Early on Dec. 21, 1978, an Argosy freight plane departed from Wellington, New Zealand, on a routine trip to Christchurch. It was carrying Captain Bill Startup, co-pilot Bob Guard and a cargo hold full of newspapers headed for the South Island. But what began as a routine cargo mission soon morphed into one of the strangest UFO cases of the modern era.

As the plane passed Kaikōura, a string of strange lights flashed in the sky, following the course of the aircraft. Some were described as glowing red or orange orbs; others pulsed like brilliant white beacons. Even more remarkable, the lights weren’t just visually observed, they were radar confirmed, too, by Wellington air traffic controllers who reported the objects as solid targets traveling with the craft.

“We got a bright red glowing light out to our 10 o’clock position,” one of the pilots said over the radio.

For the crew, what should have been a routine flight had become surreal. And that was just the beginning.