Manises 1979: A Civilian Flight, a Fighter Jet, and an Explanation Reduced to Lights

On the night of 11 November 1979, TAE Flight 297 was carrying 109 people over the sea near Ibiza, off the east coast of Spain. Captain Francisco Javier Lerdo de Tejada saw a group of lights shifting between red, white, and green moving quickly toward the aircraft. He changed altitude; neither military radar nor Barcelona air traffic control could find any aircraft in the area. The lights kept following. The captain diverted and made an emergency landing at Manises Airport.

After the passenger plane landed, the Spanish Air Force sent a Mirage F1 from Los Llanos Air Base to search for the object. Captain Fernando Cámara accelerated up to Mach 1, acquired a radar contact, and then lost it. While trying to approach, his fighter's warning systems triggered as if an enemy radar had locked onto the aircraft, and communications with the Pegaso control centre were jammed. The chase lasted about an hour and a half. No aircraft, balloon, or device was identified.