Pan Adria: an airliner paced by a red light
On 16 August 1977 a Pan Adria airliner with about 50 passengers was paced by an intense red light that matched its height and speed between Zagreb and Belgrade, stopped when it descended and shot off when it turned. The crew and the former head of Yugoslav flight control say radar tracked it. A military commission reportedly called it a weather balloon.
How plausible · High
A named airline crew and the former chief of flight control describe radar tracking; a military commission reportedly said balloon. (Revised 2026-10-23: a single proposed explanation is noted, not deducted.)
- ●●Access The flight crew and air traffic control.
- ●●No gain sought Nothing sold.
- ●●Character record Airline crew and the flight-control chief.
- ●●Independent convergence Crew and radar independently.
- ●●Physical traces or official reaction Primary and secondary radar.
- ●○Cost of speaking Named.
- −Story grew MiG losses and a pilot's death are told inconsistently.
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.