UFO Stalks Bus!
The Port Lincoln Times reported in October 1988 that an Ansett bus driver, Mr Peter Chapman, reported a UFO sighting to police. Chapman claimed that about 12:15 am he witnessed a ‘bright white light’ near Mundrabilla Station, about 70 kms from the South Australian – West Australian border.
In his report to police, he stated the object
was around three meters in diameter, with no distinguishable features. It
hovered on the right side of the bus, at approximately 150 meters away. The
light then moved closer to the bus and followed along the Nullarbor Plain for
about ten kilometres, at about 120 kilometres an hour.
There were seven passengers on board the bus, all witnessing the event. The UFO
sighting was reported directly to the Eucla police.[1]
UFO Research
Australia, a group formed to document and investigate UFO sightings, dismissed
Mr Chapman and his seven witnesses. They claimed it was most likely the light
they saw was the planet Jupiter. They issued the following statement,
The organisation has checked meteorological and astronomical
data which suggests the cause of the observation was a mixture of seeing the
planet Jupiter and a misperception of vehicle lights.[2]
The UFO sighting caused a stir in Australian media with many
scrambling to find scientists to interview about the phenomenon. The Canberra
Times sought out South Australian Meteorologist, Mr Alan Brunt.
Brunt, who was cited as one of the few
scientists to have studied optical meteorology, stated there were dozens of
causes of unusual lights in the atmosphere. He stated the best approach was to
try and eliminate all other phenomena at the time. He examined the upper air temperatures
at the nearest weather station, approximately 100 kilometres away, at a place
called Forrest, which showed a marked temperature inversion with warm air
overlaying colder air, and cloudless skies.
There was high air pressure over the head of the Great Australian Bight;
the skies were almost cloudless, with very light winds. Brunt stated,
Light travels in straight lines when we are dealing with a
homogeneous medium. The atmosphere is homogeneous except when there are sharp
discontinuities in the air column. One of the main discontinuities is a
pronounced temperature inversion during cold weather when there is a sharp
difference in the air above and below the inversion.
This causes refraction, and the path of light is bent downwards, giving the impression the
object seen is much higher than it really is. Light reacts the opposite way during
hot weather to produce a mirage, when objects seem to be displaced from their
true position. The most common example
is when motorists think they see water ahead of them on a bitumen road
but what they are really seeing is the sky.[3]
Brunt’s explanation can be diluted down to this: the lights
seen are time mirages caused by refraction. They appear when a light from a truck’s
headlights strikes a temperature inversion, bends the light, and bounces it back
to earth. This optical illusion is known as Fata Morgana – which I wrote about
in 2014 – you can find that explanation here: https://hauntedadelaide.blogspot.com/2026/08/fata-morgana-quest-for-ufo-evidence.html
So does Brunt’s
explanation account for all UFO sightings on the Nullarbor Plains? Probably not;
there’s probably a myriad of other possibilities.
Does it explain Chapman and the passengers'
UFO sighting? What are your thoughts?
Written and researched by Allen Tiller © 2026
