Early Reports
Beginning as early as 1897, during the "Great Airship" sightings, UFOs have often been reported to make landings on planet Earth. Many of these early reports, unfortunately, lacked detail and corroboration.
Often reported by a single person to a local newspaper or radio station, the accounts of UFO sightings and landings were reported only locally, or regionally, and many never reported at all.
A number of other UFO landings would gain some press in the 1950s, but again, a lot of these lacked credible evidence. A good estimate of UFO landings reported between the 1950s and the present time would be about 50.
However, only a small number of these can documented. In this article, I would like to present the very best of these accounts of UFOs landing on our planet.
Italy - 1950
UFO Italy reported the April, 1950 case of 42-year-old factory worker Bruno Facchini, who had walked outside after a violent thunderstorm to check the circuit breakers. He thought at first that he saw a blown transformer near the factory's back doors.
He was mistaken, however, as he realized he was looking at a circular object, which had a ladder descending to the ground. A greenish light at the top of the object slightly obscured a light-skinned being, who appeared to be making a welding repair on the ship.
Facchini ran from the frightening sighting before him, and was knocked down by a beam of some sort. He did manage to see other beings entering the ship, and the UFO flying away. He reported the incident, and an investigation the next day produced evidence of a welding waste material on the ground, along with indentation marks from a heavy object. No satisfactory explanation has ever been offered to solve this strange case.
South America - 1950
Another landing would be reported by Dr. Enrique Caretenuto Botta, who related his story to a friend, who presented it at a 1955 UFO conference in Caracas. His account would later be presented in Leon Stringfield's book, "Situation Red."
Dr. Botta was 40 years old at the time of his encounter. A well respected ex-war pilot, and aeronautical engineer, he was working as an architectural engineer in Argentina in 1950.
His duties had him traveling down the highway near an isolated town of Bahia Blanca, when he saw a metallic, disc-shaped object sitting on the ground just off of the road. He stopped and watched the UFO for a few minutes.
He saw nothing happen, and decided to walk to the craft and enter it though an open doorway. Inside, he could see control panels, lights, knobs, meters, and more. He was shocked to see three alien beings, all sitting dead on a curved seat.
He ran from the craft, jumped in his car, and sped away in fright. Arriving at his hotel, he immediately related what he had seen to two of his co-workers. They quickly armed themselves for a trip to the site, but because it was almost dark, decided to postpone their trip until daybreak.
The next morning, the three arrived at the spot. The UFO was gone, but in its place was a pile of ashes. One of the three scooped up some of the ashes. Immediately his hand turned purple. This condition persisted for three days.
The three men began to search around the area in an attempt to find some more evidence of the landing. They soon saw three UFOs in the air - one a cigar-shaped object, and two smaller, disc-shaped objects. Amazingly, the three became one, turned blood red, and zoomed away. Dr. Botta's encounter, though a single-witness report, is given high credibility because of his character, education, profession, and reputation.
France - 1954
A very unique case of a UFO landing, an alien sighting, and other-worldly powers occurred in Nouatre, Indre-et-Loire, France, in 1954. On September 30, at about 4:30 PM, strange events began to unfold at a construction site. George Gatay was crew chief of 8 workers. He was a well respected man, who during the Germany occupation in World War II, had fought for the French Resistance, and was wounded at Luxembourg.
While working, Gatay began to feel drowsy, and compelled to leave the job site. A short distance from the site, he was shocked to see a being standing on a hill, about 30 feet away. The being had a semi-transparent helmet, with a large visor. He was dressed in gray coveralls, and short boots.
The being held something in his hand, which Gatay thought might be a weapon. He also had what appeared to be an electronic display on the chest of his uniform. Behind the being sat a dome-shaped object. Gatay was frozen where he stood.
Gatay stated: "Suddenly, the strange man vanished, and I couldn't explain how he did it, since he did not disappear from my field of vision by walking away, but vanished like an image one erases."
"Then I heard a strong whistling sound which drowned out the noise of our excavators. Soon the object rose by successive jerks, in a vertical direction, and then it too was erased in a sort of blue haze, as if by a miracle."
Several of the crew members came forth with corroborating statements, confirming seeing the alien creature, and watching the disappearance of the UFO. Gatay suffered some physical ailments after the encounter. These lasted for a week, and included insomnia, bad headaches, and loss of appetite.
His co-workers, all non-believers before the incident, also felt dazed
during the encounter. Gatay, who was much closer to the UFO, was even
paralyzed briefly. There has never been a satisfactory, earthly
explanation for what Gatay and his crewmen saw.
Texas - 1957
The Levelland, Texas, Landings of 1957, is one of the most important, well documented cases of UFO sightings in UFO history. No less than 5 separate landings were reported by residents of the town of then 10,000 residents.
All of the reporters of the strange sightings of UFOs in Levelland were regarded as respectable. There were at least 8 reports with names, and another 7 that were reported anonymously.
Several of the sightings were confirmed by members of the Levelland, Texas, Police Department.
The close proximity of UFO to witness caused several different effects, mainly that of electrical. Several vehicles were rendered unresponsive while the UFOs were close by. When the objects ascended from sight, the vehicles performed as usual.
News of the UFO sightings and landings at Levelland spread like wild fire. The next morning, the small town was inundated with reporters, and soon the news spread to a world-wide audience. Although the US Air Force investigated the reports, no official cause was offered.
New Hampshire - 1961
The Betty and Barney Hill Abduction, is one of the best know cases of alien abduction, however, it also involved the husband and wife team being confronted with a UFO landed in the road in front of them, as they made their way back from vacation, traveling in New Hampshire in September, 1961.
At about 10:15 PM, husband Barney spotted a star-like object which moved in a odd way. He pointed this out to Betty. They watched the object as they continued their journey. Reaching Indian Head, Barney stopped their car, got out, and took a look at the object through his binoculars.
He could now clearly see a flat object with windows, and various colored lights. The object approached to within a hundred feet of the Hills, and Barney could now see occupants in the craft. Barney ran back to their vehicle, and they sped away.
In the next instance, only a couple of minutes, they were about 35 miles farther down the road, a physical impossibility. It would only be after regressive hypnosis that their real story was revealed.
These revelations included the stalling of their car, and the sighting of a UFO landed on the road ahead. They would encounter about two hours of missing time, during which time they were abducted.
New Mexico - 1964
Another of the cornerstone cases of Ufology is that of the Socorro New Mexico landing, which involved eyewitness testimony of Policeman Lonnie Zamora, a stable and well respected man in the community.
At 5:45 PM, on April 24, 1964, Zamora was on routine patrol, when he was passed by a speeding vehicle. Zamora took chase, but soon was distracted by the sound of an explosion and rising flames and smoke. He thought that a nearby dynamite shack had exploded, and took off to investigate.
When he got close enough to see the shack, he was shocked to see a shining object sitting on the ground, it was about the size of a mid-sized automobile, but had a red insignia on the side. He then noticed two, small beings standing beside the object.
Zamora immediately radioed the Sheriff's office, and began to get a closer look, but as he did, he heard a loud roar, and saw a bluish flame shoot from the underside of the object. The object then shot away. Zamora's calls were answered by State Police Sergeant Sam Chavez, who arrived just after the craft had left the scene.
There would follow a full-scale investigation of the matter. Included were the US
Army, the FBI, and Project Blue Book. Physical evidence was present, and the investigation was vast and
complex. No reasonable explanation was offered for what Zamora saw.
France -1965
Just over a year after Lonnie Zamora's sighting, another landing case took place in Valensole, France, as reported by farmer Maurice Masse. While checking his lavender crop, he saw what he thought were two children standing in the field. As he approached them, he saw their craft sitting on the ground - the children were now strange-looking beings.
Later, he described the beings as having large, bald heads, pasty faces, and huge, slanted eyes. They wore coveralls, and one of them held a tube-like device in his hand. As Masse got closer, he was hit by some type of beam, disabling him for a time.
When he awoke, he could see the UFO flying away. Masse was afraid to report his sighting at first, fearing ridicule. Eventually he did, and during an interview, he was shown a drawing of the Socorro, New Mexico, craft that Zamora had seen.
Masse remarked, "Someone else has seen my UFO." Is it possible that the same craft was seen by Zamora and Masse?
Canada - 1967
A most compelling case of a UFO sighting, landing, and physical effects comes from Canada, and is known as the Falcon Lake Encounter. Its main and only witness was one Stephen Michalak.
While doing some prospecting for silver at the Whiteshell Provincial Park, he would have an experience of a lifetime. Up and out early on May 19, 1967, he had some success with the finding of a quartz vein, broke for lunch, and then continued his search. All at once, he was distracted by what he thought was the sound of geese overhead.
As he looked up, he was shocked to see two glowing objects descending toward his location. As they neared, he could now make out that the UFOs were of a disc shape. Almost paralyzed by the sight, he saw one of the craft stop and hover in midair, the other land on a large, smooth rock.
The object was only about 150 feet away. The other object changed colors, and flew away. The landed craft also changed colors, eventually becoming like hot, stainless steel, with a golden glow. Michalak could see openings in the craft, through which came purplish lights.
He smelled an odor like sulfur, and heard a hissing sound. He stood in his tracks, making a sketch of the UFO. Finally, after about 30 minutes, curiosity got the best him - he moved closer to the unknown, other-worldly, looking object. Suddenly, a door opened in the craft! He could see brilliant lights inside.
As he came to within 60 feet of the object, he could hear two voices inside. Michalak was a multi-linguist, yet all of his efforts to communicate were unanswered. Michalak stuck his head inside the door, and saw flashing lights like those on a computer.
He could see no one inside, so he backed away. Then, three panels moved, causing the door to disappear. He described the exterior of the craft as "highly polished colored glass with no breaks or seams in its surface." He reached out with his gloved hand to touch the object - his glove was melted.
Suddenly, the object moved, exposing what he thought was an exhaust vent, about 6 by 9 inches. As heat came from the opening, his shirt and undershirt were caught on fire - he was in great pain. He tore off his shirts, and soon the object ascended and disappeared. Though in pain, he used rocks to mark the spot, and began to seek medical attention.
He began to have a headache, and was sick to his stomach. He managed to reach his hotel, where he asked for medical help. Help was 45 miles away, so he decided to return home. He called home, making arrangements for his son to meet him at the bus depot. His son took him to Misericordia Hospital.
He was treated for headaches, nausea, and grid-like burns on his chest, (see photograph). He paid all of his own medical expenses, even treatment at the Mayo Clinic, and others, seeking no compensation for his injuries. He did create a small pamphlet to attempt to regain some of his expenses, but in the end, it lost money.
The RCMP, RCAF, other government officials, civilian groups, and America's Condon Committee joined the investigation. The case was never solved, and is still considered one of the best landing and physical trace cases in Ufology.
Kansas - 1971
A UFO landing case with physical trace is the Delphos Kansas glowing ring, which occurred in 1971. The case has been investigated and documented, yet never debunked.
16-year-old Ron Johnson, along with his dog Snowball, were tending sheep on the family farm, when a mushroom-shaped object appeared in the sky. The UFO was only about 75 feet in altitude.
Soon, the brilliantly glowing object came to within a foot or two from the ground, but it was hard to see because of its brightness. Within a second or so, the UFO began to ascend, almost blinding young Johnson.
When he regained full use of his eyes, he ran into the house to tell his parents. They were able to see the object before it totally disappeared into the sky. Its size was that of the moon. They were also shocked to see a "glowing ring" on the ground. Some of the trees nearby also had a glow to them.
As the family began to examine the strange ring, Ron's mom's finger became numb, after touching the substance on the ground. The family waited in case the object came back, but it never made a reappearance. They retired for the night.
As day broke, they returned to the landing site to see the glow still there. The Johnsons were interviewed by Thaddia Smith, of the Delphos Republican, and the case was also looked into by the Kansas Highway Patrol.
They issued the following statement: "... we observed a ring, shaped
somewhat like a doughnut with a hole in the middle. The ring was
completely dry with a hole in the middle and outside of the ring mud.
There were limbs broken from a tree and a dead tree broken off there."
United Kingdom - 1980
The compelling accounts of UFO sightings, landings, and atmospheric effects that occurred at Rendlesham Forest in 1980, comprise one of the most studied events in UFO history.
Two bases leased by the US Air Force, Bentwaters and Woodbridge, located in the vast Rendlesham Forest, would be the location of numerous sightings of unknown objects maneuvering through the forest, landing on the forest floor, and even exploding into multiple lights.
Three security guards on patrol reported a gigantic, glowing object, and requested permission to explore them. They were approved to proceed, and followed the light into the forest.
Thinking that possibly a plane had crashed, they would soon see a saucer-like craft with small, large-headed beings, which seemed to be suspended from the bottom of the craft by a type of beam.
The guards radioed for help - a fully equipped unit, with senior officers, soon arrived at the scene. Eventually, Colonel Charles Halt joined the chase, even making an audio tape of the search. One of the soldiers on the hunt was Airman First Class John Burroughs.
Another principal witness of a landed craft would be Staff Sergeant Jim Penniston, who stated that as they neared the object, "The air was filled with electricity. You could feel it on your skin as we approached the object."
It would be Penniston who approached a landed, triangular-shaped craft, actually touching it. He described the UFO as... "smooth, black, glass-type fabric and strange symbols etched into its surface. On the upper left side of the craft, was an inscription. It measured six inches high, was of symbols. They looked familiar, but I couldn't ascertain why."
It would be a number of years before all of the facts of the Rendlesham landings would be made known publicly, but it is still being studied today, and remains a classic case of a landed UFO.
France - 1981
Another UFO landing case that has received much discussion and investigation is the 1981-Trans-en-Province case. The eyewitness is known only as Nicolai. On January 8, 1981, his encounter began.
Nicolai was doing some odd chores around the house, when he heard a faint whistling sound. He turned around to the source of the noise, and saw an unknown object the height of a tall pine tree. The object began to descend.
He walked a distance to get a better view of the object. It was now landed. Soon, it lifted back off, again making the whistling sound. It reached a high speed, and left toward the northeast. The witness could see four openings in the bottom of the UFO as it left the area.
He found that the site of the landing as about 6 meters in diameter. There were definite abrasions on the ground. The object was described as two saucers - one on top of the other, with a height of about 4-5 feet. He could also make out a ridge which spanned the circumference of the craft.
The case, although investigated in detail by France's GEPAN, has no
conventional explanation, and is considered legitimate by most UFO
researchers.
UFORNA thanks Billy Booth at ufos.about.com for this information.
