02 · LORE
551 FILES·LAST 1D AGO
Oceania1978-12-21civilian claim

December 21 Kaikoura Flight

On December 21, 1978, Safe Air Ltd pilots Vern Powell and Ian Pirie observed a formation of lights ranging in size to that of a house tracking their cargo Argosy aircraft between Blenheim and Christchurch. Wellington air traffic control simultaneously detected three unidentified radar targets, one of which moved 60 nautical miles at high speed.

On December 21, 1978, Safe Air Ltd pilots Vern Powell and Ian Pirie observed a formation of lights ranging in size to that of a house tracking their cargo Argosy aircraft between Blenheim and Christchurch.

Brief

On December 21, 1978, Safe Air Ltd pilots Vern Powell and Ian Pirie observed a formation of lights ranging in size to that of a house tracking their cargo Argosy aircraft between Blenheim and Christchurch. Wellington air traffic control simultaneously detected three unidentified radar targets, one of which moved 60 nautical miles at high speed. This was the first of the Kaikoura incidents and established the radar-visual combination that made the subsequent December 30 filming credible. Wellington WATCC estimated one return was the size of a commercial airliner. The pilots reported the lights disappeared and reappeared in different positions relative to the aircraft. The RNZAF subsequently sent an Orion on a reconnaissance mission and interviewed principal witnesses.

Metadata

Date
1978-12-21
Year
1978
Location
Kaikoura region, South Island, New Zealand
Region
Oceania
Status
confirmed
Tag
civilian claim
Primary
The world famous Kaikōura Lights sightings of December 1978
Source type
html
Sources
2

Key Points

  • On December 21, 1978, Safe Air Ltd pilots Vern Powell and Ian Pirie observed a formation of lights ranging in size to that of a house tracking their cargo Argosy aircraft between Blenheim and Christchurch.
  • Wellington air traffic control simultaneously detected three unidentified radar targets, one of which moved 60 nautical miles at high speed.
  • This was the first of the Kaikoura incidents and established the radar-visual combination that made the subsequent December 30 filming credible.
  • Wellington WATCC estimated one return was the size of a commercial airliner.

Most Interesting

  • This was the first of the Kaikoura incidents and established the radar-visual combination that made the subsequent December 30 filming credible.
  • On December 21, 1978, Safe Air Ltd pilots Vern Powell and Ian Pirie observed a formation of lights ranging in size to that of a house tracking their cargo Argosy aircraft between Blenheim and Christchurch.
  • Wellington air traffic control simultaneously detected three unidentified radar targets, one of which moved 60 nautical miles at high speed.

Timeline

  1. 1978-12-21 · Encounter

    On December 21, 1978, Safe Air Ltd pilots Vern Powell and Ian Pirie observed a formation of lights ranging in size to that of a house tracking their cargo Argosy aircraft between Blenheim and Christchurch.

  2. 2020 · Source record

    The world famous Kaikōura Lights sightings of December 1978 is the preferred source material attached to this encounter.

Sources

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