Operação Prato

The Operação Prato ("Operation Saucer" in English) was the first operation by the FAB (Força Aérea Brasileira) focused mainly on UFOs. It was carried out between 1977 and 1978.

Precedent events
In 1977, numerous UFOs were seen in the Brazilian city of Colares, Pará. The UFOs allegedly fired light beams at people, causing injuries and sucking blood from 400 witnesses. Due to the shapes of scars found on witnesses, local residence named them "Chupa Chupa" (literally Sucker-Sucker, not to be confused with the Chupacabra). After a rise in local concern, José Ildone Favacho Soeiro, the mayor of the city, requested help from the Air Force, organizing night vigils and using fireworks to keep the lights away.

There have also been reports of UFOs in the nearby city of Vigia.

The Operation
The operation was commanded by Captain Uyrangê Bolivar Soares Nogueira de Hollanda Lima. During late 1977, several pictures of strange lights were recorded. In approximately four months, Uyrangê and his team managed to reestablish peace and order in the region. The operation was closed with no proofs of unusual phenomena. The official documents can be read here.

Uyrangê's interview and death
In 1997, two decades after the operation, Captain Uyrangê gave an interview to researchers Ademar José Gevaerd (editor of UFO Magazine, founder and president of the CBPDV (Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas de Discos Voadores, or Brazilian Center of Flying Saucer Research), national director of the Mutual UFO Network) and Marco Antônio Petit. In this interview, he recounted his experiences living alongside his men. Some three months after the interview, he was found dead hanging by his own belt.