In December 1998, two pilots approaching Lima, Peru, reportedly observed an unusual bright object that they said did not resemble a conventional aircraft. An air-traffic controller identified as Wilson Bravo reportedly observed an unusual radar return associated with the sighting. The case was later featured in the 2001 documentary Crónicas de OVNIs: Perú.
The 1998 Peru UFO / Lima Pilot and Radar Encounter concerns an alleged sighting reported by two pilots during a flight approaching Lima, Peru, in December 1998. According to a later television documentary, the pilots observed an unusually bright object whose movements and lighting did not appear consistent with a conventional aircraft.
The pilots reportedly described the object as producing an intense white or bluish-white light. One pilot compared its apparent brightness with the lights of a Boeing 727 and stated that it lacked the conventional red and green navigation lights normally associated with aircraft. The witnesses also reported that the object appeared capable of moving rapidly in different directions.
The documentary states that the pilots reported the object to air-traffic control and that the control tower radar subsequently displayed an unusual echo which disappeared rapidly. Air-traffic controller Wilson Bravo was interviewed in connection with the incident and described an anomalous radar return. The available documentary material does not establish the precise radar characteristics, range, altitude, or duration of the return.
The case is primarily supported by later documentary testimony rather than a publicly available contemporaneous official investigation. The identities of the two pilots have not been reliably established from the sources currently located, and no original radar recording or official air-traffic-control report has been located. The event therefore remains disputed rather than a confirmed anomalous aerial encounter.
This case should not be confused with the well-known 1980 La Joya incident in which Peruvian Air Force pilot Óscar Santa María Huertas attempted to intercept and fire upon an unidentified object while flying a Sukhoi Su-22. The 1980 incident is a separate event and should have its own archive entry.
| Date: | 1998-12-01 |
| Location: | Lima, Peru |
| Country: | Peru |
| Category: | Pilot / Aviation |
| Credibility: | Disputed |