The Disappearance of Frederick Valentich
While piloting a solo flight from Morabbin Airport, Victoria, Australia to King Island pilot Frederick Valentich disappeared. He reported his aircraft being circled by strange lights to aircraft control before stating “that’s not an aircraft” and losing contact. Valentich or his plane were never seen or heard from again.
Frederick Valentich had always dreamed of being a pilot. He had about 150 hours of flying time under his belt and held a class four instrument rating which allowed him to fly at night as long as the weather was clear. He had applied to enlist in the Royal Australian Air Force but was rejected twice due to insufficient qualifications. He had also applied for a commercial pilot licence but had twice failed all five commercial licence examination subjects. He had been involved in a number of flying incidents involving purposefully flying into clouds and flying into restricted airspace above Sydney.
On the 21st October 1978 Frederick hired a plane from Morabbin Airport and took off for King Island planning to meet some friends for a seafood dinner along the waters edge. He radioed the Melbourne flight service at 7.06pm to inform them that he was being an aircraft with four bright landing lights that appeared to be about 1000 feet above him. Valentich then reported that the aircraft was orbiting above him and that it had a shiny metal surface with a green light on it. He began to report engine troubles and when asked if he could identify the type of plane he was seeing he stated “it’s not an aircraft”. Shortly afterwards metallic scraping noises were heard before all contact was lost. A search and rescue operation was initiated to try and find Valentich with no result. In 1983 an engine cowl flap that could potentially have been from Valentich’s aircraft washed ashore on Flinders' Island.
What exactly happened to Valentich? Some people believe that he was abducted by the unidentified craft that was following him. Several eyewitnesses reported seeing an unusual green light in the sky on the evening that Valentich disappeared. The next morning a farmer from Cape Otway, an area near Valentich’s flight path saw a frightening object hovering over his property. He described it as being about 30 metres long and appeared to have a small aircraft attached to its side. The farmer said that the aircraft was leaking oil. He was so terrified by what he saw that he wrote down the tail number of the aircraft and reported it to the media many years later. The number matched the tail number of Valentich’s aircraft.
More skeptical theories have emerged suggesting that Valentich committed suicide after learning he would likely never be able to get his commercial pilots licence. He was himself a UFO enthusiast so maybe he wanted to go out in a way that would make him famous in the UFO community. Another theory suggests that Valentich had inadvertently started flying upside down and that the aircraft he was seeing above him was in fact his own reflection. This theory is supported by the fact that he had a green light on his aircraft. This is a phenomenon that is relatively common especially for new pilots flying around sunset.
If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy our summary of time slips or the disappearance of Vladimir Bastl.
Since the 1980s Scientists have been studying a strange aerial phenomenon in Norway but they yet to find a definitive explanation.
In an almost infinite universe, it's unlikely that we're the only intelligent life. But where is everyone else? Could it be that aliens have been coexisting with us on Earth, invisibly, since the beginning of our time?
Hundreds of people over the years have reported encountering strange Men in Black after UFO sightings or witnessing other strange phenomena. Could these men really be government agents involved in covering up alien activity or even something more sinister?
On the 26th November 1977, a strange Alien voice, calling itself Vrillon, interrupted a UK TV broadcast. It spoke of lights in the sky and urged humanity to embrace a more peaceful existence before it is too late.
Air Force Captain Gary Sudbrink planned a surprise trip to visit friends and family in New York. At the airport, he encountered two strange people with clipboards asking personal questions. More odd events followed culminating in Gary receiving four creepy calls with a robotic voice, telling him to ‘keep an eye on the skies’.
Garry Nolan’s studies have shown that many witnesses of UAP events have scarring in their brain that somewhat resembles 'white spots’ caused by multiple sclerosis. Is this brain damage caused by the UAPs themselves or is it a preexisting condition that makes victims more susceptible to experiencing the phenomena?
In September 1977 a young Cornish couple saw a strange glowing blob floating around the outside of their cottage. In the days afterwards the couple both became violently ill with an unexplained illness resembling radiation poisoning.
Many believe that over 50 years ago, aliens came to Studham, a peaceful village near Dunstable, Bedfordshire, UK. This belief was sparked by a strange story told by six young boys in January 1967, who said they saw something very unusual.
Before dawn on April 10, 2012, a motorist and a state trooper ten miles apart reported witnessing a colossal, neon-green object plunging from the sky into Bantam Lake, Connecticut.
The Kelly–Hopkinsville encounter was a close encounter with extraterrestrial beings in 1955 near the communities of Kelly and Hopkinsville in Kentucky. UFOlogists regard it as one of the most significant and well-documented cases in the history of UFO incidents.
The Veggieman was a strange creature witnessed by a hunter in the woods around Fairmount, West Virginia in 1968. The hunter believed the creature was extraterrestrial in origin.
The Dogon Tribe, of Mali in West Africa, are relatively unknown but remarkable. Despite having a population of less than one million, they have demonstrated an advanced understanding of astronomy that has led some to speculate about possible extraterrestrial contact in their past.
In 1964, Donald Shrum went hunting with friends in California and got lost in rugged terrain. As darkness fell, he climbed a tree to protect himself from predators and saw what he thought was a search helicopter. It turned out to be something more sinister.
On September 20th, 1977 a series of bright, flying objects resembling jellyfish were reported in the skies over Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.
Seventeen year old Kristina Florence was on a road trip with her family when their car broke down. She remembers her sister calling her to “come quick” then suddenly her and her sister were lying on a blanket in a park. The next thing she knew they were driving away at high speed. Kristina believes during this missing time she was abducted by aliens.
Xi'an, Shaanxi, China, is home to numerous mysterious pyramids located alongside the Wei River. Some people believe the pyramids have alien connections.
The Tuatha Dé Danann or the Shining ones of Ireland were an ancient race of people believed to be the descendants of fairies. Some believe they were extraterrestrial in origin.
The Copper Man was a strange creature sighted over 200 years ago near Portsmouth, UK. It was described as being 4ft tall with glistening copper skin and no facial features.
There have been reports of several unidentified objects being shot down by US, Canadian and Chinese Military at the beginning of February 2023. What is going on?
In 1973, Jeff Greenhaw, Falkville Chief of Police, received a call about a UFO in a field outside of town. He went to the scene and saw a figure standing there that was slightly taller than 6 feet and was wearing a reflective material that looked like "rubbing mercury on nickel".
In May of 1973 in the Isle of Wight, two children came across a strange creature. It called itself Sam and was described as being a cross between a clown, an alien and a robot.
On November 17, 1986, a Japan Airlines flight was stalked for 30 minutes by several UFOs. These UFOs were also seen by the Anchorage Federal Aviation Administration who advised the pilot to take evasive action.