Valentich Cessna 182 Disappearance, Bass Strait, Australia, October 21, 1978
On the evening of October 21, 1978, 20-year-old Australian pilot Frederick Valentich departed Melbourne's Moorabbin Airport at 6:19 p.m.
Narration
Over Bass Strait's dark water, one large metallic craft with green light orbits silently.
Student pilot Frederick Valentich departs Moorabbin Airport alone into fading spring light.
Twenty ground witnesses watched an erratically moving green light cross the darkening sky.
The metallic shiny craft hovered directly above Delta Sierra Juliet as the engine ran rough.
Australian Department of Transport returned an open finding — cause of disappearance listed unknown.
Seventeen seconds of metallic scraping, then silence — pilot and aircraft never found.