2010 · El Bosque Air Base, Santiago, Chile

El Bosque air show: the object that crossed the F-5 display

Lead

Strength B · 7/10 · 3 independent

Evidence 3/4 · Witnesses 2/3 · Backing 2/3

Footage presented by Chile's official UAP office and an expert committee that ruled out conventional causes back this case, but the trail rests on press summaries and the insect explanation is argued, not shown.

Plausibility High

Score 11 · 6 factors for, 0 against

Chile's official UAP office presented footage and an expert committee ruled out conventional causes; an insect is proposed by other analysts, not demonstrated.

See the factors ↓

Natural cause proposed, not demonstrated

When4 or 5 November 2010 (sources differ)

WhereEl Bosque Air Base, Santiago, Chile

Backing3 independent

Evidencesensor data, official records, documents

war.gov video · file page ↗

During a Chilean Air Force (FACh) change-of-command ceremony and air show at El Bosque, an F-5 display team flew over the base. An engineer at a nearby aircraft factory, looking through the footage for a poster image, noticed a small object crossing the frame very fast. CEFAA eventually gathered seven videos: two clear ones from cameras about 20-30 ft apart, and five poor mobile-phone clips that it no longer holds. In February 2012 CEFAA's director, Gen. Ricardo Bermúdez, presented the case at the International UFO Congress in Phoenix. He said an external expert committee had ruled out a meteor, comet, re-entering debris, aircraft and bird, and the object was publicised as moving at over 4,000 mph. Two independent analyses commissioned later disagreed. Richard Haines (NARCAP) said at least one object was very likely not an insect. Bruce Maccabee said the two clips did not show the same object at the same time, and that insects were most likely. CEFAA's final stance, per Kean, was that the case remains unidentified but cannot be called insects either. No CEFAA document was readable here (cefaa.gob.cl unreachable). The trail rests on press and the analysts' summaries, which is why it is graded lead.

Evidence, in date order (3)

Nov 2010Second camera about 20-30 ft awaysensor data
a separate clip of the air show; Haines says the same UAP appears on both (Maccabee disputes this) Leslie Kean, "Two New Reports on the Chilean 'UFO' Videos Produce Conflicting Results", HuffPost, 15 Nov 2012
2012Richard Haines (NARCAP)document
108-page analysis concluding at least one object was very likely not an insect Leslie Kean, "Two New Reports on the Chilean 'UFO' Videos Produce Conflicting Results", HuffPost, 15 Nov 2012
13 Mar 2012CEFAA external expert committeeofficial
ruled out meteor, comet, re-entering debris, aircraft and bird Emol, "Presentan caso de supuesto ovni en base aérea El Bosque", 13 Mar 2012

How plausible · High

Chile's official UAP office presented footage and an expert committee ruled out conventional causes; an insect is proposed by other analysts, not demonstrated.

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Access Cameras at the show.
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No gain sought Official office.
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Character record CEFAA and experts.
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Checkable details check out Footage.
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Physical traces or official reaction Video.
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Independent convergence Two cameras.

Plausibility weighs how well an account fits where secrecy hides the documents by design, so missing records never count against it. Strength measures what is documented. Assessed 2026-10-23.

On the record

CEFAA presented the case as unexplained. An external committee ruled out "un meteoro, un cometa, un resto espacial en reentrada, un avión o un ave". This is official, as reported by *Emol*, 13 Mar 2012 (secondhand).
Bermúdez said the objects did not appear to be bugs, "but we can't be 100 percent sure; it's still under investigation" (Kean, HuffPost, 15 Nov 2012; secondhand).
Seven videos exist. The two clearest are from cameras about 20-30 ft apart. The other five are poor phone clips, no longer in CEFAA's possession (Kean 2012; secondhand).

Claims

The object travelled at more than 4,000 mph through the sceneanalysisLeadCEFAA analysts; chain: CEFAA → Kean/Blumenthal → NBC (Alan Boyle, 15 Mar 2012)

The object appeared metallic, with "a defined geometry, not being an object of biological originanalysisLeadCarlos González Sasso (photo expert, DGAC Air and Space Museum); chain: González → Kean

At least one object was not a flying insect ("on balance, the answer is very likely no"), and the same UAP appears on both camerasanalysisLeadRichard Haines (NARCAP); chain: Haines report → Kean

The two videos do not show the same object at the same moment, so triangulation is impossible, and the objects "could have been small and nearbyanalysisLeadBruce Maccabee; chain: Maccabee report → Kean

The object likely was an insect, such as a fly or botflyanalysisLeadMarcelo Moya (Chilean photo analyst); chain: Moya → Kean

The shape resembles a ladybird (Coccinellidae), though no entomologist could be definiteanalysisLeadMario Elgueta and Fresia Rojas (National Museum of Natural History, Santiago); chain: Elgueta → Kean

Where

El Bosque Air Base, Santiago, Chile

33.6°S 70.7°W

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