“It’s Not an Aircraft” — The Last Transmission of Frederick Valentich

On the evening of 21 October 1978, 20-year-old Australian pilot Frederick Valentich vanished while flying a Cessna 182L over Bass Strait. He radioed Melbourne air traffic control to report that an unidentified aircraft was following him roughly 1,000 feet overhead, that his engine had begun running rough — and then transmitted the words: “It’s not an aircraft.” His signal cut out moments later, replaced by metallic scraping sounds.

Valentich had only about 150 hours of flying time and a troubled record — he had failed his commercial licence exams twice, strayed into restricted airspace in Sydney, and twice deliberately flown into cloud. His father said he was an ardent UFO believer who feared being attacked by them, and his girlfriend recalled him discussing the possibility of being taken away by a UFO just six days before he disappeared.

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A massive search across more than 2600 square kilometers found nothing. The Australian Department of Transport concluded the cause was unknown but presumed fatal. Five years later, an engine cowl flap from a Cessna 182 washed ashore on a nearby island, consistent with his aircraft’s serial range — but nothing conclusive.

Explanations have ranged widely. Some officials speculated he became disoriented while flying upside down and mistook his own reflected lights for a craft. A 2013 analysis by an astronomer and retired Air Force pilot suggested he had entered a “graveyard spiral” and that the lights he reported were likely Venus, Mars, Mercury, and the bright star Antares.

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Others have raised the possibility that Valentich staged his disappearance entirely. He had told flight officials he was heading to King Island to pick up friends — but investigations later found no friends were waiting. He had also never notified King Island Airport of his intention to land, going against standard procedure.

The plane had enough fuel to fly 800 km beyond its route, and it never appeared on radar near Cape Otway — raising doubt about whether it was ever there at all. Yet police received reports of a light aircraft making a mysterious landing in the nearby area at the same time he disappeared.

Further Reading: Discovery, Wikipedia