Alien Abduction... Or Pilot Error?

摘要

In 1978, low-time Aussie pilot Frederick Valentich, flying a rental Cessna 182, vanished after reporting an unidentified flying object circling above him. Could Valentich have fallen victim to a genuine alien abduction? It was Oct. 21, 1978, and the sun was setting into the Australian horizon. At 6:19 p.m., a young pilot named Frederick Valentich took off in a rented Cessna 182L from Moorabbin Airport in Victoria. He was en route to King Island, a 130-nautical-mile journey over a body of water known as the Bass Strait. The Strait is famous for its difficult flying conditions, but on this night, the skies were clear and the winds calm. Valentich was eager to make his destination, where friends awaited, ready to dine on fresh seafood along the water's edge.