The Mysterious Disappearance of Frederick Valentich in 1978

Frederick Valentich was a 20-year-old Australian pilot who disappeared on October 21, 1978, while flying a Cessna 182L light aircraft over the Bass Strait. He was on a 125-nautical-mile flight from Moorabbin Airport to King Island.

Shortly before his disappearance, Valentich contacted Melbourne air traffic control to report that he was being followed by an unidentified aircraft about 1,000 feet above him. He described the craft as having a shiny, metallic surface and a green light. He said it was “orbiting” above him and that his engine had begun running roughly. His last words were, “It’s not an aircraft,” before his transmission was interrupted by 17 seconds of “metallic, scraping sounds” and then silence.

An extensive four-day search was conducted, but no trace of Valentich or his plane was ever found. The cause of his disappearance remains unknown and has led to several theories.

Some officials from the Department of Transport speculated that Valentich, who had about 150 hours of flying time and a poor record in his pilot training, may have become disoriented while flying over water at night. This could have led him to inadvertently fly his plane upside down, causing his engine to run roughly and leading him to mistake his own lights reflecting on the water, or celestial objects like Venus, Mars, Mercury, and the star Antares, for another aircraft.

The possibility of a sudden mechanical failure, such as engine trouble or a structural problem, has also been considered, which could have led to a crash.

Due to conflicting reasons he gave for his flight and his history of a difficult time with flight exams, some have proposed that Valentich staged his own disappearance.

Given Valentich’s descriptions and his interest in UFOs, some believe he was abducted or his plane was destroyed by an unidentified flying object. This is a popular theory among ufologists. They believe that a UFO either destroyed his aircraft or abducted him. This theory is supported by late reports of an erratically moving green light in the sky in the same area on the night of the disappearance. A photo taken by a plumber on the same night near Cape Otway reportedly shows a fast-moving object exiting the water.

Frederick Valentich reported seeing some sort of aircraft just before he disappeared. (The Australian)

The case is still listed as “Unsolved” by the Australian Department of Transport. Valentich’s transmission has become one of the most famous in UFO lore, often cited as evidence of extraterrestrial encounters. His family, especially his father, believed until their deaths that Frederick was taken by a UFO.