0134Z – Departure of the first airplane from Santa Cruz Air Base.From this moment on, after the proper transference of control, the Military Operations Center (COpM – Centro de Operações Militares) began vectoring the referred airplane to sector W,where some radar echoes were detected in São José dos Campos area. The airplane's pilot reported when he was stabilized on FL 170 that he could see a white light below his own level and at a later time, ascending and maintaining itself at 10° above his airplane. He followed it as far as FL 330, and reported that the light changed
momentarily from white to red, green and then back to white, the prevailing color.While the pilot was following the light, he obtained contact through the on–board equipment,which indicated it was something between 10 and 12 miles away, and confirmed visualcontact. He followed it towards the sea, up to approximately 180 miles from Santa Cruz Air Base,when he gave up the pursuit because there wasn'tany positive reason for approaching the lights and because he was coming close to the Minimum Fuel for Abandonment (CMA – Combustível Mínimo para Abandono).0148Z – Anápolis Air Base alert airplane take–off. After the proper transferences of control, the airplane was vectored to a spot which was being detected by the APP–AN's radar, which was transmitting information to COpM, who on their turn forwarded it to the pilot. This procedure was due to the fact that there wasn't any radar echo on COpM equipment. The pilot proceeded to five presentations obtaining contact and acquisition with his on–board radar, but was unable to make any visual contact. Of all the presentations, he was able to approach up to 2 miles within radar contact, whose trajectory alternated from zigzag to a sharp turn to the right.The object's velocity would often change, sometimes letting the airplane come closer, sometimes suddenly increasing distance, in spite of the interceptor's supersonic speed. Such maneuvers caused the contact to terminate, and the pilot gave up on the pursuit.
0150Z–Second airplane takes off from Santa Cruz Air Base (BASC).After the normal control proceedings,the airplane was vectored to the same area, south of São José dos Campos.The pilot reported the sighting of a red light at the location informed by COpM, andby doing so, confirmed the detection from the ground radar.A few minutes later, he found out that the light wasn't coming any closer and, soon afterwards, disappeared at the same time as the radar contact was lost.A striking detail during this vectoring was the momentary appearance of thirteen PLOTS behind the airplane, which was ordered to execute a 180° turn,and did not obtain any visual contact or on–board radar contact.
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