Fabio Zerpa

The man who left his life as an actor to pursue Ufology

Name	Fabio Zerpa
Age	90
Born	December 4, 1928
Died	August 7, 2019
Famous for	Being the leading authority on UFOs in Latin America

Fabio Zerpa used to be one of Argentina’s beloved actors, but he gave it all up the moment he saw a flying saucer in 1959. From then on, this Uruguay-born man dedicated 60 years of his life researching and investigating Ovnilogia (the Spanish word for Ufology). 

It was also thanks to his hunger for knowledge about the “mysteries beyond Earth” that he studied other disciplines: parapsychology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and esotericism. He shared his knowledge and experience in these disciplines by writing books about them—30 to be exact, most of which were longtime best sellers.

Many organizations, some of which he was a member of, across America, Europe, and Africa had invited him to their conferences to give lectures, seminars, workshops, and even personal consultations. 

What’s more, he’s the only civilian Ufologist in the world who delivered a lecture at a military institution—the Argentine Navy, Puerto Belgrano Naval Base—in September 1968.

So, what was the event that turned this former actor’s life around?

The UFO Encounter that Drove His Entry to Ufology

Fabio Zerpa had what you call a close encounter of the first kind on November 17, 1959.

At the time, he was filming for Channel 7’s TV series Condores de acero and playing a pilot. The Argentine Air Force plane captain invited him to go on a flight, taking off from the Moron Air Base. At around noon, while flying at an altitude of 800 meters, the captain told him to look at what was on their left.

He turned, and there was this object flying beyond the tail of the plane. It was:

• Closed
• Metallic
• Cigar-shaped
• 150-meter long
• Completely silent 
• Without wings
• Without propellers
• Without gas emissions

It stopped at 1,500 meters but didn’t fall; instead, it overcame the forces of gravity. It made a 60-degree angle and disappeared into Northern Argentina. It was moving in trajectories outside the norm of a human-operated aircraft.

He asked the captain what it was, to which he replied, “It’s an Ovni,” which stands for objeto volador no identificado (unidentified flying object). 

The captain further added, “For some, this is a flying saucer; for others, a secret weapon.” The moment he heard that, the researcher in him awoke, changing his life completely.

His acting career began to take a backseat to research trips and, later, conferences. In 1972, after completing Channel 13’s highly successful TV-theater production La pecosa, he decisively left acting. 

His Beliefs About the UFO/UAP Phenomenon

As someone who had been researching the UFO/UAP phenomenon for most of his life, Fabio Zerpa believed that extraterrestrial life was real. There were records of them visiting us since 1896. He also claimed that they looked just like us, with a head, shoulders, arms, hands, torso, legs, and feet.

He added that these extraterrestrials were members of technologically advanced civilizations, living in planetary systems similar to our own. They could be from our galaxy, from other parallel worlds, or even time travelers. 

Many of these extraterrestrials came to Earth to analyze and study the planet. They initiated close encounters of the fourth kind (alien abductions), where they brought people into the ship for scientific purposes. An acquaintance of his, scientist Daniel Fry, was said to have experienced this.

Meanwhile, some of them came to prepare for the future contact between our two species. These were the beings that interested him the most, as he was eager to look for signs of future contact. In fact, he made calculations that this contact would happen between 2025 and 2030. 

When asked if he thought we’re ready for a close encounter of the third kind, he answered “yes.” Humans had accepted that extraterrestrial life existed, and so a face-to-face encounter with them would be expected.

Lastly, he pointed out that there were also extraterrestrials who came to the planet but didn’t want to make contact with us.

His UFO/UAP Organizations

In his early years as a Ufologist, people looked at Fabio Zerpa as if he were a madman, but over time, they came to him for advice and to share their encounters. To formally investigate such cases, he had founded two institutions and been affiliated with others. 

ONIFE, 1968

After holding the Primer Simposio de Investigación de Vida Extraterrestre (First Symposium on the Study of Extraterrestrial Life) at the Faculty of Medicine in Buenos Aires, Zerpa decided to create the Organización Nacional de Investigación de Fenómenos Espaciales (National Organization for the Investigation of Special Phenomena).

ONIFE aimed to investigate extraterrestrial cases, as well as gather photos and films of UFOs that were previously examined and dismissed.

Over time, the institution grew to have 36 scientific advisors and 11 educational institutions under its wings. 

 It had also produced the following:

• Cuarta dimension, a monthly magazine that ran from 1973 to 1991
• Mas alla de la cuarta dimension (Beyond the Fourth Dimension), a radio program 
• El quinto hombre (The Fifth Man), an online magazine

CAEFA, 1998

After attending a conference in La Serena, Chile, Zerpa created the Comité Argentino de Estudios de Fenómenos Anómalos (Argentine Center for the Study of Anomalous Phenomena). CAEFA aimed to study, analyze, investigate, and coordinate rare and unusual events in Argentina and across the Americas.

He officially presented CAEFA at the Congress of Ufology in Los Angeles in November 1998 and reaffirmed its presence at the Congress of Contacts in San Jose, Costa Rica in September 1999.

Other Affiliations

Zerpa became an honorary member of two of Argentina’s prominent UFO organizations:

• Comisión de Estudio del Fenómeno Ovni de la República Argentina (CEFORA, Center for UFO Phenomena of the Argentine Republic)
• Red Argentina de Investigadores de Ovni (RADIO, Argentine Network of UFO Researchers)

His UFO/UAP Case Investigations

Fabio Zerpa, and the ONIFE by extension, had reported over 3,000 UFO cases, including alleged extraterrestrial contacts. 

Here are some of the cases he investigated in his life.

Caso Llanca

Dionisio Llanca’s case is one of the well-known UFO abduction cases in Argentina, and the case that shot Zerpa to fame. 

According to reports, on October 28, 1973, 25-year-old truck driver Llanca was traveling from Bahía Blanca to Rio Gallegos. He stopped at the side of National Route No. 3 to change a tire when a UFO landed by his side and three beings appeared before him. They took Llanca, puncturing his left hand to make him lose consciousness.

Hours later, he woke up in the middle of a railroad field, in a state of shock and amnesia. He wandered around until he ended up in the Municipal Hospital of Bahía Blanca. 

Fabio Zerpa’s team interrogated him days later and carried out a series of tests with the help of doctors to recover Llanca’s memories. The tests included hypnosis sessions and truth serum (pentothal sodium) injections. It was later revealed that the tests he went through left a bitter mark on Llanca’s life that he wanted to forget.

Caso Dique La Florida

The La Florida Dam case is an important event in Argentine Ufology. It involved a UFO landing and contact with an extraterrestrial being.

In Zerpa’s report, it stated that a group of six friends went fishing on February 4, 1978 at the Club Nautico y de Pesca La Florida in Lago La Florida. At 4:15 AM, they saw a bright light. They initially thought it was a shooting star. However, 30 minutes later, the light hovered near the hill in front of them. 

The light turned out to be a metallic object, similar to an inverted deep plate, with white, red, and green lights around it. Then, the object opened, and a being walked out of it, smiling and extending his hands with his palms facing upward as a greeting. They described the being as follows:

• Wore a silver-grey one-piece transparent diving suit
• Had a 3/4-length mittens
• Seemed to be floating in the air

The being then left shortly, heading northwest. It was as if he just came by to greet them.

Following this incident, two similar cases were reported: one on May 4 and another on August 30. 

The La Florida case remained unresolved, although speculation about what happened is still talked about today.

Caso Pilcaniyeu

In March 1994, Enrique Arriegada and Antonio Vergara claimed to have been pursued by extraterrestrial beings.

Their car broke down as they were driving in the middle of the night, near San Carlos de Bariloche. While walking to the nearest town, Pilcaniyeu, they saw a light in front of them, which grew bigger and brighter and looked as if it was going to crash onto them. They also looked behind them and noticed two other lights. These strange lights hovered about two meters in the air and were completely silent.

That’s when they realized that extraterrestrial beings were pursuing them. They stood paralyzed in fear for about 10 minutes, until the light flew and disappeared into the night sky. 

When Zerpa came to investigate their case, he claimed that Arriegada and Vergara’s car had broken down due to the electromagnetic field emanating from the extraterrestrial aircraft. He also said that Bariloche was a transit point for UFOs. 

His Works in Publications

Fabio Zerpa had written 30 books in his life about Ufology, parapsychology, and esotericism. Here are five of them that relate to Ufology.

Un hombre en el universo, 1975 

This book, translated as A Man in the Universe, tells Zerpa’s story as a man in this universe. He breaks down the barriers of egocentrism to understand what lies beyond the stars and time. 

He won’t be investigating from behind a desk, but rather on-site, interviewing witnesses, taking photographs, and gathering other information to study the UFO case. 

El OVNI y sus misterios, 1976 

This book, translated as The UFO and Its Mysteries, highlights the UFO investigations Zerpa conducted, suggesting that there may be life forms outside our known universe.

His friend, Antonio Ribera, also left a few words in the epilogue, stating that though the topic of UFOs has become a nightmare, he has no doubts that terrestrial science will manage to unravel it.

Dos cientificos viajan en ovni, 1977 

This book, translated as Two Scientists Travel in a UFO, shares the story of two distinct experiences of close encounters of the third kind. One happened on July 4, 1950, and the other on November 3, 1973. 

These scientists open up to Zerpa about their narrative, down to the smallest detail. 

Ellos los seres extraterrestres, 1996 

This book, translated as They, the Extraterrestrial Beings, revisits one of the most intriguing mysteries of the 20th century: the existence of extraterrestrial beings.

It depicts cases of close encounters of the third and fourth kinds, as well as reasons why these beings don’t want to make mass contact with us, particularly with the government and people in power.

Ovnilogia: Estudio y tratado de los OVNI 

This book, translated as Ovnilogia: Study and Treatise on UFOs, can be considered an introductory course, containing a series of lessons that one has to know about the UFO phenomenon. 

It has three modules. Module 1 explains what UFOs are; Module 2 describes the extraterrestrial contacts made in ancient and modern times; Module 3 lists the possibilities of where they come from.

His Legacy in Ufology

Fabio Zerpa, having awakened his passion for research following his UFO encounter, forged a formidable path, searching, investigating, and analyzing every angle to find the answers and resolve this intriguing phenomenon. Because of this, he remains the leading authority on all things UFOs in Latin America, even after his passing.

FAQ

How did the public respond to his transition from an actor to a Ufologist?

They thought that Fabio Zerpa was crazy, calling him the “flying saucer nut.” 

Did he receive recognition for his contributions in Ufology? 

Yes. In March 2011, at the Third International Congress of UFO Researchers, the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) gave a special recognition to Fabio Zerpa’s 50-year career¹⁴ in this field.

With the degrees he earned, did he ever consider teaching?

He did. He was a history and anthropology professor² at a university in Montevideo, Uruguay and in Buenos Aires, Argentina.