Graveyard Spiral

"This week Cristina brings us more UFO related history. What happened to one enthusiastic flyer over the coast of Australia? Tune in for some great history and perspective."

Presented by: Cristina
Category: Extraterrestrial

Fredrick Valentich was 20 years old at the time of his disappearance. He was studying to be a commercial pilot, having failed twice to join the Australian air force and having failed his licensing exams several times.

On the night of October 21, 1978, he went up in his plane. Ostensibly, his goal had been to go to King's Island, though he told people conflicting reasons for his flight, which all turned out to be untrue. Just after 7 PM, he radioed air traffic control about an aircraft that was "orbiting" him. He was told that there was no known airplanes in the area, although both crafts would have been too low to be picked up by the radar.

He asked several times if there were any military planes in the area, apparently believing it was an experimental craft. In the recording, he described the craft as metallic with a green light, capable of great speeds and being stationary mid-air. His last known words were, "It's hovering and it's not an aircraft." 17 Seconds of an unidentified scraping noise, while Valentich would have to had manually maintain the raido contact, can be heard.

Many theories abound as to his disappearance. Beyond aliens, some people believe that he flew upside down and crashed into the ocean. Debris that might have been his was found several years later, but remains inconclusive. This would be impossible for his type of plane, though an angled "graveyard spiral" might have the same effect. Others believe that it was an elaborate suicide, with the alien bit to cover things up and because he was a known believer in UFOs. However, he's evaluations make this unlikely. Still other believe he may have gotten into some trouble, possibly with another aircraft that he somehow couldn't identify.

No explanation completely answers the questions and this is considered to be one of the best cases for alien abduction.

Takeaway: The most boring explanation is usually the right one. Avoid flying alone at night.

Trivia

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