Santa Cruz AFB: UFOs evade interceptors
Unidentified objects approached Santa Cruz Air Force Base in Brazil on January 22, 1990. Radar detected them; fighters pursued but objects evaded and returned later.
Background
Incident
On January 22, 1990 at 10:00 in the morning, unidentified flying objects were detected on radar at Santa Cruz Air Force Base near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Air traffic controllers reported objects that did not move like aircraft or helicopters.
Pursuit
The first interceptors approached, whereupon the objects fled and disappeared. About 40 minutes after the fighters landed, they reappeared. Two further fighters were sent to chase the targets at 4,800 feet.
Investigation
An internal commission of the Brazilian air force examined the case but found no explanation. No conventional cause matched the radar records and the observed manoeuvres. (Source: Eberhart, p. 1039; Clark III 205–206; Brazil 553; Clark IV 246)