Óscar Santa María Huertas

Peruvian Air Force fighter pilot

Óscar Santa María Huertas was a Peruvian Air Force lieutenant who reported intercepting and firing upon an unidentified object near La Joya Air Base in Arequipa on April 11, 1980. Flying a Sukhoi Su-22, he reported firing 64 rounds of 30-mm cannon ammunition at the object without visible effect before pursuing it through a series of rapid altitude changes. Santa María later retired from the Peruvian Air Force and publicly recounted the incident in interviews and at the 2007 National Press Club conference.