1986 Brazilian UFO incident
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Contents 4
| Type | Case |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Night of the UFOs, Official Night of the UFOs |
The 1986 Brazilian UFO incident, known in Brazil as the "Official Night of the UFOs", took place on 19 May 1986, when about 21 unidentified radar contacts and lights were reported over the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Goiás, and the Brazilian Air Force sent fighter jets to intercept them. The Air Force's minister publicly said they had no explanation.[1][2]
The night
At about 8:15 p.m. an air traffic controller at São José dos Campos airport saw three bright lights over the airport that changed colour.[1] At 9:08 p.m. Ozires Silva, founder of the aircraft maker Embraer and about to become head of the oil company Petrobras, reported from his aircraft red lights like "big red stars" and tried without success to get closer.[1][2] Radar stations then detected multiple unknown contacts, and air bases at Santa Cruz and Anápolis were put on alert.[1]
The intercepts
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Between about 10:30 and 11 p.m. two F-5E fighters were scrambled from Santa Cruz and three Mirage IIIE interceptors from Anápolis.[1] One F-5 pilot reported a light that changed from white to red to green and stayed 10–12 miles ahead as he followed it out to sea until he ran short of fuel. A Mirage pilot got radar contacts that seemed to zigzag and make 90-degree turns before speeding away. The second F-5 was told that 13 radar contacts were following it, but when the pilot turned he saw nothing.[1]
Official response
On 23 May the commander of the Brazilian Air Force, Octávio Moreira Lima, held a press conference with the pilots. He said it was not a question of believing in aliens, only of technical information, and that technically they had no explanation.[1][2] The Air Force's report, declassified in 2009, said the phenomena could vary their speed from hovering to supersonic, change altitude sharply, emit coloured lights, make sudden turns and keep their distance from observers.[1]
References
This page was last edited on 31 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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