The Valentich Bass Strait Disappearance

On October 21, 1978, 20-year-old pilot Frederick Valentich vanished over Bass Strait, Australia, while reporting a large, unidentified object hovering above his Cessna 182. His final radio transmission—recorded by Melbourne air traffic control—describes an encounter with something he couldn’t identify before contact was lost. Neither Valentich nor his aircraft were ever found.

The Flight

Frederick Valentich was flying from Moorabbin to King Island on a clear evening. At 7:06 PM, he contacted Melbourne Flight Service reporting unusual traffic below.

The Radio Transmissions

Key excerpts from the recorded conversation:

Valentich: “It is not an aircraft.”

Valentich: “It is flying past. It is a long shape. Cannot identify more than that. It has such speed.”

Valentich: “It is hovering and it’s not an aircraft.”

Final Moments

• Valentich reported the object was “orbiting” above him
• He described “a green light and sort of metallic like”
• His engine began “rough idling”
• Final transmission ended with 17 seconds of metallic scraping sounds

Search Results

Extensive searches found:

• No wreckage
• No oil slick
• No debris field
• No body

The disappearance remains unexplained.

Significance

The Valentich case is significant for:

• Complete audio recording
• Pilot and aircraft never found
• Official “unexplained” classification
• Other witnesses reported lights that night

Legacy

Frederick Valentich’s disappearance remains Australia’s most famous UFO case, with the audio recording providing documented evidence of his encounter.