Valentich disappearance

Record summary

Pilot Frederick Valentich disappeared while flying a Cessna 182L from Moorabbin toward King Island. During radio communications with Melbourne Flight Service, he described an unidentified object above or near his aircraft and then reported unusual engine or atmospheric circumstances before the transmission ended. The case is important for comparing an aviation report, a partially preserved radio exchange, and an unresolved disappearance. The aircraft and pilot were never conclusively located, while proposed explanations include disorientation, accident, hoax, and misinterpretation of another aircraft.