In December 1980, on a country road near Houston, Texas, three people had a terrifying close encounter with a large, low-flying, diamond-shaped Unidentified Flying Object that was being pursued or escorted by a large fleet of military helicopters. What would become known as the Cash-Landrum incident stands today as one of the most compelling–and also confusing–UFO cases on record; a case that resulted in significant health problems for one of the witnesses and which eventually lead to a $20 million lawsuit against the US government.

One of the world’s leading experts on the Cash-Landrum case is Curt Collins, the author behind Blue Blurry Lines, a website focused on UFO mysteries, legends, and hoaxes. In 2015, Curt was on the investigative team that exposed the BeWitness “alien” photo fiasco, the Roswell Slides Research Group; his detailed accounting of this exposé was featured in my 2017 book UFOs: Reframing the Debate. More recently, Curt launched The Saucers That Time Forgot with Claude Falkstrom, focused on unearthing “tales that UFO history has overlooked or would rather forget.” Curt has spent many years retrospectively investigating the Cash-Landrum incident. Here, Curt separates the fact from the fiction as he talks to me about this fascinating yet hugely problematic case.

A depiction of the Cash-Landrum incident of December 1980. Inset: writer / investigator Curt Collins.

RG: Summarise the Cash-Landrum incident for us.

According to the story that surfaced, Betty Cash (52) and her friend Vickie Landrum (57) were out for a drive on the evening of December 29, 1980. Along with them was Vickie’s grandson, Colby Landrum, just shy of seven years old. The location was near Houston, Texas, on a two-lane country road in a sparsely populated area on the outskirts of the little town of Huffman. They rounded a bend and found a huge, blindingly bright, unidentified flying object hovering over the road. It intermittently emitted flames downward, and the witnesses were afraid and stopped. Betty stepped out of the car in attempt to get a better look at the object, but the other two quickly returned to the car. Shortly afterwards, the object lifted up and slowly flew away. The witnesses saw helicopters following it, and they had the impression they were military helicopters trying to surround the object, either to pursue it, or perhaps escort it. Once the aircraft had passed, they continued their drive home. Betty dropped Vickie and Colby off, and went home, where she went to bed with a terrible headache, which was the beginning of a lengthy illness that resulted in her hospitalization. Vickie and Colby also had flu-like symptoms and reported similar, but milder problems than Betty’s. None of them initially connected their illness with the UFO sighting, but, due to Betty’s lingering problems, came to suspect it may have been the cause.

Vickie Landrum (left) and Betty Cash.

RG: You’ve spent many years of your life researching the Cash-Landrum incident; what is it about this case in particular that you find so compelling? Why is it so significant?

CC: I was interested in the whole of UFO history, but drawn to focus the C-L story due to its reputation for being one of the best-documented and credible cases. The reported involvement of the military made me think that there must be further evidence to be uncovered, from declassified documents or perhaps from new witnesses such as retired helicopter pilots. However, as I dug in, I learned that the real events have been obscured by misinformation and rumors to the point that the real story has begun to vanish. A great stroke of luck was finding Christian Lambright who had independently interviewed Vickie Landrum twice in 1985, uncovering important differences in the witnesses account from the way ufologists were packaging the UFO story. This fueled my desire to dig beneath the mythology to find exactly what could be documented about the case.

Another artistic visualisation of the Cash-Landrum incident.

RG: Did the US government ever provide an official explanation for the incident?

CC: No. There has never been any tangible proof that there actually was an incident.

RG: Has it ever been satisfactorily determined what caused the witnesses to fall ill immediately following their sighting? What was the nature of their poisoning?

CC: Due to the way the events unfolded, we can’t be sure what happened. The UFO story did not surface until a month after Betty was first hospitalized, and it was about another month before any investigation began. Betty Cash’s illness was documented, but since the Landrums did not receive medical attention, there’s no evidence that they were affected by a UFO encounter. Betty had cardiac problems about two years before the events and underwent heart surgery and was taking medication, but was said to be healthy at the time. The cause of her problems was not determined, her doctors just described her ailments as alopecia areata and cellulitis. Betty’s hair loss and flu-like symptoms caused the physicians to check her for radiation exposure, but the results were negative.

The story as reported in Weekly World News, March 24, 1981.

RG: What was the official response to the sighting, from local authorities and from the military?

CC: It was over a month before the UFO incident was reported, and then it seems to have been informal. Vickie Landrum told her neighbor, Dayton Police Chief Tommy Waring, but the sighting had occurred out of his jurisdiction. He located a card with the phone number for the National UFO Reporting Center, and Vickie called them, which eventually led to news coverage and a civilian investigation. The military did not become involved until August 1981, after Betty Cash wrote to Texas senators, who advised her to file a complaint at Bergstrom Air Force Base near Austin, Texas. The witnesses were interviewed and given damage claims forms, and afterwards there was a brief investigation, but they found it improbable that such an event could occur undetected so close to Houston Intercontinental Airport by tower equipment, personnel or the pilots of the many aircraft in the area. In 1982 Representative Ron Wyden asked for an investigation into whether US aircraft had been involved in the incident. The Department of the Army Inspector General (DAIG) assigned Lt. Col. George Sarran the task of investigating, and, by all accounts, he did a thorough job. Sarran found the witnesses to be credible, yet found no indication to support their claims that any helicopters had been involved.

RG: What agency, if any, do you feel the helicopters belonged to? Indeed, did the helicopters exist at all?

CC: At one time, I was convinced the helicopters were part of the Army’s Task Force 158, training for a mission to rescue the American hostages in Iran. The timing, the equipment and the secrecy of the project are all tantalizing close matches, but ultimately it just doesn’t fit. After learning more about the requirements for equipment and personnel, the fleet of helicopters has become the most unbelievable aspect of the story, instead of its best lead.

Betty Cash experiencing hair loss following her UFO encounter.

RG: Why was the witnesses’ court case against the government dismissed?

CC: The lawsuit is a very unfortunate aspect of the case, and a true instance where the witnesses were victims. In my opinion, they were used as pawns by ufologists. Their absentee attorney Peter Gersten had been involved with several lawsuits to disclose UFO documents, and part of the things he asked for in interrogatories were to probe other UFO rumors. Based on Gersten’s statements, the lawsuit was at best a ploy, hoping the government would settle out of court. He stated that the chances of winning were “slim and none.” Judge Ross Sterling dismissed the case Aug. 21, 1986 without it going to trial due to lack of evidence. The complainants had failed to prove that US aircraft were involved in the incident or that it was responsible for causing the alleged injuries.

RG: How was the incident depicted in the media at the time, and to what extent, if any, did this contribute to any popular misconceptions about the case?

CC: The first coverage of the story was in the tabloid press, followed by local news, then national exposure on ABC’s Good Morning America. Some of the coverage was lurid and sensationalized things, but it stuck generally close to the events the witnesses described. The problem was that it received attention only because it was a UFO story, perhaps diminishing the chance for a proper investigation. Another thorny issue is that the witnesses originally each told a piece of the story from their own point of view, but the press presented a simplified narrative. It caused a feedback loop, and, before long, the witnesses were telling a homogenized version based on what they’d read about their own story. A related problem about the press coverage is that it produced a few additional alleged witnesses to a UFO or helicopters, but none of them had reported anything before the story was in the news. Those kind of witnesses are admissible evidence in ufology, but not something that would hold up in court.

More news coverage of the incident, showing Betty Cash’s dramatic hair loss.

RG: What role did the UFO research community play in investigating the Cash-Landrum incident; who were the key investigators; and to what extent have the efforts of UFOlogists helped to elucidate the complexities of this strange and disturbing case?

CC: Ufology got off to a bad start with the Cash-Landrum case, and it’s possibly a more complicated story than the UFO incident itself. The Aerial Research Phenomena Organization (APRO) had the first crack at things, but a rogue intercepted the report and sold it to the tabloids instead of investigating. Weeks later John F. Schuessler, the deputy director of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), was contacted by Betty Cash, and he became the primary investigator for the case and became a “rabbi” for the witnesses, an advisor, confidante, their de facto press agent, and part of the story. Schuessler certainly seems to have had good intentions, but in trying to present the witnesses in the best light, did much to transform the story into a legend. Meanwhile, the dark side of ufology was on the rise, the nutty sinister conspiracy stuff that later made its way into The X-Files, and many of the players such as William Moore and Richard Doty tried to reframe the Cash-Landrum story to promote their own agenda.

RG: Does the Cash-Landrum incident have parallels with any other cases in UFOlogical history, and what, if anything, can we learn from these parallels?

CC: The helicopter involvement is different from most cases, but other incidents do have some strong similarities, and I have dug through UFO history looking for comparable events. A few recognizable ones are the 1957 Levelland Texas case, which had a gigantic bright UFO, and the next year at the Loch Raven Reservoir in Maryland there was a large glowing egg-shaped object reported to have left the witnesses with “sunburn.” Other cases match in ways, but the most worthy of mention are two other UFO injury cases. In 1967 Stefan Michalak encountered a landed flying saucer in at Falcon Lake in Manitoba, Canada, and it left him with mysterious burns and some lingering health problems. There’s also the 1979 close encounter of Deputy Sheriff Val Johnson, who was driving along a lonely Minnesota road at night, when he saw a blindingly brilliant UFO above the road ahead. Unlike the C-L case, he didn’t stop, and his vehicle collided with the (much smaller) UFO. The car was damaged, and he suffered injuries including “welder’s burns” to his eyes. As with all UFO cases, there’s probably some mistakes and hoaxes in the mix, but the witnesses to these type of cases don’t generally follow the pattern of behavior of attention-seeking phonies.

RG: Vicki Landrum interpreted the incident at the time as a divine event, remarking as she observed the UFO something to the effect of: “That’s Jesus. He will not hurt us.” Some scholars have suggested that UFOlogy, or the UFO subculture, has clear religious aspects. Do you see any parallels between the pursuit of UFOs and the pursuit of God?

CC: That quote comes from Vickie attempting to comfort her grandson, Colby, during encounter. In the C-L case, I don’t think religious beliefs play much of a role, beyond the fleeting first impression the witnesses had about what they described. The UFO culture absolutely has religious beliefs, but they predate saucers and reach back into mysticism and Theosophy. When UFOs became a big news story in 1947, these believers were the first promoters of the extraterrestrial origin. The Contactees of the 1950s were an offshoot of this, and, directly or indirectly, a lot of that message of god-like aliens has become a fundamental UFO belief. We should not waste time hoping for parents from space to come down and solve our problems.

RG: Is there any more to be learned about the Cash-Landrum case in 2019 and beyond, or will the mystery remain unsolved?

CC: I have been surprised as more information has surfaced over the years from government documents to researchers’ archived files and correspondence, and there’s probably more to come. New information frequently requires a review of what you thought you knew about something, and, sometimes, it’s a challenge to discard beliefs built on bad information and falsehoods. We may never know exactly what happened on that Texas roadway the night of Dec. 29, 1980, but it’s a fascinating UFO puzzle, and demonstrates the worth of finding the facts beneath the fiction.

• For more of Curt Collins’ work, especially on the Cash-Landrum case, visit his website, Blue Blurry Lines.

Those who complain about UFO pictures being blurry and too far away to identify can’t say those things about a set of photos taken by two men in the Macedon ranges of Victoria. The photos and selfies are right up on top of what they claim is UFO wreckage and everything, including their can of beer, is clearly visible. What’s cloudy now is what exactly it might be.

“One of them sent me these pictures of their friends who were out on motor bikes in the Macedon ranges where they came upon a crashed UFO. They took some pictures that I am sending to you.”

‘You’ in this case is MUFON and the case is #99500, which can be viewed on the UFO Stalker website. Obviously, the report is not by the actual witnesses/photographers and it was submitted two years after the alleged discovery.

“They called some friends and told them they would come and pick them up to show them the object. When they returned a few hours later the site had been cleaned and there was no remains of the object. There was some police barrier tape but everything else was gone. They did take some pictures with their phones before and after.”

Mount Macedon

The MUFON post was picked up by intrepid UFO watchers TexasUFOs, who uploaded the pictures to their website and social media pages, where skeptics centered on the idea that the alleged debris looked like it was from a movie set. That’s entirely possible, since Mount Macedon (the name of the town and the mountain it sits at the foot of) has been used by some film crews – most notably for scenes in the 2009 sci-fi film “Knowing,” the 2010 horror film “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” and the 2009 fantasy “Where the Wild Things Are.” However, those scenes were shot four years before the alleged UFO wreckage was discovered – enough time for it to deteriorate (movie sets aren’t made to last) or be vandalized.

Do These Photos Show a Crashed UFO in Australia?

https://www.mufoncms.com/files_jeud8334j/99500_submitter_file2__IMG23872.JPG

https://www.mufoncms.com/files_jeud8334j/99500_submitter_file3__IMG2581.JPG

The Macedon is also just a few kilometers from the location of Hanging Rock, the famous geological formation that has strong spiritual and cultural significance to the Dja Dja Wurrung, Woi Wurrung and Taungurung tribes. This mamelon rock formation was formed by volcanic magma cooling in place rather than flowing, and the unique configurations this created include the Hanging Rock (a boulder suspended between other boulders, the Colonnade, the Eagle, a number of pareidolic faces on rocks and the … here it comes … UFO! (You can see the formations here.)

Strange things happened when Picnic at Hanging Rock producer Pat Lovell visited the actual rock in Victoria.

Picture: AlamySource:Supplied

One of the ‘faces’ among the formations at Hanging Rock which rises up from the plains northwest of Melbourne.

Picture: tripadvisor.com.au.Source:Supplied

Of course, any reference to Hanging Rock brings up “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” the 1975 Peter Weir movie based on the book of the same name. Both center around the unsolved mysterious disappearance of three young girls on Valentine’s Day in 1900 that some believe could have been due to a UFO abduction or mysterious powers emanating from Hanging Rock. Some people have even reported seeing the ghosts of the girls in the area. What most forget because of the realistic style of both is that the book is a novel and not based on any historical event.

Yes, the movie was filmed at and around Hanging Rock, which brings us back to the UFO wreckage report and photographs. Texas UFOs found a video that leads them to consider it was from a TV series, but there’s no concrete proof that it’s a TV prop either.

Then there’s the “police barrier tape.” That’s the strangest part of this report. Why would the police be called out to remove an old movie set, and why would they cordon off the area with yellow tape? It doesn’t sound like the stuff was from a movie … or a picnic … or a picnic movie. Any ideas?

Whatever it was, this sounds like a great plot for a new movie in a beautiful location that’s cheaper for shooting than Hollywood. Wait a minute … could it be a cheaper location for alien movie crews too?

The next flying saucer you see may not be a UFO – it could be an ADFIO, especially if you’re currently living in Romania. That’s where an inventor has created a real flying disc with all of the capabilities you would expect in a flying saucer … except for the aliens. He’s built a prototype, won an award and is pitching it to anyone who will listen in the hopes of raising the capital to build a commercial, military or private vehicle soon. Oh … ADFIO stands for All-Directional Flying Object. Is that one hovering above you?

“The Romanian inventor has stated that his device is unique in the world by the fact that it can evolve in any direction with the same aerodynamic characteristics and can fly just as well in subsonic or supersonic regime.”

Romanian engineer Razvan Sabie hasn’t just stated … he’s demonstrated his ADFIO, albeit at subsonic speeds and in a smaller electric platform, to Romanian media. But many of the capabilities are already in the prototype, as can be seen in the new video he’s released. (Watch it here.) The disc is a classic flying saucer shape, looking like two saucers glued top-to-top but tapered to a razor edge for aerodynamics in horizontal flight, which is currently provided by two fans that operate independently and will eventually be replaced with supersonic jet engines. Vertical-takeoff-and-landings and subsonic all-direction maneuvers are provided by surface fans on the top and the bottom. These fans rotate to give the craft a true flying saucer spin and can be retracted, as can the landing gear, to eliminate drag.

How many does it seat?

“It’s the only one bi-directional airfoil known and functional. The possibility to reach much easier supersonic speeds (for a normal airplane the drag coefficient increases 7-8 times during the transonic flight, respect to maximum two times for this aircraft), combined with the hypermaneuvrability can offer you a picture regarding the potential of this aircraft.”

While the ADFIO could be described as a round wing or two dolphin-tail foils glued together, Sabie points out that the ability to change directions puts it far ahead of today’s triangular flying wings. In addition, the minimal drag during acceleration is expected to reduce or eliminate sonic booms.

Buh-bye

But wait … there’s more!

While not demonstrated in the video, the ADFIO will be able to do all of these maneuvers upside down as well, without the need for separate wings, ailerons, rudders or flaps.

How much and when can I get one?

Ah, there’s the catch. The 1.2-meter (3.9 feet) diameter prototype was built to both demonstrate capabilities and find investors. It’s obviously not ready for supersonic flight and not big enough for pilots, although there’s no doubt an autonomous version will be built. As of now, no dates or prices have been released.

Nonetheless … the All-DIrectional Flying Object is WAY cool.

There can be absolutely no doubt at all that one of the most controversial of all the various whistleblowers who have come forward with startling revelations concerning Area 51 was a man named Boyd Bushman. He revealed data that was not just controversial, but arguably beyond controversial. You’ll soon see what I mean by that. Although many of Bushman’s claims stretched credibility to the absolute max, the intriguing fact is that he really was plugged into the secret world of Area 51 and advanced technologies. As we shall now see. Bushman, who died on August 7, 2014, left an amazing and controversial legacy behind him. It was a filmed statement from him on what he knew about an alien presence at Area 51, anti-gravity technology in the hands of personnel at the base, one on one contact with ETs, and much, much more. Was Bushman telling the truth? Was he nothing but an outright liar? Or, was he spreading disinformation on behalf of those who run Area 51 – and as a means to muddy the waters of what really goes on there? Or, do all three scenarios have some degree of validity attached to them? Let’s take a look at the life and work of Bushman and his incredible revelations – if that’s what they really were.

First, it’s important to note that Bushman was no fantasist. He was a respected figure in the world of aviation, having worked as a senior scientist with Lockheed Martin. He also had more than a few patents to his name. He also claimed to have worked on top secret anti-gravity-based programs for the U.S. Government. To a degree this has been confirmed, since his heavily redacted, declassified FBI file references his research in the field of anti-gravity. Magnetic drives and a thermally energized electrical power source were also patented by Bushman. Bushman made a number of claims that sounded plausible, but he also revealed to the UFO research community and to the world’s media tales that were downright bizarre. In 2007 – which was seven years before he passed away – Bushman was filmed speaking about what he knew (or what he claimed to know) about all things alien, and a great deal about Area 51.

According to Bushman, aliens were both working and living at Area 51. We’re not talking about just dead aliens recovered from crashed UFOs – such as those allegedly recovered from outside of Roswell, New Mexico in the summer of 1947. This, to a degree, you may know, echoes a brief aside made by Bob Lazar back in 1989, when he claimed to have very briefly seen a small, humanoid figure at the S-4 site. It’s important to note that Lazar himself suspected that this may have been a deliberate, fabricated, stage-managed incident, designed to make Lazar think there were aliens at Area 51. Obviously, this has a bearing on the Bushman story, too, specifically in relation to the possibility that Bushman may also have been deliberately fed faked data by disinformation specialists at Area 51. Still on the matter of Bob Lazar, it’s intriguing to note that – to a degree – Bushman backed up Lazar’s claims of having worked on the anti-gravity systems of the alleged UFOs held at S-4. According to Bushman, such research was indeed actively and secretly underway at Area 51. Interestingly, Bushman also asserted that both the Chinese and the Russians had been brought into the fold, to a certain degree, anyway. This too mirrors the words of Bob Lazar, way back in the 1980s, when he said that while working at Area 51 he heard whispers of the Russians having been invited to work on the program, but who at some point were slung off the project.

As for the aliens themselves, this is where Bushman’s story got really weird. He claimed they came from a planet called Quintumnia (on some occasions he called it Quintonia), which is said to be around sixty-eight light years away. Incredibly, Bushman maintained that the aliens were able to make the journey from their world to ours in less than an hour. Their lifespan, said Bushman, was far in excess of ours. Indeed, he said that the average Quintumnian lived on average to around 230 of our years. They were not too dissimilar to us, with hands and feet like ours. As for their height, it was around five-feet. They didn’t speak English, though. Or, in fact, any Earth-based language. They didn’t need to. They communicated solely by telepathy. Certainly, one of Bushman’s most controversial claims (and there were many of them…) was that he had interacted with the ETs personally, and to the extent that he said he gave them a camera so that the aliens could take pictures of their home planet and bring the pictures back to him! Whether Bushman preserved those priceless pictures in a dedicated photo album is anyone’s guess. He also maintained that the Quintumnians were the alien race responsible for the ongoing cattle-mutilation phenomenon on our world.

Certainly, the most outrageous aspect of the Bushman affair came when he revealed a color photo of what was said to have been one of the Quintumnians. In no time at all, the UFO research was able to offer a definitive “Gotcha!” The photo which Bushman touted as proof of alien visitations to Earth in general and to Area 51 specifically, was not evidence of anything of an extraterrestrial nature at all. It was actually a picture of a quite sophisticated alien doll sold by none other than Wal-Mart! For many people in the field of Ufology, the issue of the “Wal-Mart alien” (as it quickly and inevitably became known) was enough for them to walk away from the controversy and brand Bushman as either a liar, a joker, or someone descending into a state of senility. Maybe, one of those scenarios was indeed the correct one. On the other hand, though, one has to give some thought to the distinct possibility that Bushman was still highly astute and not suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Significant thought must be given to a theory that cannot be ruled out. In fact, we might very wise to rule it in. It goes as follows.

Let’s say that Area 51’s overlords were concerned by the ever-increasing attention paid to the secret base. After all, it had appeared in The X-Files, in Independence Day (something which senior personnel at the Pentagon were far from happy about), and in the movie, Area 51, which was released in 2015. Add to that, the growing number of people who have been detained and fined for getting too close to Area 51 and one can see that the personnel at Area 51 might have come up with an intriguing plan. Perhaps, a “plot” would be a far better term to use. It’s not at all unlikely or implausible that Bushman was groomed by personnel at Area 51 to divulge an amazing and astounding faked story of aliens at Area 51, of crashed UFOs, of cattle mutilations, and even of alien-human interaction at the installation. The staff at the secret facility would surely know how the UFO research community works. They could have made a good guess that certain elements of the more gullible and paranoid side of Ufology would be jumping up and down with excitement. More importantly, those same ufologists would likely spread the story here, there and everywhere on social-media and radio shows. Which is exactly what happened. But, then when the Wal-Mart angle surfaced, for many people in Ufology (if not the vast majority) the entire saga collapsed. The result? Ufologists were laughed at and derided by fellow ufologists. And, the mainstream media poked fun at the field of UFO research. That just may have been the desired result.

All we can say for sure is that the Boyd Bushman revelations surfaced for a reason. Whether that reason was designed to shed further light on a genuine extraterrestrial presence at Area 51, or if the plan was to give Ufology a solid punch in the face – and to make the domain of UFO research look stupid – is still open to debate. Whatever Boyd Bushman really knew about Area 51 and its UFO links went with him in 2014. Just perhaps, this was Bushman’s “last hurrah,” still secretly working for his Area 51 masters to the very end – to confuse the truth of what really goes on at Area 51.

More than 50 years after it happened, The Falcon Lake UFO incident remains one of the most compelling close encounter cases on record, and yet, compared to cases like Roswell or Rendlesham Forest, for example, it has maintained a relatively low profile. This is curious, given the reams of official documentation of the event, physical evidence in the form of strange metals found at the sight, and the fact that the witness suffered almost-fatal injuries as a result of coming into direct contact with a structured craft of unknown origin.

In a new book, published through my August Night imprint, noted UFO researcher Chris Rutkowski opens his vault of documents and images, gathered over several decades of inquiry, and presents a comprehensive picture of the Falcon Lake UFO incident. The book, When They Appeared, is co-authored by Stan Michalak, son of the original witness, who provides his inside perspective of what was happening in the Michalak home immediately following his father’s extraordinary encounter, documenting the daily struggles of his family as they dealt with his father’s injuries and the endless stream of investigators and media. Released after years of planning, When They Appeared is a sober and meticulous deconstruction of an event that presents a serious challenge to any true skeptic. Here, Chris and Stan talk to me about the Falcon Lake case, how it affected the Michalak family, and why it remains so important.

Chris Rutkowski (left), Stan Michalak (right), and the sketch of the craft drawn by Stan’s father, Stefan.

RG [to Chris]: Describe Stefan Michalak’s encounter in a nutshell and what sets it apart from so many other alleged close encounter cases.

CR: In May, 1967, Stefan Michalak was enjoying his hobby as a rockhound in Whiteshell Provincial Park, just north of Falcon Lake, Manitoba, Canada. Shortly after noon, his attention was drawn to two disc-shaped objects high in the sky. They both descended, and one dropped down to land or hover just above a flat rock outcropping not far from Michalak. He crouched behind a boulder and bushes so as not to be seen, and observed the craft for about half an hour. During this time, Michalak sketched the object in detail, noting it was a metallic craft of some kind, about 35 feet in diameter and about 12 feet high, with a domelike section on top from which bright purple light was emanating. Michalak said he could hear a whooshing sound as if air was being expelled or taken in, and there was a smell like burning electrical circuitry.

As he watched, a small door opened in the side of the craft, and light poured out from the opening as well. More importantly, Michalak now heard sounds like high-pitched voices, leading him to believe the craft was occupied. Convinced it was a secret American experimental vehicle that had encountered engine trouble, Michalak stood up and bravely walked towards the UFO, calling out jovially: “Come on out, Yankee boys! I can help fix your broken down flying machine!” By the time Michalak reached the craft, the voices had stopped, but he touched the side of the craft with his rubberized glove, which melted. The door shut, the craft revolved, and facing him was an exhaust vent of some kind. Suddenly, hot gas blasted out of it, knocking Michalak to the ground and setting fire to dry leaves, pine needles, and Michalak himself. He managed to extinguish the flaming result, but he realized he needed medical attention so he headed back home. He was treated in hospital for second degree burns and released, but then told his story to media in an attempt to warn others to stay away from that area or suffer the same fate.

Stefan Michalak following his close encounter with a landed craft at Falcon Lake. The burns on his chest and abdomen are clearly visible, their formation matching his description of what he speculated may have been exhaust vents on the craft, which expelled a blast of hot gas at him at close range, setting his shirt alight.

The incident was investigated by local UFO investigators, but more importantly, by several official agencies, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and even Canada’s own nuclear research facility. The latter was because soil samples collected by the RCAF were found to be radioactive, as were strange pieces of metal found a year later at the site. The case was also investigated by representatives from the Condon Committee and was included in the infamous Condon Report. Besides being a close encounter case with physical evidence, the case is remarkable because many official documents have been available or found by researchers, including medical records, RCMP documents, interview files, and analyses of the soil and metal samples. All in all, there are hundreds of pages of documents detailing the great lengths to which two countries’ investigative agencies went in studying the incident.

A piece of the radioactive metal that was retrieved from the crash site in 1968. It was found in the cracks of the Precambrian rock. (Chris Rutkowski).

RG: [to Stan]: Your father’s experience affected him for the rest of his life, but it affected your family too. How did you cope with it? How did you manage to integrate and assimilate your father’s experience into the relative normality of your everyday existence?

SM: At the beginning, we were most concerned for his health. In a matter of two weeks, he had dropped twenty pounds and was having difficulty keeping food down or eating anything that was solid. It took almost a month before he was able to enjoy real food. His weight gradually returned to about 160 to 170 pounds. His burns had healed, but the spots on the lower abdomen remained for quite a while longer, resolving into round, red welts which healed as scar tissue – so he always had hard nuggets under his skin, even after many years. His nausea and blackouts continued for a time as well.

Chris Rutkowski (left) and Stan Michalak (right) visit the remote site of the Falcon Lake UFO incident in May, 2017.

As a family, we were very aware of what he was experiencing. My sister was so heavily involved in her university education and working most evenings, that she was seldom at home during the day. My brother was also in university, and studying hard, but he became our “gate guardian” to keep away the ever-present media. I did my best to not be underfoot, to respect my father’s quiet time, and not be a bother.

It was my mother who bore the brunt of it, and kept a grip on her family, that is to say on her children, but she was also an excellent nurse while my father recovered. Any investigators who came to our home, like RCMP or RCAF, were looked after by my mother; she always offered refreshments and treats to anyone who was considered an official guest. Outside the home, she maintained an air of self-assurance even though she was constantly watchful of the media, and careful what she said to anyone about what had happened. It’s not as though she was trying to keep a secret, she just preferred not to have to explain all of it to just anyone. Not to mention the fact that her English was poor, and she was self-conscious of that.

Once he was fit to return to work, our family life didn’t actually change too much. There was never a time when we felt like celebrities. This was a difficult story that came with injury and a measure of disbelief, so there was no joy in it, only concern. I was bullied in school for it and, of course, there were constant reminders from those who were skeptical and rather mean about it. It took a few years to calm down to the point where no one seemed to care enough about the story. Only then were we able to resume a relatively normal life without the constant reminder that we were the family of that odd man who was burned by the UFO.

RG: [to Chris]: Was the Falcon Lake encounter an isolated incident, or did it fit into broader UFO activity at the time, regionally or nationally?

CR: In addition to Michalak’s experience, there had been several UFO reports in the Whiteshell area around that time, suggesting it was part of a localized flap or wave. But UFO reports found in the Canadian National Archives show that the Falcon Lake case was pivotal in its influence and connection with other incidents in Canada in 1967, including other unexplained reports investigated by official agencies, not the least of which was the first report of a crop circle that was investigated by no less than the Royal Canadian Air Force itself! And at the time, there were even unexplained radar cases at military installations within a short distance of Falcon Lake.

Falcon Lake.

RG: [to Stan]: What was your father’s opinion on the possible origin of the craft?

SM: Dad had no idea at all what it was that he saw in the woods that day. His first thought was that it was a test craft, something top secret, likely from the United States. He was an industrial mechanic, on his way to becoming a millwright, so he had knowledge of machines, fit and finish, metal construction, and metallurgy. He did not have a good foundation in things like propulsion systems, aero engines, nuclear power, or any of the things one normally associates with aircraft technology. So, he was perplexed when he considered that the two craft he saw did not fit into the basic fundamentals of terrestrial flight – the things that most people take for granted – such as the screeching sounds made by jet engines, the roar of exhaust as planes take off, the powerful whine of turbo engines, or the rumble of piston power. The very idea of Newtonian principles of flight were lost on him. He never researched the possibilities (at a time, remember, when that would have meant looking things up in books at the library, and not online, as we can do today) or tried to rationalize what he saw.

He was, however, a relatively naïve man. He had been a military policeman in Poland before World War II, then went underground to fight with the partisans after the country was defeated by the Nazis. So, he was not an ignorant nor overly fearful man. He had enough experiences in his time in war-torn Europe, and ten years of trying to settle in Canada, to give him some accurate perspective. But when faced with something he truly did not understand, he would often take the word of the first person who professed to know something about it. He had learned early in life to find an expert in something he needed to know to get information that way. Unfortunately, the so-called experts who lined up to talk with him immediately declared that this UFO was extra-terrestrial – and they gave him sound explanations for their theories, so he began to see the possibilities that these craft could not have come from the U.S. or the U.S.S.R. As an example, he claimed the UFOs made no noises that he recognized when they flew – nothing typical of an earth-bound aircraft. Well, argued the experts, if the sound the craft made did not follow any typical examples, they simply had to be from beyond our planet – it was only logical. He would entertain arguments from skeptics who claimed that the blast of air that hit him and caused his injuries was simply too terrestrial in nature, and could not have come from an other-world craft. So, he was confused – which was the correct answer?

When asked what he thought he saw, he would often answer, “You tell me.”

Stefan Michalak’s sketch of the UFO he witnessed.

RG: [to both]: What are your personal thoughts on the nature of the craft that Stefan saw?

CR: This case is one of the last true “nuts and bolts” UFO reports in ufology. There was no suggestion of exotic concepts more popular today, such as dimensional portals, consciousness downloads, telepathy, etc. Michalak was a very pragmatic and “down to earth” man (pun intended), with no interest in paranormal or spiritual aspects of phenomena. He was convinced he had seen and touched a physical craft of some sort. We know that that this time period was the cusp of the American Apollo space program, it makes sense that Michalak would have thought in those terms, especially given his own military background. But since we know that nothing resembling such a saucer-shaped craft had been successfully flown by any country (then or now), we are left with a mystery. Michalak was not one to make up stories or fabricate a hoax, and he had too much respect for fellow military members to lie, especially since he had nothing to gain and did not seek money or notoriety.

SM: I have always been an aviation enthusiast. In my latter years, I became very knowledgeable, and have extensively researched what was happening around the world in aviation technology in the 1950s and 1960s. I have found nothing concrete in our development of air or space craft that explains what he saw that day, yet, not having seen the UFOs for myself, I can’t explain his sighting any more than he could. So, does logic dictate that if I can’t explain it, but I know it was seen and experienced, then it must be other-worldly?

Simply exploring basic physics, something that can be done these days in a matter of a few hours online, provides a lot of insight into what this craft could not be. We know that there was a lot of theoretical research being done into propulsion systems back in the 1960s, and that there are still ongoing studies that speculate on what it would take to power a craft like the one my father saw. So far, nothing has come of it. Once again, it leaves us with the extra-terrestrial explanation as the only logical answer. If we had such technology in 1967, why strap three men into a tiny capsule on the top of a massive rocket in order to get them to the moon, when one could do the job with whatever made the UFOs work – assuming, of course, that they were of American origin?

A grid of dots can be seen on Stefan Michalak’s burned shirt.

I am inclined to believe that what landed on that rocky outcrop was not of this world. We have tried to offer terrestrial explanations for its behaviour because we don’t have any reference for anything other than what we presently know. That doesn’t give us actual answers, just theories based on limited knowledge. The biggest problem with this case, as far as I’m concerned, is that, like my father, I have relied on experts to give me answers when I needed to solve complex problems or understand complicated issues. To date, there really aren’t any experts in this field, just a lot of smart people with theories. I believe the case will remain “unexplained” until it isn’t – and by then, we will have solved bigger issues on this planet than simply who may have paid us a visit 50 years ago.

RG: [to Chris]: What was/is the Canadian government’s official explanation for the Falcon Lake incident?

CR: I will defer to the RCAF, which noted in a report: “Neither the DND nor the RCMP investigation teams were able to provide evidence which could dispute Mr. Michalak’s story. Although the investigation has been completed, a satisfactory explanation or conclusion is still lacking.”

When They Appeared is available now from all good online bookstores.

When a current or former world leader professes a belief in UFOs, the public ponders about their sanity and about what they might really know concerning the cause of unidentified flying objects. When that world leader also warns about potentially catastrophic extraterrestrial invasions, ears and antennas both go up. That was the case last week in Poland, when former Polish president and head of the Solidarity movement Lech Walesa pontificated on UFOs, aliens and their role in the potential demise of Earth as we know it.

Lech Walesa

“There are three levels of intellectual development on other galaxies. We are the lowest. And the higher civilization comes as a UFO and others, and looks at what they are doing here. If we threaten to destabilize here with Macron, Putin there, they will interrupt us, cut us in half, the Earth will collapse, everyone will crush.”

Multiple Polish media sources reported on a speech Walesa made to a civic club in Krosno, an ancient city in southwestern Poland. While not there to talk about UFOs, Lech wandered off the script (as world leaders seem to do a lot these days) and worked UFOs and “higher civilizations” into the conversation. While he doesn’t seem to have spoken publicly about his belief in UFOs and aliens, his comments suggest he’s of the opinion that they’re the type that’s observing us without interference (the ‘zoo’ theory) but will move in if they feel the need. Then he warns that actions by current politicians (French president Emmanuel Macron and Russian president Vladimir Putin) could trigger just such a decision by a higher civilization of watchers. Walesa believes their interference would not be benevolent and the consequences would be long-lasting. (If you understand Polish, you can watch the entire speech here. The UFO comments begin at 1h 04m 56 sec.)

“(The higher civilization (can hold us that way for five thousand years. They will send Adam and Eve and we will build the world again.”

It also appears from his comments that Walesa at least considers the possibility that an alien civilization has interfered with humans before.

“People find things, dig in stones, these pyramids … no answer, where did it come from?”

Why didn’t the higher civilization interfere with this?

Does Lech Walesa know something we don’t? While there’s no indication that he himself has had a UFO or alien encounter, Poland has had a number of them. The most famous is the so-called Emilcin incident in 1978 when a farmer from that eastern Polish town allegedly met olive-skinned aliens who took him onboard their ship. Polish UFO researcher and author Piotr Cielebiaś says there were plenty of reports of alien encounters by military pilots until Poland joined NATO in 1999. Walesa was president from December 1990 to December 1995 so he undoubtedly was aware of these reports.

Why did Lech Walesa feel the need to talk about UFOs and extraterrestrial invasions now? What does he REALLY know?

What do anthropology and UFOs have in common? In his new book, a noted anthropologist looks at the physical descriptions of the bodies and behaviors of extraterrestrials and theorizes that the reason they resemble us so much is that they’re our descendants from a future time and UFOs are actually time machines transporting them back for some kind of strange family reunion. Is this the future version of genealogical DNA tests?

“The phenomenon may be our own distant descendants coming back through time to study us in their own evolutionary past. The extra-tempestrial are ubiquitously reported as being bipedal, upright-walking, five fingers on each hand and foot, bi-lateral symmetry that they have two eyes, a mouth a nose, they can communicate with us in our own languages.”

In a recent appearance on KXLF (“Montana’s News Leader”) and in previous interviews like this one by Darkness Radio and on his website, Montana Tech professor of anthropology Dr. Michael P. Masters summarizes his new book, “Identified Flying Objects: A Multidisciplinary Scientific Approach to the UFO Phenomenon,” and his quest to “begin a new and more informed discussion among believers and skeptics alike.” That quest is to use the analytical techniques of an anthropologist who normally looks at human ancestors who partially resemble us and apply them to a study of other human-like species we know only through eyewitness accounts of alleged encounters – extraterrestrials. The end result is that Masters’ analysis suggests we should stop using the description “extraterrestrials” and instead start calling at least some of these future visitors extra-tempestrials.

“As an anthropologist who has worked on and directed numerous archaeological digs in Africa, France, and throughout the United States, it is easy to conceptualize just how much more could be learned about our own evolutionary history, if we currently possessed the technology to visit past periods of time.”

Dr. Masters sees the accounts of alien sightings and particularly alien abductions and the subsequent probings and analyses as indications that the visitors are anthropologists like himself, studying their ancestors with a tool he would love to have – a time machine. Imagine how much more we would know of ourselves, our planet and our universe if we could physically travel back millions of years to observe and possibly (let’s not ignore the “butterfly effect”) examine them.

“Many changes characterize human evolution, but it is primarily tenacious shifts toward habitual upright walking, changes in brain size and shape, facial reduction, reduced body hair, higher intelligence, and the development of increasingly complex tools and culture that most define our lineage. These changes occurred throughout hominin evolution, and have persisted in spite of marked modification to our subsistence strategy, climate, ecology, environment, and system of social, economic, and political organization.”

The is Dr. Masters’ ‘If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck’ line of abductive reasoning. Through millions of years of evolution and sometimes catastrophic environmental events, humans haven’t changed much physically. It’s the subtle changes that translate into leaps in intelligence and behavior. It makes sense that future humans would want more information on their lesser-developed ancestors too (there goes our self-esteem and superiority complex). In a similar manner, we obviously would like to find out what we’re going to become. Masters warns that this would be difficult.

“Modern and past human groups would only be capable of comprehending the biology, culture, and technology of these extratempestrials in a limited capacity, as we represent a far more primitive stage of their remote ancestral past.”

See the resemblance?

This theory of extratempestrials obviously adds a twist to the the idea of ancient astronauts, with the ‘aliens’ being future humans helping their primitive ancestors build pyramids in return for remembering them with statues and paintings and not destroying the Earth and ruining their future lives. That sounds like the positive conclusion Masters draws from his theory.

“Coupled with a thorough understanding of the past and modern human condition, these accounts point to the continuation of established biological and cultural trends here on Earth, long into the distant future.”

We’ll still be here, we’ll still be walking upright, we’ll become smart enough to invent time machines and we won’t turn out too badly.

Next time you meet an ‘alien’, tell them “You’re welcome.”

Ryan Sprague is a lead investigator and co-host of the CW television series, Roswell: Mysteries Decoded and the author of Somewhere in the Skies: A Human Approach to an Alien Phenomenon. He is also the creator and host of the Somewhere in the Skies podcast on the eOne Podcast network. As a UFO journalist, Ryan has interviewed witnesses from all walks of life about UFO sightings and encounters. He has also interviewed military and intelligence officials about UFOs, writing for such news sites as Open Minds Magazine, Rogue Planet, Omni Reboot, and Futurism. Speaking on the UFO topic, he has been featured on ABC News, Fox News, Science Channel, and is a regular on Travel Channel’s series, Mysteries at the Museum. He is currently working on his second book. 

Here, Ryan talks to me about what he has and hasn’t learned from his years in a field that can be inspiring and maddening in equal measure…

RG: Your podcast recently celebrated its 100^th episode. Is it a challenge to deliver quality content every week? How do you select your topics?

It’s definitely challenging, but the reward far outweighs the challenge. I get messages from listeners from all over the world almost on a daily basis. Some good, some bad, but almost always constructive. I value my listeners’ opinions because, ultimately, the show is for them and not for me. My goal was to shake things up with the show; ask new questions of the UFO phenomenon. So, I wanted to bring unique voices to the UFO discourse. I’ve met so many new people and have learned so much from simply stepping outside the echo chamber.

RG: What inspires you most about UFOlogy?

The staggering amount of people who have witnessed the phenomena firsthand. Also, the attention that “Ufology” has gotten these past few years (yes, no matter what anyone says, To the Stars Academy has played a huge part in that). The topic is certainly seeing a resurgence, and even mainstream scientists and academics are taking it more seriously. I need not look further than at least three college/university-level professors who now teach UFOs in their curriculum. The conversation is growing both in terms of how many people are interested and even in the complexity of the phenomena.

Tom DeLonge’s To the Stars Academy of Arts and sciences is spending big money to position itself in the public eye as the go-to organisation for UFO truth.

RG: What annoys you most about UFOlogy?

The divide. There’s room for everyone at the saucer-shaped table, so instead of talking down to one another, in terms of research, approaches, or beliefs, we should engage in healthy debate, take what we want from one another’s work, and build off of it. I’ve personally gleaned something from every person I’ve talked to about UFOs, even if it involved me learning that someone was straight up lying to my face, hoaxing, or simply a fantasist. At least I learned to move on from them and focus on the work at hand.

RG: Who are your top three UFOlogical heroes or role models, and why?

The first would have to be my mentor, both in UFO research and my other passion in life, theater. And that is Peter Robbins. He welcomed me with open arms into a world I never knew existed. He is a man of many words and those words pack a punch. We spend hours at our favorite diner in Manhattan, chatting about UFOs, the theater world, and everything in between. They’ve been some of my most memorable moments of living in New York City for the last decade or so, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

Left to right: Stanton Friedman, Cheryl Costa, and Peter Robbins.

My second UFO hero would have to be Cheryl Costa. Her dedication and resilience continue to marvel me. She created the most comprehensive reference book on UFOs ever written, and I know her work has only just begun. While I focus my research on individuals and stories, she enhances witness testimony with hard data. It’s a task that not many could wrap their head around, let alone put in to such a comprehensive format for the public at large. Lest we forget, she had a very credible and serious interview about UFOs in the New York Times prior to the Secret Pentagon UFO Program story broke.  Costa remains one of the most important researchers this field has ever had.

Stanton T. Friedman would be my final choice. The time he has dedicated to unraveling the UFO mystery is beyond commendable. He has paved the way for so many of us. His contributions to individual cases, to the field, and to the topic overall, are undeniable, and he remains one of the most level-headed, eloquent, and damn nicest people this field has ever produced.

RG: What is your own personal goal in this field? Do you have a vision for what you’d like to accomplish?

My goal is and always has been the same: to make the topic of UFOs accessible to younger people and to legitimize it in any way I can. If I find answers along the way, that’s great. But I’m more interested in the journey than the destination. And that journey has opened my eyes, my mind, and my perspective on this mystery, and so many others. It’s a very personal journey, but I also really enjoy picking up hitchhikers along the way!

Ryan Sprague in the CW’s ‘Roswell: Mysteries Decoded’ (2019), with co-host Jennifer Marshall.

RG: Some scholars have suggested that UFOlogy, or the UFO subculture, has clear religious aspects. Do you see any parallels between the pursuit of UFOs and the pursuit of God?

Absolutely. I often look at the work of Carl Jung when it comes to this intersectionality. He once stated, “By ‘self,’ we mean psychic wholeness, but what realities underlie this concept we do not know… in religious experience man comes face to face with a psychically overwhelming Other.” To me, this means that belief strengthens faith and vice versa. And a huge part of the UFO phenomenon also involves belief. But when it comes to staring up at that UFO, we each bring something truly unique and powerful to the interpretation of what we’re experiencing. In religion, we perceive a divine being as something all powerful and we give it meaning beyond that which we know to be true. We often do this with UFOs as well. We do not know what they are or what they represent entirely, but we give it meaning according to our own life experiences. They are so intrinsically linked, that perhaps we are, as many have contemplated, looking at a modern myth—a technological AND spiritual modern-day religion. I strongly urge all those interested in UFOs to read the recent offering by Diana Walsh Pasulka. After interviewing her on the podcast and reading her book, American Cosmic, I think she’s on to something groundbreaking and revelatory.

RG: There are many hypotheses to account for the UFO enigma, including man-made secret technologies, exotic natural phenomena, mass hallucination and delusion, and, of course, extraterrestrial intelligences. Which theory do you feel is most credible, and why?

This may sound non-committal, but I honestly believe it to be all of these and none of these. The more I look in to UFO phenomena, the more I’m convinced we are not dealing with simple nuts-and-bolts saucers from another planet. The phenomenon is deeply malleable and it is ever-evolving. Some UFOs are most definitely man-made and natural phenomena. Some “UFO flaps” could easily be mass hysteria while some could have been an invasion on a miniature scale. Each of the theories has some merit in my eyes because I’m still stumbling my way through all this, just like everyone else. The one thing I can say to anyone out there who may just be dipping their toes in the UFO waters is this: if anyone claims to have a single definitive answer to the UFO phenomena, run. Run as fast as you can and don’t look back. Look forward to those who are still theorizing. We are on the timetable of the phenomena. Always have been. Probably always will be.

RG: You’ve been studying UFOs for a significant portion of your life; do you feel you’re any closer to understanding the phenomena today than you were, say, 10 years ago? Where do you see the UFO field 10 years from now?

My sobering answer is no. I don’t think I’m any closer, but I do think I’ve personally made great strides in understanding certain cases, incidents, and how to conduct my own research. If I could go back ten years, I’d tell myself to be more patient and more empathetic. I think my lack of knowledge early on led me to cast judgment very quickly on certain cases. And now, almost a decade later, I am realizing that things aren’t always as they seem. Some cases have become more credible for me and some have unfortunately been cast in to bowels of hoaxes, fabrications, or misidentifications. I was extremely skeptical when I first started out. I’ve definitely become more open to the phenomena and those experiencing it. In ten years’ time, I hope we have a convergence of science and witness testimony, where both can be satisfied with some semblance of an answer to all this.

RG: What’s next for you? What other projects are in the pipeline?

Right now, I’m working on some television projects with the wonderful people I worked with on Roswell: Mysteries Decoded. Let’s just say that our investigation into this seventy-two year old case isn’t over. And there are plenty of more mysteries we hope to decode in the very near future. Other than that, the podcast continues weekly, along with my Youtube channel. And I am working on a follow-up book that takes me places I’ve never been before, both with UFOs and possibly interconnected phenomena. It’s a challenge and a journey I’ve set for myself, and one I hope people will want to join me in along the way. Expect my book some time in 2020. I also have some speaking engagements coming up, including Alien Con in Los Angeles! More info on all of my projects and the podcast and book can be found at www.somewhereintheskies.com