02 · LORE
551 FILES·LAST 1D AGO
Oceania1978-10-21civilian claim

Frederick Valentich Disappearance

On October 21, 1978, twenty-year-old pilot Frederick Valentich radioed Melbourne air traffic control to report a large, shiny, unidentified object orbiting his Cessna 182 over Bass Strait. His last words were 'It's not an aircraft.' He and his aircraft were never found.

On October 21, 1978, twenty-year-old pilot Frederick Valentich radioed Melbourne air traffic control to report a large, shiny, unidentified object orbiting his Cessna 182 over Bass Strait.

Brief

On October 21, 1978, twenty-year-old pilot Frederick Valentich radioed Melbourne air traffic control to report a large, shiny, unidentified object orbiting his Cessna 182 over Bass Strait. His last words were 'It's not an aircraft.' He and his aircraft were never found. The full radio transcript is held in National Archives of Australia file series B1497, control symbol V116/783/1047, published by the Department of Transport in 1982. An RAAF P-3 Orion and eight civilian aircraft searched over 1,000 square miles without result. Around twenty eyewitnesses along the Great Ocean Road reported a green light matching Valentich's description the same evening. The Department of Transport's official finding was 'cause unknown.' An engine cowl flap matching Valentich's Cessna washed ashore on Flinders Island five years later.

Metadata

Date
1978-10-21
Year
1978
Location
Bass Strait, between Victoria and Tasmania, Australia
Region
Oceania
Status
confirmed
Tag
civilian claim
Primary
Frederick Valentich's 'UFO' Sighting and Disappearance
Source type
html
Sources
2

Key Points

  • On October 21, 1978, twenty-year-old pilot Frederick Valentich radioed Melbourne air traffic control to report a large, shiny, unidentified object orbiting his Cessna 182 over Bass Strait.
  • His last words were 'It's not an aircraft.' He and his aircraft were never found.
  • The full radio transcript is held in National Archives of Australia file series B1497, control symbol V116/783/1047, published by the Department of Transport in 1982.
  • An RAAF P-3 Orion and eight civilian aircraft searched over 1,000 square miles without result.

Most Interesting

  • The full radio transcript is held in National Archives of Australia file series B1497, control symbol V116/783/1047, published by the Department of Transport in 1982.
  • On October 21, 1978, twenty-year-old pilot Frederick Valentich radioed Melbourne air traffic control to report a large, shiny, unidentified object orbiting his Cessna 182 over Bass Strait.
  • An RAAF P-3 Orion and eight civilian aircraft searched over 1,000 square miles without result.

Timeline

  1. 1978-10-21 · Encounter

    On October 21, 1978, twenty-year-old pilot Frederick Valentich radioed Melbourne air traffic control to report a large, shiny, unidentified object orbiting his Cessna 182 over Bass Strait.

  2. 2022 · Source record

    Frederick Valentich's 'UFO' Sighting and Disappearance is the preferred source material attached to this encounter.

Sources

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