Tehran: Iranian pilot photographs glittering UFO
An Iranian airline pilot flying from Ahvaz to Tehran spotted a shining aerial object and captured it on photo, but authorities blocked its publication. Radar at Mehrabad Airport detected a target enormously larger than a jumbo jet.
Background
Sighting
In April 1978, a pilot of an Iranian airline observed a glittering object in the sky during a flight between Ahvaz and Tehran. He managed to photograph it, but civil aviation authorities forbade any release of the image. Radar controllers at Mehrabad airport registered a return twenty times the size of a jumbo jet.
Witnesses and Evidence
An unnamed pilot as principal witness; radar confirmation by airport personnel. The photograph exists but remains withheld. The event is mentioned in Eberhart's UFO timeline (p. 869) and in Clear Intent (p. 89).
Significance
The case points to repeated unusual radar and visual contacts in Iranian airspace, similar to the prominent Tehran incident of 1976. The enormous radar size indicates a massive phenomenon whose details remain obscured by censorship.