VASP flight 169 light
- Date
- 8 Feb 1982
- Place
- Fortaleza to Rio de Janeiro route, first seen near Petrolina, Brazil
- Record
- Curated case
- Assessment
- Explained
- Evidence strength
What was reported
Captain Gerson Maciel de Britto of VASP flight 169, a Boeing 727 from Fortaleza to Rio de Janeiro, reported a bright, colour-changing light off the left wing from around 3 a.m. near Petrolina that seemed to pace the aircraft for over an hour; he invited the passengers to look, and the airline produced its own incident report. The case drew wide press coverage. A paper in the Journal of Scientific Exploration (vol. 27, no. 4) reinvestigated it and concluded the 'object' was the planet Venus, rising and possibly distorted by an atmospheric mirage. Claims that military radar tracked it appear only in secondary accounts.
What officials concluded
No conclusion stated
No official explanation has been given.
Strongest ordinary reading
The planet Venus, possibly distorted by an atmospheric mirage
Evidence profile
- Yes: Visual
- No: Infrared
- No: Radar
- No: Video
- No: Photo
- No: Film
- No: Audio
- No: Night vision
- No: Other sensor
- Yes: Civilian
- No: Military aircrew
- No: Military ground
- Yes: Airline crew
- No: 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
- UAP: The VASP-169 flight Brazilian episode revisited (JSE)dc2.philarchive.org
- Patrick Gross: PP-SNG 1982ufology.patrickgross.org
On the map
9.39° S, 40.50° W, plotted at the centre of the region named in the record
Show on the map