URECAT -> Home

Cette page en français

URECAT - UFO Related Entities Catalog

NOVEMBER 18, 1957, MARACAJA, SANTA CATARINA, BRAZIL, JOAO ERNANI AND PEDRO ZILLI:

Brief summary of the event and follow-up:

A report which is said to have had echoes in the press of the country and to have been presented by the CICOANI ufology group then appeared in ufology books and magazines, describing an daytime sighting on November 18, 1957, at 10:30 a.m., in Maracaja, in the State of Santa Catarina, in the south of Brazil.

Farmers Joao Ernani and Pedro Zilli heard a strange buzzing sound, and saw within some 200 meters, two circular discs of aluminum color and six men of average size and slender body, who wore dark-gray tight-fitting suits, and were returning towards the discs.

These discs hovered at 1 meter approximately above the ground, and seemed to be of approximately 3 meters in diameter.

They rose with a strong whistling sound, and made some coconuts fold and almost break.

At the same time, three other discs which had not been seen yet rose from behind trees, and the five craft went towards the southern Atlantic.

Basic information table:

Narratives:

[Ref. gc1:] GORDON CREIGHTON:

Gordon Creighton indicates that on November 18, 1957, at 10:30 in the morning, in Maracaja, in the State de Santa Catarina, in the south of Brazil, the farmers Joao Ernani and Pedro Zilli heard a strange buzzing sound, and saw within some 200 meters, two circular discs of aluminum color and six men of average size, slim, who wore "tight-fitting dark-gray suits", and who were returning towards the discs.

These discs hovered 1 meter approximately above the ground, and seemed to be approximately 3 meters in diameter.

They rose with a strong whistling sound, and made fold and almost break some coconut trees.

At the same time, three other discs which had not been seen yet rose from behind trees, and the five craft went away towards the southern Atlantic.

Gordon Creighton lists as sources professor Aleixo Hulvio Brant, director of Centro de Investigaçao Civil of Objetos Aéreos Nao Identitificados of Belo Horizonte in Brazil who wrote a "Report on the landing of Maracaja", and also an article by Floriano Correia in the Jornal do Dia of Rio de Janeiro for November 24, 1957, an article in Tribuna Criciumense, a newspaper of the Brazilian city of Criciume, an article in the Flying Saucer Review #9 for 1959, and the S.B.E.D.V. Bulletin for April-July 1962.

[Ref. lo1:] CORAL AND JIM LORENZEN:

The authors indicate that at 10:00 a.m. on November 18, 1957, a daylight sightings of occupants took place near Maracaja, in the State of Santa Catarina, in the south of Brazil.

Farmers Joao Ernani and Pedro Zilli saw two aluminum-colored discs hovering about three or four feet above the ground, from a distance of about 700 feet, and six medium-sized men, slim build, with tight-fitting dark-gray suits who were returning to the craft.

The discs appeared to be about 10 feet in diameter and rose with a sharp whistling sound, bending some palm trees almost double as they went over.

At the same time three more discs rose from behind trees and all five craft headed out over the South Atlantic.

[Ref. jv2:] JACQUES VALLEE:

The author indicates in its UFO landing listing that on November 18, 1957, at 10:30, in Maracaja, Brazil, the farmers Joao Ernani and Pedro Zilli heard a strange humming sound, then saw two aluminum-colored disks 200 m away. Near them were six men of average height, slim build, dressed in "dark gray suits glued to their bodies." The disks were about 3.5 meters wide, hovering 1 m above ground. They rose with a sharp whistling sound, while coconut trees below them bent double. Three more disks rose from behind the trees, and all five flew toward the Atlantic. Vallée indicates "Humanoids 36" as source.

Points to consider:

It is quite possible that the original sources provide a good description of the events; which does not appear well anymore in the summaries of the foreign ufological literature, it is regrettable that these primary sources which could even include an investigation report are not available now.

The lack of data makes it possible, for example, to suggest that those craft and men were helicopters: they rose with a strong whistling sound just like helicopters, there was some airflow onto the trees just like helicopters could cause, the occupants description is not in contradiction with ordinary men, and the disc shape might be in error or caused by the distance of observation and a possible ignorance of what helicopters are by the two witnesses.

List of issues:

Evaluation:

Extraterrestrial visitors or helicopters or hoax or confusion. Insufficient data.

Sources references:

* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.

• [---] ? Article in the newspaper Jornal do Dia, by Floriano Correia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 24, 1957.
• [---] ? Article in the newspaper Tribuna Criciumense, of Criciume, Brazil.
• [---] ? Ufology Magazine S.B.E.D.V. Bulletin, S.B.E.D.V., Brazil, April/July 1962.
• [---] ? "Report on the Landing of Maracaja", report by Professor Aleixo Hulvio Brant, Director of the Centro du CICOANI (Investigaçao Civil de Objetos Aéreos Nao Identitificados, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
• [---] ? Article in the ufology magazine Flying Saucer Review (FSR), #9, 1959.
• [gc1] * Summary by Gordon Creighton in "The Humanoids", ufology magazine Flying Saucer Review (FSR), Special Issue, 1966.
• [gc1] * "Humanoids in South America", chapter by Gordon Creighton, in "The Humanoids", book by Charles Bowen, Neville Spearman publisher, 1967.
• [gc1] * "Les Humanoïdes en Amérique Latine", chapter by Gordon Creighton, in "En quête des humanoïdes", book by Charles Bowen, French translation of "The Humanoids", J'ai Lu publisher, page 123, 1974.
• [lo1] * "Flying Saucer Occupants", book by Coral and Jim Lorenzen, Signet Books publisher, page 111, 1967.
• [jv1] * "Un Siècle d'Atterrissages", article by Jacques Vallée, in the ufology magazine Lumière Dans la Nuit, #43.
• [jv1] * "Passport to Magonia - On Ufos, Folklore, and Parallel Worlds", book by Jacques Vallée, Contemporary Books publisher, 1969.

Document history:

Authoring

Changes history

Feedback  |  Top  |  Back  |  Forward  |  Map  |  List |  Home

This page was last updated on July 9, 2013