In one of Australia's greatest aviation mysteries, a young pilot and his light aircraft vanished off the Tasmanian coast on October 21, 1978.

Frederick Valentich, 20, a keen pilot and a member of the RAAF air training corps, was flying a Cessna 181 plane from Melbourne to King Island during the evening when he reported a strange aircraft.

Valentich radioed to air traffic control the object had bright lights and had flew close to him a number of times at great speed.

He said It was orbiting about 300m over his plane and described it as having a green light with a shiny surface.

Valentich thought it may have been a military plane and requested confirmation as he flew over the Bass Strait.

Then it suddenly vanished.

Valentich confirmed to air controllers he was continuing his flight

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