AVISTAMIENTO DE FENOMENOS EXTRAÑOS (EXPEDIENTE NÚMERO: 730926)

This document is a declassified military report (Expediente 730926) concerning an Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP) sighting that occurred on September 26, 1973, near Valencia, Spain. Two pilots flying a Mirage III-DE aircraft from Ala 11 were conducting a night training mission at 20,000 feet when they observed a bright, powerful light to their left. The object appeared to be at the same altitude and was moving on a convergent course. The pilots initiated a descent to increase vertical separation, during which the object also descended, maintaining a lateral separation of approximately 4 nautical miles. The pilots contacted GCA (Ground Controlled Approach) in Valencia, which initially reported no radar contact. However, as the object deviated toward the coast, the radar operator observed a 'parasite echo' that disappeared shortly thereafter. The pilots noted that the object's color shifted from bright white to reddish as it descended toward the coast, where it eventually disappeared at a low altitude. The investigation, led by a designated Juez Informador, considered several possibilities, including a commercial flight from Alicante to Manchester or an astronomical event. Detailed astronomical calculations provided in the report indicate that the planet Venus was visible at the time and location of the sighting, with a magnitude of -4.1. The final conclusion of the investigating officer was that the sighting was likely a misidentification of the planet Venus or a commercial aircraft that had activated its landing lights, and the report was subsequently declassified in 1993.