Tepual Airport Chile: LAN Boeing 737 Near-Collision with UFO
Background
On April 28, 1988, a Chilean LAN Boeing 737 approaching El Tepual Airport in Puerto Montt, southern Chile, experienced a near-collision with an unidentified flying object at close range. The case was later investigated by Captain Rodrigo Bravo Garrido of the Chilean Army Aviation Brigade (BAVE) as part of the Chilean military's internal review of pilot UFO encounters.
The Incident
As the LAN 737 was on approach to Puerto Montt's Tepual Airport, an unknown solid object appeared suddenly in the flight path. The crew reported evasive action to avoid collision. The encounter lasted only seconds but was logged as an official aviation safety incident. Details were later shared with Chilean military investigators.
Investigation
Captain Rodrigo Bravo Garrido included the Tepual case in his 2000 internal military study, Introducción a los Fenómenos Aéreos Anómalos, which compiled and analysed multiple Chilean military and civilian pilot encounters. The case became one of the reference examples Bravo later presented at the 2007 National Press Club event organised by Leslie Kean.
Significance
The Tepual incident is among the Chilean cases that motivated the establishment of the Comité de Estudios de Fenómenos Aéreos Anómalos (CEFAA) under the Chilean Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics. It is frequently cited as an example of close-quarters aviation UAP encounters with direct safety implications, and remains one of the most widely referenced South American pilot-UAP cases.