Cash-Landrum incident

The Cash-Landrum Incident is a reported Unidentified Flying Object sighting the witnessess insist was responsible for damage to their health. It might be classified as a Close Encounter of the Second Kind, due to its reported physical effects on the witnesses.

About 9:00pm on December 29, 1980, Betty Cash, Vickie Landrum and Colby Landrum (Vickie's grandson) were driving one evening near Huffman, Texas when they spotted a large diamond-shaped object apparently hovering over the road. The object's base was expelling flame, and generated signifigant heat.

As the object blocked the road, the trio stopped their car and observed it. Cash got out of the car to examine the object, but says she did so for only a few moments before noting that the object's heat was burning her skin. She quickly got back in the car.

Vickie, a born again Christian, initially interpreted the object as a sign of the second coming of Jesus.

The trio noted a total of 23 helicopters near the object, some of them double-rotor Chinooks similar to those used by military forces. In Cash's estimation, the helicopters looked "like they were trying to encircle the thing." [1] (Several others would later state they too had seen Chinook-type helicopters at roughly the same time and place.)

After the UFO and helicoptors had flown away, the trio resumed their drive. The car's interior had grown so warm they turned on the air conditioner.

Cash took the Landrums home, then retired for the evening. That night, they all experienced similar symptons, though Cash to a greater degree: All suffered from nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and felt as though they'd suffered sunburns. Many blisters appeared on Cash's skin, and eventually, she was hospitalized, and had suffered ill health since sighting the object.

Due to the Chinook helicoters' presence, the witnessess presumed that at least one branch of the United States Armed Forces had, at the very least, witnessed the object. Cash and Landrum, and Cody were interviewed at length by personnel at Bergstrom Air Force Base. [2]

The victims sued the U.S government for $20 million but on August 21, 1986, the U.S. District Court judge dismissed their case, on the grounds that the United States Armed Forces did not have such an object in their possession. The official investigation was conducted by Lt. Col. George Sarran who concluded that "... There was no evidence presented that would indicate that Army, National Guard, or Army Reserve helicopters were involved".

Betty Cash died on December 29 1998, exactly 18 years after her close encounter.