It all happened on January 7, 1948. Just six months after the Roswell incident, people were very restless and always alert to any phenomenon that could be observed in the sky. The control tower of the Godman military airport received an urgent call from the Kentucky police, in which they alerted that many passers-by were giving warnings about a strange bright object that was crossing the sky at great speed. 10 SECONDS

The military personnel in the control tower at the time managed to locate the strange object to the southwest of their position, which they kept in their field of view for a little over an hour. At that time, an air force squadron was also flying practice over the same area. One of the pilots was Captain Thomas Francis Mantell, who in spite of his young age, enjoyed a wide prestige and recognition for his service in the Second World War, so he had great experience as a pilot of the fighter planes of the United States Air Force.

The squadron was contacted to proceed to the location of the mysterious unidentified object. When the four F51D Mustang fighters arrived, they described the object as being very bright and reddish in color at its tips. When the chase began, one of the fighters abandoned the mission, claiming it had run out of fuel.

Of the three remaining aircraft, only one had an oxygen mask in the cockpit. The object began to move rapidly and climbed to a higher altitude, reaching more than 7,000 meters. Taking into account that after reaching 6,000 meters one can lose consciousness due to lack of oxygen, this caused the other 2 fighters to withdraw from the pursuit. The only one left in charge of the mission was Captain Mantell.

When Mantell reached an altitude of more than 7,000 meters, he began to lose oxygen. According to the official report, Captain Mantell fainted from the effect of hypoxia, losing control of the aircraft. This caused the fighter to crash in an area 145 kilometers from the control tower. The pilot lost his life instantly upon impact. Some media spread all kinds of news, saying that the UFO had hit him with an electromagnetic beam.

The Air Force tried to cover up the fact, discrediting the capital Mantell, saying that the object he was chasing was the planet Venus, which was totally illogical, since an aviator with such experience could not fall into such a simple error of identification. When people took that version with skepticism, the Air Force changed the story saying that the object was a hot air balloon.

But experts claim that the mysterious object was an extraterrestrial craft, piloted by some non-human being, since it moved and changed direction in such a way that it transgressed the laws of gravity. These maneuvers would fulminate any human pilot. The air force also tried to conceal the pilot’s recording, but when it finally came to light, Mantell clearly describes a huge flying saucer-shaped object with an observation canopy; he then lost contact with the control tower.

Eyewitnesses who were able to observe the object in two different cities also described it as a flying saucer and further stated that it approached them, causing electronics to stop working. 

What Captain Mantell saw is still a mystery, the object he was chasing was probably so fascinating to him that he risked his own life to reach it. Despite the Air Force’s attempt to hide the event, to date it has been declassified as one of the most representative and enigmatic UFO cases in history.

Since the Mantell incident, there have been numerous UFO sightings by military and civilian pilots around the world. Some of these sightings have been the subject of official investigations by governments and military agencies, leading to the release of previously classified government and military files.

One of the most notable sightings occurred in 1986, when a triangular object was sighted by two Belgian military pilots. The object was moving at high speed and changing direction erratically, and was seen by hundreds of witnesses on the ground. The incident was investigated by the Belgian government, and the results of the investigation suggest that the object was of unknown origin.

Another notable sighting occurred in 2004, when U.S. Navy pilots sighted a Tic Tac-shaped object flying at high speed over the Pacific Ocean. The incident was documented in a video that was released to the public in 2017 and has since been the subject of much speculation.

Despite the number of UFO sightings by pilots, there is still much debate as to whether these objects are extraterrestrial in origin or have more mundane explanations, such as misidentifications or natural phenomena. The lack of concrete evidence has also led to speculation and mystery surrounding UFO sightings.

For decades now, sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have been reported all over the world. While most of these sightings can be explained as natural phenomena or conventional aircraft, some of them have left witnesses baffled, and have even led to official investigations by governments and the military. Let’s take a look at some of the most famous UFO chases in history:

The Kenneth Arnold Chase (1947).

On June 24, 1947, private pilot Kenneth Arnold sighted nine disc-shaped flying objects while flying near Mount Rainier, Washington State, USA. Arnold described the objects as “saucers skipping over the water,” and his sighting was widely reported in the media. Arnold’s chase is often considered to be the first UFO sighting of the modern era.

The Lubbock Lights Chase (1951)

In the spring of 1951, several residents of Lubbock, Texas, reported sightings of bright lights in the night sky. The sightings were investigated by the U.S. Air Force, which concluded that the objects sighted were probably birds or insects reflecting light from streetlights in the city. However, many witnesses to the sighting continue to believe that the objects were of extraterrestrial origin.

The Chilean Air Force chase (1978)

On the night of April 25, 1978, an unidentified flying object was detected by Chilean Air Force radars near the city of Santiago. Fighter planes were sent to investigate the object, and pilots reported seeing a cigar-shaped object moving at incredible speed. The object was chased by the military aircraft for more than 20 minutes before suddenly disappearing.

The Phoenix Lights chase (1997)

On March 13, 1997, thousands of people in the city of Phoenix, Arizona, reported seeing a formation of bright lights in the night sky. The lights were reported by witnesses throughout the state of Arizona, and the sightings were investigated by the U.S. Air Force. Although the Air Force attributed the sightings to military flares, many witnesses believe the lights were extraterrestrial in origin.

The U.S. Navy’s UFO chase (2004)

In November 2004, two U.S. Navy pilots sighted an unidentified flying object while flying off the coast of San Diego. The pilots described the object as a white “ticking” object moving at incredible speeds, and reported chasing it for several minutes before losing sight of it. The sighting was documented in a leaked video in 2017, and has led to increased attention to UFO sightings by the U.S. government and other countries.

The Varginha Incident Chase (1996)

In January 1996, several witnesses in the Brazilian town of Varginha reported seeing a strange, humanoid being in the area. The witnesses described the being as tall, thin and with a large head and red eyes. The sighting was investigated by the Brazilian government and several witnesses were reportedly detained and subjected to interrogation. Although the Brazilian government never officially confirmed the existence of a UFO or extraterrestrial beings, the Varginha incident has become one of the most famous UFO sighting cases in Brazilian history.

The Operation Prato Pursuit (1977)

In 1977, the Brazilian Air Force conducted an operation to investigate UFO sightings in the Amazon region. The operation, known as Operation Prato, focused on the Amazon River, where multiple sightings of UFOs and strange creatures had been reported. During the operation, the Brazilian military reported seeing unidentified flying objects moving at incredible speeds and performing maneuvers impossible for any conventional aircraft. Although the operation was considered a failure in terms of obtaining concrete evidence, it remains one of the most investigated and debated cases in the history of UFO sightings.

The Belgium UFO Wave Chase (1989-1990)

Between November 1989 and April 1990, residents of Belgium reported multiple UFO sightings throughout the country. The sightings were investigated by the Belgian Air Force and led to the creation of a special unit to investigate UFO sightings. During the investigation, multiple sightings were recorded and a video of a triangular object moving at low altitude was documented. Although the Belgian Air Force concluded that the sightings were of unknown origin, no definitive explanation was ever provided for what the witnesses had seen.

In many cases, sightings may have mundane explanations, such as atmospheric phenomena, military experiments or even human perception errors.

The lack of conclusive evidence of extraterrestrial life is an important issue in science and space exploration, and NASA is committed to the search for life on other planets and in the universe in general. To this end, the agency has developed a number of missions and research programs that include the exploration of Mars, the search for Earth-like planets in other stars, and the development of technology for detecting extraterrestrial signals.