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Frederick Valentich Disappearance

Young pilot Frederick Valentich reported being followed by a large unknown aircraft with four bright lights. His final transmission described the object hovering above him, then silence. Neither he nor his plane were ever found.

October 21, 1978
Bass Strait, Australia
1+ witnesses

The Australian Pilot Mystery

On October 21, 1978, 20-year-old pilot Frederick Valentich disappeared during a training flight over Bass Strait, Australia. His last radio transmissions described an unknown craft hovering above him. Neither Valentich nor his Cessna 182 were ever recovered.

The Pilot

Frederick Valentich:

  • 20 years old
  • Student pilot
  • Melbourne, Australia
  • 150 flight hours
  • UFO interest known

The Flight

October 21, 1978:

  • Training flight
  • Melbourne to King Island
  • Cessna 182
  • Evening departure
  • Clear conditions

The Radio Calls

Valentich reported:

  • Unknown aircraft
  • Four bright lights
  • Not an aircraft
  • Orbiting above
  • Engine problems

The Transcript

Final words:

  • “It is hovering”
  • “It is not an aircraft”
  • Metallic scraping sound
  • Then silence
  • 7:12 PM

Massive effort:

  • Five days
  • Air and sea
  • No wreckage
  • No body
  • Nothing found

Witness Reports

Same evening:

  • UFOs reported
  • Near flight path
  • Multiple witnesses
  • Similar descriptions
  • Corroboration?

The Object

Valentich described:

  • Long shape
  • Four bright lights
  • Metallic surface
  • Orbiting him
  • Then hovering

Official Investigation

Department of Transport:

  • Investigated thoroughly
  • Cause unknown
  • No determination
  • File still open
  • Never closed

Theories

Explanations proposed:

  • Disorientation
  • Deliberate disappearance
  • Abduction
  • Crash undiscovered
  • Unknown

The UFO Connection

Evidence suggests:

  • Valentich interested in UFOs
  • Other sightings that night
  • Radio description clear
  • Not hallucination
  • Something present

Roy Manifold

Photographer:

  • Taking sunset photos
  • Same area, same time
  • Captured strange object
  • On film
  • Later analyzed

Bass Strait

The location:

  • Notoriously dangerous
  • Many disappearances
  • Deep waters
  • Strong currents
  • Recovery difficult

No Explanation

Decades later:

  • Still unexplained
  • No wreckage found
  • No body recovered
  • UFO involvement possible
  • Mystery endures

Significance

Pilot disappearance while reporting UFO contact, with recorded radio transmission documenting the encounter.

Legacy

The Valentich case remains unique—a pilot’s final moments recorded as he described an unknown object hovering above him, before vanishing forever.

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