The "Bolivian Roswell"
The account
A bright object crashed into the mountains on the Argentine border in front of many witnesses and was secretly taken away.
What investigators found
Searches at the time found no wreckage, and the most commonly cited explanations are a meteorite or rocket debris.
The story
On May 6, 1978, residents of southern Bolivia and northern Argentina reported seeing a glowing object cross the sky and crash in a mountainous area near Padcaya, in the department of Tarija. There were reports of an explosion and a tremor. Newspapers in both countries gave the case prominent coverage, and the Bolivian military organized searches of the area.
Nothing was officially found, which fueled rumors that the object had been taken away by foreigners. For astronomers, the most likely explanation is the fall of a meteorite or the reentry of some piece of space hardware. Decades later, witnesses and former officials called for files on the episode to be opened.