminous orb tracking the aircraft for fifteen minutes.
Declassified Archives New Zealand files released in December 2010 show DSIR analysts were unable to debunk the TV1 footage, formally classifying the objects as UFOs in a January 1979 UN report.

Timeline

1978-12-21 · Encounter
On December 21 and 30–31, 1978, pilots and a Channel 0 television crew filmed luminous objects tracking their cargo aircraft above New Zealand's Kaikoura ranges.
2022 · Source record
Govt officials couldn't explain Kaikōura lights UFO sightings, documents show is the preferred source material attached to this encounter.

Sources

Kaikōura lightsWikipedia, 2024
Govt officials couldn't explain Kaikōura lights UFO sightings, documents showRNZ, 2022
Crew remember the day UFO was spotted over Kaikōura 40 years onNZ Herald, 2018