The Bariloche Incident
As an airliner came in to land at night, a bright light flew alongside it, and then every light in the city went out.
What was reported
On the night of 31 July 1995, Aerolíneas Argentinas flight 674, a Boeing 727 with more than 100 people on board, was approaching Bariloche airport when the pilot, Jorge Polanco, saw a bright light approaching. He said it stopped about 100 metres from the plane and flew alongside it, matching its turns, for around 17 minutes.
As he tried to land, the lights of the airport and the city went out. Staff in the control tower reported that instruments behaved strangely, and other witnesses on the ground said they saw lights.
Explanations offered
No explanation has been agreed. Suggestions include a bright planet or star, a reflection, and a military aircraft, with the power cut put down to coincidence. The pilot and several others insisted the light was a real object. The case appeared in US government files on unexplained phenomena released in 2026.
- When
- 31 July 1995
- Where
- San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
- Witnesses
- Pilot Jorge Polanco, his crew and airport staff
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.