1979 - The Manises, Spain Encounter

Spain's most intriguing and mystifying
UFO encounter is discussed.

The pilot of a large commercial airplane was
forced to make an emergency landing because
of fear of endangering his 109 passengers.

The culprit was a pair of strange, red
objects which at first were a few miles to
the left of the plane.

Four crew members clearly saw the objects
and the pilot sent a request to ATC to see
if they had the objects on radar, which were
located at 23,000 feet.

Barcelona ATC radioed back that there were no
other aircraft near their location.

They reported that lights were a powerful
source, and at their ten o'clock position.
The objects appeared to be moving closer.

The fear of a collision was so great that
the pilot aborted his flight and landed.

Strangely, just before landing, ATC picked up
three UFOs with a diameter of 200 meters.

These objects were witnessed by members of
the airport and a nearby military base.

A fighter jet was dispatched to check out the
objects, but even at 1.4 Mach, he could not get near
the object.

Each time the Mirage jet near the UFO, it quickly
darted away.

The object eventually left the area, moving
toward mainland Africa. After an hour and a half
and low on fuel, the Mirage landed.

This event was publicized throughout the country.
An official investigation deemed that the entire event
was based on optical illusion, an explanation that all
of those involved dismissed.