The Manises Incident
Red lights approached a Spanish passenger jet at night and followed it so closely that the captain made an emergency landing.
What was reported
On the night of 11 November 1979, a TAE Super Caravelle flying from Mallorca to the Canary Islands with 109 passengers was over the Mediterranean when its crew saw two red lights approaching fast. The captain, Francisco Javier Lerdo de Tejada, said they came so close and moved so strangely that he diverted to Valencia's Manises airport.
Ground radar was reported to show unknown targets, and the Spanish Air Force sent up a Mirage fighter, whose pilot reported lights that outran him.
Explanations offered
The official explanation was that the crew saw 'freak optical illusions'. Later researchers suggested the lights included flares from a chemical plant, and stars or planets distorted by the atmosphere. The case was declassified by the Spanish Air Force in the 1990s and is still debated.
- When
- 11 November 1979
- Where
- Over the Mediterranean, landing at Valencia, Spain
- Witnesses
- The crew of a passenger jet, radar operators and a fighter pilot
- 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.