Oscar Santa Maria Hueras
Lieutenant Oscar Santa Maria Hueras is a Peruvian Air Force pilot who, on April 11, 1980, engaged in an 84-kilometer aerial pursuit of an unidentified silvery orb-like object near La Joya Airbase in Arequipa, Peru. During the encounter, Hueras fired 64 30mm shells at the object with no damaging effect. His account was later corroborated in a DOD Joint Chiefs briefing document related to Project Moondust, alongside the 1968 Nepal crash disc case.
| Role | Lieutenant, Peruvian Air Force; Sukhoi-22 pilot |
|---|
The La Joya Airbase Intercept
On the early morning of April 11, 1980, Hueras was ordered to take off from La Joya Airbase in his Russian-made Sukhoi-22 fighter to intercept a strange silvery object floating near the end of the runway. The object was in restricted airspace without authorization, which Hueras stated represented "a grave challenge to national sovereignty." The sighting occurred during a period of heightened concern about espionage in Peru.
Hueras quickly flew to 2,500 meters altitude and prepared for an attack run. He stated: "I reached the necessary distance and shot a burst of 64 30mm shells which created a cone-shaped wall of fire that would normally obliterate anything in its path." Assuming the object was a balloon, Hueras expected to see it torn to shreds with bursts of outpouring gas. Instead, the barrage had no effect whatsoever on the object.
84-Kilometer Chase and Object Description
Immediately following the failed attack, the object shot skyward, forcing Hueras to activate his afterburners and travel at Mach 1.6 to chase it. After an 84-kilometer pursuit from 500 meters altitude, the object came to an instant standstill, forcing Hueras to take a sharp turn to avoid collision. He then re-engaged, stating: "I began closing in on it until I had it in perfect sight. I locked on the target and was ready to shoot, but at that moment the object made another fast climb evading the attack. I was left underneath it — it broke the attack."
Hueras then attempted to climb above the object, which was standing still at 14,000 feet, but the UFO shadowed his movements all the way up to 19,200 feet. Running low on fuel, Hueras approached within 100 meters to get a closer look. He described what he saw:
I was startled to see that the balloon was not a balloon at all. It was an object that measured about 10 meters in diameter with a shiny dome on top that was cream-colored, similar to a light bulb cut in half. The bottom was a wide circular base, a silver color, and looked like some kind of metal. It lacked all the typical components of aircraft — it had no wings, propulsion jets, exhaust, windows, antennae, and so forth. It had no visible propulsion system.
Aftermath and Official Investigation
Upon realizing he had engaged a UFO, Hueras was paralyzed with fear. He quickly zigzagged away from the craft, hoping his evasive pattern would make his aircraft hard to hit and take down. Upon returning to base, multiple eyewitnesses and base personnel also observed the object, further corroborating the encounter.
The incident led to an official DOD investigation, and Hueras's account was documented in a DOD Joint Chiefs briefing that also covered the 1968 Nepal crash disc case under Project Moondust. The briefing corroborated that Hueras fired 64 30mm shells at the UFO with no damaging effects and that the object demonstrated incredible aerial maneuvers during the 84-kilometer chase.