In 1978, 20-year-old pilot Frederick Valentich disappeared over Australia's Bass Strait after reporting a mysterious object circling his plane. His final transmission has become one of the most debated recordings in aviation history. Was it spatial disorientation, a staged disappearance, or something truly unexplained?

What do you think?

Sources

• Australian Department of Transport. Investigation into the Disappearance of VH-DSJ (Frederick Valentich), October 21, 1978.
• National Archives of Australia. Melbourne Flight Service Radio Communications Transcript – VH-DSJ, October 21, 1978.
• Bureau of Air Safety Investigation (Australia). Analysis of Cowl Flap Recovered on Flinders Island (1983).
• McGaha, James & Nickell, Joe. "The Valentich Disappearance: Another UFO Cold Case Solved." Skeptical Inquirer, November/December 2013.
• Brian Dunning. "The Disappearance of Frederick Valentich." Skeptoid Podcast.
• Snopes. "Frederick Valentich's UFO Sighting and Disappearance." November 2024.
• National Library of Australia (Trove Newspaper Archive). Contemporary newspaper coverage of Frederick Valentich's disappearance, October 1978.
• Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News Archive. Coverage of the Frederick Valentich disappearance and subsequent investigations.
• Civil Aviation Historical Society of Australia. Historical records relating to the disappearance of VH-DSJ and Bass Strait aviation incidents.