The Official UFO Night
The account
About 20 objects were detected by radar and chased by Brazilian Air Force (FAB) fighter jets in a single night.
What investigators found
The case is official: the Minister of Aeronautics himself spoke to the press about the records. The nature of the objects was never clarified.
The story
On the night of May 19, 1986, air traffic control radars began showing strange blips between São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and southern Minas Gerais. Pilots in flight, among them Ozires Silva, founder of Embraer, reported seeing lights that changed color and position.
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) scrambled F-5 fighters from Santa Cruz Air Base and Mirage jets from Anápolis. The pilots said they saw the lights and registered radar contacts, with objects that sometimes moved faster than they could follow. About 20 objects were detected over the course of the night.
What made the case unique was the official response: days later, the Minister of Aeronautics himself spoke publicly about the episode and confirmed the records. The documents were sent to Brazil's National Archives years later. The nature of the objects was never clarified.