Brazil's 'Official UFO Night'
- Date
- 19 May 1986
- Place
- Airspace over São José dos Campos and São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Goiás, Brazil
- Record
- Curated case
- Assessment
- Unexplained
- Evidence strength
What was reported
From about 8:15 p.m. controller Sérgio Mota da Silva at São José dos Campos saw coloured lights over the airport, Guarulhos and the CINDACTA air-defence radar logged contacts, and Embraer founder Ozires Silva, flying a Xingu, tried to approach them. The Air Force scrambled F-5E and Mirage fighters from Santa Cruz and Anápolis (five in the official account, seven in some); pilots reported lights pacing them, while radar and visual contacts often did not coincide. On 23 May Air Minister Octávio Moreira Lima said publicly that fighters had pursued some 21 objects, and the Air Force report, now in the National Archives, concluded the phenomena were solid and showed some intelligence. No conventional identification has been published.
What officials concluded
Unresolved
Brazilian Air Force report (1986): solid phenomena displaying apparent intelligence, unidentified
Strongest ordinary reading
none established
Evidence profile
- Yes: Visual
- No: Infrared
- Yes: Radar
- No: Video
- No: Photo
- No: Film
- No: Audio
- No: Night vision
- No: Other sensor
- Yes: Civilian
- Yes: Military aircrew
- No: Military ground
- Yes: Airline crew
- Yes: Sensor operator
- No: Law enforcement
- No: Scientist
- No: Astronaut
- No: Intelligence official
- No: Other
- Yes: Light only
- No: Orb or sphere
- No: Disc
- No: Triangle
- No: Cylinder
- No: Cube
- No: Other shape
- No: Physiological
- No: Physical trace
- No: Electromagnetic
- No: Sound
- No: Silent
Outside sources
- Gov.br: Official UFO Night in Brazilgov.br
- Wikipedia: 1986 Brazilian UFO incidenten.wikipedia.org
On the map
23.18° S, 45.88° W, plotted at the centre of the region named in the record
Show on the map