Valentich Disappearance — Pilot Vanishes Mid-Report

On October 21, 1978, 20-year-old Frederick Valentich was flying a Cessna 182 on a training flight from Moorabbin Airport to King Island, Australia, crossing Bass Strait. At 7:06 PM he radioed Melbourne Flight Service and asked if there was any known traffic below 5,000 feet in his area. After being told there was none, he reported a large aircraft with four bright landing lights flying above him. Over the next six minutes, he described the object as orbiting his aircraft, metallic and shiny on its underside, with a green light. He reported his engine beginning to rough-run. His final words were 'It is not an aircraft. It is...' followed by 17 seconds of an unexplained metallic scraping sound recorded on the ATC tape. Valentich and his Cessna were never found — no wreckage, no oil slick, nothing. The Australian Department of Transport conducted a formal investigation and closed the case with the finding: 'The reason for the disappearance of the aircraft has not been determined.' An eyewitness on the ground at Cape Otway reported seeing a light aircraft and a green light circling above it at approximately the time of Valentich's disappearance.