The Manises UFO Incident

On November 11, 1979, a Spanish commercial airliner with 109 passengers was forced to make an emergency landing at Valencia’s Manises Airport after unknown lights approached the aircraft. The Spanish Air Force scrambled a Mirage F-1 fighter, whose pilot reported the object exhibiting impossible flight characteristics.

The Flight

TAE Super Caravelle:

• Flight from Salzburg to Tenerife
• 109 passengers
• Crew aboard
• Night flight
• November 11, 1979

The Captain

Francisco Javier Lerdo de Tejada:

• Experienced pilot
• Military background
• 12,000 flight hours
• Credible witness
• Professional aviator

The First Contact

Over Mediterranean:

• Red lights approached
• On collision course
• Aircraft’s instruments affected
• Passengers concerned
• Emergency declared

The Approach

The lights:

• Moved toward aircraft
• Intelligent movement
• Not collision beacon
• Not known aircraft
• Captain alarmed

The Emergency Landing

Captain decided:

• Divert to Valencia
• Emergency landing
• Manises Airport
• Passengers evacuated
• Safety first

Air Force Response

Spanish military:

• Scrambled Mirage F-1
• Captain Fernando Cámara
• From Los Llanos base
• To intercept object
• Full armament

The Intercept

Cámara reported:

• Obtained radar lock
• Object broke lock
• Multiple times
• Impossible maneuvers
• Outperformed fighter

The Object’s Behavior

The Mirage observed:

• Object accelerated away
• When approached
• Then followed fighter
• When Cámara retreated
• Intelligent behavior

Radar Confirmation

Ground stations:

• Tracked object
• Confirmed pilot reports
• Anomalous returns
• Multiple facilities
• Coordinated data

The Second Location

Object seen over:

• Alarcon also
• Multiple sightings
• Same timeframe
• Widespread phenomenon
• Not isolated

Official Investigation

Spanish authorities:

• Investigated thoroughly
• Files declassified 1994
• No explanation found
• Genuine unknown
• Case admitted real

Military Assessment

Spanish Air Force:

• Could not explain
• Advanced technology
• Beyond their capability
• Officially unknown
• Files public

Significance

The Manises incident is significant for:

• Commercial aircraft affected
• Military intercept
• Radar confirmation
• Official admission
• Government transparency

Legacy

The Manises UFO incident forced Spain to take UFOs seriously and eventually led to declassification of all Spanish military UFO files. The combination of a commercial emergency landing and military intercept makes it one of Europe’s most significant cases.