Frederick Valentich was an Australian pilot who vanished during a 125-nautical-mile (232 km) flight in a Cessna 182L light aircraft, registered VH-DSJ, over Bass Strait. On the evening of Saturday, October 21, 1978, twenty-year-old Valentich told Melbourne air traffic control that he was being followed by an aircraft about 1,000 feet (300 m) above him. He also reported that his engine was acting strangely. Later, he said, "It's not an aircraft."

Some people later claimed to have seen a UFO in Australia on the night of the disappearance. However, the Department of Transport doubted that a UFO was involved. Some officials suggested that Valentich may have become disoriented and saw his own lights reflected on the water or lights from a nearby island while flying upside down.

Frederick Valentich

Frederick Valentich was born on 9 June 1958 and disappeared on 21 October 1978. He had about 150 hours of flying experience and held a class-four instrument rating, which allowed him to fly at night only when weather conditions were clear enough to see. He tried twice to join the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) but was not accepted because he did not meet the education requirements. He was a member of the RAAF Air Training Corps and wanted to work in aviation.

Valentich was studying part-time to become a commercial pilot but had a poor record in school. He failed all five subjects of a commercial pilot exam twice. Just one month before his disappearance, he failed three more subjects. He had been involved in flying incidents, such as flying into a controlled area near Sydney, which led to a warning, and flying into clouds twice, which could have led to legal action. His father, Guido, said Valentich strongly believed in UFOs and was afraid they might attack him. Six days before he disappeared, Valentich talked to his girlfriend, Rhonda Rushton, about the possibility of a UFO taking him away.

Valentich’s final flight was heading to King Island, but the reason for the trip is unknown. He told flight officials he was going to pick up friends, but he also told others he was going to collect crayfish. Later investigations showed both reasons were false. Valentich did not follow standard rules by not telling King Island Airport he planned to land there.

Details

At 7:06 pm, Valentich contacted Melbourne Flight Service to say an unknown aircraft was following him at 4,500 feet (1,400 m). He was told no planes were known to be flying at that altitude. Valentich reported seeing a large unknown aircraft that had four bright landing lights shining on it. He could not tell what kind of plane it was, but said it had flown about 1,000 feet (300 m) above him and was moving very fast. Valentich then said the aircraft was coming from the east and suggested the other pilot might be playing a trick on him. He added the aircraft was circling above him, had a shiny metal surface, and had a green light. Valentich also said he was having trouble with his engine. When asked to describe the aircraft, he said, "It's not an aircraft." His message was cut off by strange noises that sounded like metal scraping, and then there was no contact anymore.

Search and rescue

A search was conducted using ships that travel across the ocean, an RAAF Lockheed P-3 Orion aircraft, and eight civilian planes. The search covered more than 1,000 square miles (about 2,600 square kilometers). Search efforts ended on October 25, 1978, but no results were found.

Official investigation

An investigation by the Australian Department of Transport into Valentich's disappearance could not find out the reason, but it was believed to be fatal for Valentich. Five years after Valentich's plane went missing, a part of an airplane engine, called a cowl flap, was found on Flinders Island. In July 1983, the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation asked the Royal Australian Navy Research Laboratory (RANRL) if the cowl flap could have moved from the area where the plane disappeared to where it was found. The bureau noted that the part was identified as coming from a Cessna 182 aircraft with a specific range of serial numbers, which included the serial number of Valentich's plane.

Proposed explanations

Some officials from the Western Australia Department of Transport thought that "Valentich became confused and saw his own lights reflected in the water or lights from a nearby island while flying upside down."

Some people have suggested that Valentich may have made his own disappearance. Even if he had flown for 30 to 45 minutes to Cape Otway, the single-engine Cessna 182 still had enough fuel to travel 800 km (500 mi). However, the plane was never seen on radar, even though conditions were good, which raises questions about whether it was near Cape Otway. At the same time, Melbourne police received reports of a small plane landing near Cape Otway.

Another idea is that Valentich committed suicide. However, UFO researcher Kieth Basterfield said that interviews with doctors and colleagues who knew Valentich made this possibility unlikely.

Brian Dunning noted that Valentich's radio messages were similar to a scene from the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which was released less than a year before his disappearance. The movie was popular with pilots, young people, and UFO fans. Dunning thought that Valentich might have been trying to copy the scene for fun and intentionally flew his plane in a circle to "give radar operators something to see." However, he may have become confused and crashed into the water.

In 2013, astronomer James McGaha and author Joe Nickell reviewed radio transcripts and other data. They suggested that Valentich, who was not experienced, may have been tricked by the illusion of a tilted horizon. He tried to fix the problem but accidentally put his plane into a dangerous downward spiral called a "graveyard spiral." They explained that the force of the spiral could have caused the engine to run roughly, as Valentich reported. They also said the lights above the plane were likely the planets Venus, Mars, and Mercury, along with the bright star Antares, which would have acted as Valentich described.

Some UFO researchers believe a UFO either destroyed Valentich's plane or took him away. They point to reports of a "green light moving strangely in the sky" and say Valentich was "in a steep dive" at the time. They think the mention of a green light in his radio messages is important. However, the Mount Stromlo Observatory noted that a meteorite stream was active that night, with 10 to 15 sightings per hour.

The group Ground Saucer Watch, based in Phoenix, Arizona, claimed that photos taken by plumber Roy Manifold on the day of Valentich's disappearance show a fast-moving object leaving the water near Cape Otway Lighthouse. UFO writer Jerome Clark said Ground Saucer Watch argued the photos showed "a real unknown flying object, of moderate size, possibly surrounded by a cloud-like vapor or exhaust." However, the pictures were not clear enough to confirm the object. Snopes editor Jordan Liles suggested the object was likely a "blurred fly" or a "bird flying nearby."