Aircraft Accident Investigation Summary Report V116/783/1047: Disappearance of Cessna 182L VH-DSJ

This document is an Aircraft Accident Investigation Summary Report (V116/783/1047) concerning the disappearance of a Cessna 182L aircraft, registration VH-DSJ, piloted by Frederick Valentich, on 21 October 1978. The pilot departed Moorabbin Airport at 1819 hours for a flight to King Island. At 1900 hours, he reported his position at Cape Otway. Shortly thereafter, at 1906 hours, he initiated a series of radio transmissions to the Melbourne Flight Service Unit reporting an unidentified aircraft or object in his vicinity. Valentich described the object as having four bright lights, a green light, and a metallic, shiny surface. He reported that the object was orbiting his aircraft and that it was 'not an aircraft.' At 1912 hours, he reported that his engine was idling roughly and that the object was hovering above him again. The final transmission consisted of the aircraft's callsign followed by 17 seconds of open microphone, after which all contact was lost. An intensive search was conducted until 25 October 1978, but no trace of the aircraft or pilot was found. The report concludes that the cause of the disappearance could not be determined. Subsequent correspondence in the file includes investigations into an engine cowl flap found on Flinders Island in 1983, which was identified as potentially belonging to a Cessna 182, though no definitive link to VH-DSJ was established. The file also contains extensive investigator notes regarding the pilot's background, his interest in UFOs, and the public and media reaction to the incident, which the investigators noted caused significant distress to the Valentich family.