The release of Steven Spielberg's 'El Día de la Revelación' has brought renewed attention to the mysterious 1976 incident involving Mexican pilot Rafael Pacheco Pérez.
On June 21, 1976, Rafael Pacheco Pérez, a 20-year-old student at the Mexico Aviation School, took off at 8:15 a.m. from Chimalhuacán in a Cessna 150 for a practice flight. The aircraft vanished from radar for nearly an hour and reappeared over Acapulco, a trip that normally takes three hours.
Upon reestablishing contact, the pilot transmitted a message in a different tone, claiming it came from extraterrestrial beings. Controller Carlos de Kretschy heard: “The voice you are hearing is from extraterrestrial beings”. The message was delivered in Spanish, English and German, languages Pacheco did not master.
After landing, the plane retained almost all its fuel and medical exams confirmed the pilot was sober and in good condition. Pacheco never recalled the episode and stopped flying. Spielberg's film includes a similar scene where the protagonist acts as a channel for extraterrestrial communication.
