On June 22, 1976, hundreds of civilian and military witnesses across Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, and Gran Canaria observed a luminous sphere for more than 40 minutes. The entire crew of Spanish Navy corvette Atrevida filed official statements. The Spanish Air Force investigation concluded the phenomenon was a genuine 'Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon' and the full 100-page report was declassified in June 1994.

The military adjutant eliminated aircraft, missile tests, auroras, weather balloons, and meteorological effects as explanations. A physician, Doctor Francisco Padron León, reported the sphere appeared approximately 30 meters in radius with two tall figures visible inside at instrument panels, a detail the investigating military judge noted but treated skeptically. Journalist J.J. Benítez obtained the file in 1977 before official declassification.