Case description
At about 11:40 a.m. on 27 June 1970, people at the Machado home above Avenida Niemeyer, Rio de Janeiro, reportedly saw a metallic object descend onto the sea. Investigator Walter Bühler subsequently interviewed Aristeu Machado, his wife Maria Nazaré and their visitor João Aguiar, a Federal Police official. Their adult daughter and four younger daughters were also reported present, making eight observers, although Bühler did not interview the girls.
Initially considered a motorboat in trouble, the object appeared grey, roughly four to six metres long, with a transparent cupola. Two small, stocky figures wore shining garments and headgear and seemed to gesture or work inside. Aguiar went to telephone for assistance. After roughly half an hour or more, the object skimmed the water before rising in a low arc toward the open sea. Maria Nazaré described coloured underside lights and the occupants seated inside.
The fuller published account also describes a white hoop and a small yellow floating object left near the departure point. Estimates of duration and offshore distance vary within the report. Claims linking these objects to a naval launch or underwater activity are interpretations, not established recoveries. The account appeared in Flying Saucer Review in 1971, drawing on Bühler’s Portuguese investigation.
