1978 UAP Cases

◎Bass Strait, Victoria, Australia

STATE-007 · 1978-10-21

Valentich Disappearance — Pilot Vanishes Mid-Report

Australian pilot Frederick Valentich radioed Melbourne Air Traffic Control to report a metallic craft with a green light orbiting his Cessna over Bass Strait. His last transmission described the object hovering above him and his engine beginning to malfunction. A final metallic scraping sound was recorded on the ATC tape — then silence. Neither Valentich nor his aircraft was ever found. The Australian Department of Transport investigation found no explanation.

RAPID ACCELERATIONSENSOR INTERFERENCEDISAPPEARED INSTANTLY

Kaikoura New Zealand — TV News Crew Films UAP

State Dept◉ Orb / Sphere

STATE-008 · 1978-12-31

Kaikoura New Zealand — TV News Crew Films UAP

◎Kaikoura, New Zealand

An Australian television news crew aboard an Argosy cargo aircraft filmed approximately 30 minutes of footage of luminous objects over the Kaikoura coast of New Zealand. The footage was analyzed by the Royal Australian Air Force and Eastman Kodak, who confirmed the objects were real and not lens flares. New Zealand's Civil Aviation Division investigated and could not identify the objects.

McGuire AFB / Fort Dix — USAF Security Police Shooting

DoD? Unknown

◎Fort Dix / McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, USA

DOD-091 · 1978-01-18

McGuire AFB / Fort Dix — USAF Security Police Shooting

US Army MPs at Fort Dix reported encounters with humanoid entities near the base perimeter following reports of low-flying craft. A military policeman shot and wounded one entity, which fled to the McGuire AFB flight line and was found dead. The body was transported by US Air Force personnel. The classified incident report was later leaked to researcher Len Stringfield and has been cited in multiple FOIA requests to the DoD.

HOVERINGEMITTING OBJECTSSENSOR INTERFERENCE

Colusa, California — FAA Radar Track, Police and Civilian Witnesses

FAA◉ Orb / Sphere

◎Colusa County, California, USA

FAA-029 · 1978-05-03

Colusa, California — FAA Radar Track, Police and Civilian Witnesses

A luminous object maneuvering over Colusa County, California was tracked on FAA radar for approximately 40 minutes and observed by law enforcement officers from multiple agencies. The object paced law enforcement vehicles, descended to near-ground level, and departed at high speed. FAA radar records were preserved and reviewed by NICAP investigators. The case is classified as an official FAA 'Unknown' in its records.

HOVERINGRAPID ACCELERATIONSENSOR INTERFERENCE

New Zealand Film Crew Encounter 1978

◎Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand

DoD-B10-018 · 1978-12-31

New Zealand Film Crew Encounter 1978

An Australian television film crew aboard a cargo aircraft captured sixteen minutes of 16mm color film of unidentified lights off the New Zealand coast. The footage was analyzed by military, civilian, and scientific experts worldwide and remains one of the most thoroughly studied UAP films.

Italian Air Force MB-326 Encounter 1978

DoD◎ Disc / Saucer

◎Central Italy, Tyrrhenian Sea approach

DoD-B10-021 · 1978-10-22

Italian Air Force MB-326 Encounter 1978

An Italian Air Force MB-326 trainer aircraft crew made extremely close visual contact with a metallic disc over central Italy. The encounter occurred during a routine training sortie. Italian Air Force investigators classified the report and it became a key file in Italy's military UAP archive.

RAPID ACCELERATIONSENSOR INTERFERENCE

Frederick Valentich Disappearance 1978

◎Bass Strait, Victoria, Australia

CONFIDENTIAL

DoD-B12-002 · 1978-10-21

Frederick Valentich Disappearance 1978

20-year-old pilot Frederick Valentich radioed Melbourne Flight Service describing a craft with a green light orbiting his Cessna 182. His last transmission described his engine failing. Neither he nor his aircraft was ever found. Australian authorities conducted the largest air-sea search in Victoria's history.

Soviet Aeroflot Encounter 1978

◎Soviet airspace — Black Sea region

DoD-B12-004 · 1978-09-07

Soviet Aeroflot Encounter 1978

An Aeroflot Tu-134 crew encountered a massive luminous sphere that paced their airliner over the Black Sea for 20 minutes. Soviet civil aviation radar confirmed the contact. The Soviet government investigated and the case became part of the post-glasnost UAP disclosure records released in the late 1980s.

New Zealand Kaikoura Film Encounter 1978

◎Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand

DoD-B15-007 · 1978-12-31

New Zealand Kaikoura Film Encounter 1978

Australian TV journalist Quentin Fogarty and film crew aboard a New Zealand cargo aircraft filmed luminous orbs pacing the aircraft over the Kaikoura coastline. Wellington Air Traffic Control confirmed radar returns. The footage was broadcast globally and analyzed by physicists. New Zealand Department of Defence investigation concluded the objects were genuine unidentified phenomena.

HOVERINGRAPID ACCELERATIONFORMATION

Italian Air Force Livorno Disc Pursuit 1978

DoD◎ Disc / Saucer

HOVERINGRAPID ACCELERATIONSENSOR INTERFERENCE

DoD-B16-001 · 1978-10-27

Italian Air Force Livorno Disc Pursuit 1978

◎Livorno, Tuscany, Italy

Italian Air Force F-104G Starfighter pursued a metallic disc over the Ligurian Sea for 22 minutes. The disc caused the F-104's fire control radar to malfunction. Grosseto Air Base radar and Pisa military radar both confirmed the contact. The Italian Air Force filed a classified incident report. Italy's Air Force Commander publicly acknowledged in 1978 that unexplained aerial phenomena required investigation.

Soviet Sakhalin Island Military UAP 1978

DoD◎ Disc / Saucer

◎Sakhalin Island, Soviet Far East

DoD-B16-024 · 1978-06-15

Soviet Sakhalin Island Military UAP 1978

Soviet Air Defence Forces radar on Sakhalin Island — a strategically vital island between the Soviet mainland and Japan — tracked an unidentified disc for 20 minutes. Soviet interceptors were scrambled but failed to achieve radar lock. Soviet Pacific Fleet patrol vessels in the Sea of Okhotsk confirmed the contact from below. The PVO Strany (Soviet Air Defence) classified the encounter. Details emerged from PVO veterans after Soviet dissolution.

HOVERINGSENSOR INTERFERENCERAPID ACCELERATION

Frederick Valentich Bass Strait Disappearance 1978

DoD? Unknown

CONFIDENTIAL

DoD-B17-002 · 1978-10-21

Frederick Valentich Bass Strait Disappearance 1978

◎Bass Strait, Victoria, Australia

Pilot Frederick Valentich reported a large unidentified craft with four bright lights orbiting his Cessna 182 over Bass Strait in a live radio transmission to Melbourne Flight Service. His final transmission was preceded by a metallic scraping sound. Valentich and his aircraft were never found. RAAF investigation could not explain the encounter or the disappearance. One of the most studied aviation UAP disappearances in history.

HOVERINGSENSOR INTERFERENCE

Soviet Military Town Balashikha Mass Sighting 1978

◎Balashikha, Moscow Oblast, Soviet Union

DoD-B18-019 · 1978-05-03

Soviet Military Town Balashikha Mass Sighting 1978

A mass sighting of luminous orbs occurred over the military garrison town of Balashikha near Moscow, observed by Soviet Army troops and civilian residents for 45 minutes. KGB security filed a classified report. The proximity to Moscow and to strategic Soviet defense installations made the encounter particularly sensitive. The Soviet Academy of Sciences UAP Commission added the Balashikha case to its database as one of the Moscow Oblast high-priority cases.

HOVERINGFORMATIONANTI GRAVITY

RAAF Bass Strait Multi-Crew Encounters 1978