VOICE OF FREE EUROPE: Fifty years ago, American logger Travis Walton mysteriously disappeared. This incident became one of the most famous cases of alleged abductions by unidentified flying objects.

Such stories have been widely covered in the media for decades and traditionally attract public attention. We present five known cases of ‘contacts’ with UFOs and researchers’ opinions on the possible realities behind such incidents.

On November 5, 1975, American logger Travis Walton disappeared. He was discovered five days later. Under hypnosis, he claimed to have been abducted by aliens. RT publishes well-known cases of UFO ‘contacts’ and scientists’ comments on the matter.

On the evening of November 5, 1975, seven American loggers, led by Mike Rogers, set out for work near Snowflake, Arizona. According to their accounts, they noticed a glow in the sky along the way and stopped their car to investigate the source.

It was, they say, a disc-shaped object approximately six meters in diameter. One of the workers, Travis Walton, exited the car and attempted to approach the object.

However, he was struck by a greenish-blue beam, causing him to fall. His terrified colleagues abandoned him and went to fetch the sheriff. Upon returning, they discovered Travis had disappeared. The sheriff immediately launched a search, but Walton was nowhere to be found.

Law enforcement suspected the loggers of Travis’s murder and of fabricating the UFO story to cover up the truth. However, a polygraph test confirmed their sincerity.

Five days later, Walton claimed to have woken up on a forest road near Snowflake. Reaching for a phone, he called his sister before losing consciousness.

Over time, he allegedly began to regain his memory of the incident. His testimony was supplemented by statements prompted during hypnosis sessions. The woodcutter claimed to have visited a certain room where he interacted with humanoids. Through a ‘window,’ he saw space and stars.

Travis underwent two polygraph tests, one of which revealed he was being dishonest, while the other, on the contrary, revealed he was telling the truth.

Critics claimed the loggers may have made up the story to delay the work for which they had received an advance.

However, it later emerged that at that point, force majeure prevented them from keeping the money from the unfulfilled contract anyway. Therefore, the fabrication was pointless.

The Walton incident generated a media frenzy. In 1993, the lumberjack story was adapted into the film ‘Fire in the Sky.’ Director Robert Lieberman also worked on ‘The X-Files,’ ‘Nikita,’ ‘Dexter,’ and ‘Criminal Minds.’

Other incidents have been widely reported in the media. And while some of them can be dismissed as fabrications, others clearly had some basis, though it’s not at all certain that they were extraterrestrial.

‘The topic of the extraterrestrial origin of UFOs in general, and the abduction of people by their crews in particular, is part of modern urban mythology, along with Yeti and the Loch Ness monster.

RIGHT: Kenneth Arnold and other pilots examine a UFO photo

The media readily embrace it because, firstly, it’s popular, people enjoy mysterious stories, especially if they contradict modern science.’

Secondly, the topic is socially safe, as it doesn’t affect anyone’s interests. In other words, publications about flying saucers guarantee reader attention and the absence of complaints, without the need to verify the facts,’ Dmitry Vibe, head of the Department of Stellar Physics and Evolution at the Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told the media.

In some cases, objects that journalists claim are spaceships leave traces behind or are seen by numerous witnesses. However, such incidents often have entirely mundane explanations, although they cannot always be proven with absolute certainty.

On October 21, 1978, pilot Frederick Valentich, flying over Bass Strait in Australia in good weather, contacted air traffic control in Melbourne and reported being followed by an unknown object emitting a greenish glow.

According to the pilot, the unidentified craft was flying above him as if playing some kind of game.

At the end of the session, Valentich declared, ‘It’s not an aeroplane.’ Then, an incomprehensible grinding noise was transmitted over the radio for 17 seconds, and then contact was lost. The plane, along with the pilot, vanished without a trace.

About 20 people living nearby reported seeing a greenish light in the sky, and three more reported seeing the lights of an airplane beneath the glow.

In addition, approximately 20 minutes before the incident, photographer Roy Manifold accidentally photographed a fast-moving object over the sea.

Australian authorities were never able to determine the cause of Valentich’s disappearance. According to one theory, the pilot may have lost spatial orientation, confused the planets with a UFO, and caused the craft to collide with the water.

On January 7, 1948, police in Maysville, Kentucky, received numerous reports of a UFO resembling a parachute, but approximately 75 meters in diameter and with a metallic sheen. Police reported the sighting to Godman Air Force Base.

The base’s radar detected an unknown object southeast of the airfield. Four fighter jets scrambled.

The pilots, approaching the object, reported it was huge and metallic. Flight commander Captain Thomas Mantell decided to pursue the UFO.

After the other aircraft turned back, he attempted to approach the object, and contact with the pilot was lost. It was later learned that his fighter jet exploded in mid-air.

Mantell died of suffocation before impact; he was not wearing an oxygen mask. It has been suggested that the pilot was pursuing Venus, a sundog, or a balloon carrying reconnaissance equipment. That same day, a UFO was sighted in neighboring Ohio.

‘In my opinion, UFO reports are disinformation used to cover up military projects that use classified technology,’ Pavel Poluyan, an associate professor at Siberian Federal University, a member of the Russian Writers’ Union, and the author of the book ‘UFO Hunt,’ told the media.

A similar explanation is often given for the incident known as the ‘Cascade Incident.’

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On June 24, 1947, American businessman Kenneth Arnold was flying from Chehalis to Yakima and decided to search for a missing C-46 military transport plane, for which a reward had been offered.

Instead, he saw nine flat, glowing objects in the air, which he compared to saucers. Comparing the distance between the various mountain peaks with the time it took the UFOs to cover them, Arnold realized the objects were traveling faster than the speed of sound.

Arnold reported the incident to the Central Air Service and commented to journalists. Skeptical investigators attributed the incident to missile tests or advanced aircraft, as well as to the reflection of sunlight off the snow surface. However, none of these theories has ever been conclusive.

On May 20, 1967, geologist Stefan Michalak (a former intelligence officer) was conducting research near Falcon Lake, Canada.

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He reported seeing two disc-shaped objects, one of which flew away and the other landed on a cliff. As the geologist later recounted, the object that remained on the ground was initially red, then the color of stainless steel.

A bright light emanated from holes in its surface. Michalak heard a sound reminiscent of an engine and smelled sulfur. The geologist believed he was observing a crashed military aircraft.

Approaching the hole, which he thought was the entrance, Stefan heard what sounded like human voices. He attempted to speak to those on board in various languages, but received no response. Peering into the hole, Michalak saw a panel with indicators, but the entrance was closed.

The object turned, and the geologist found himself in front of something resembling a ventilation grill, from which a stream of hot gas erupted.

Stefan’s shirt caught fire, forcing him to discard it. As the object took off, the geologist felt nausea and a headache.

After returning home, Michalak was hospitalized. Doctors noted ulcers on his body resembling first-degree burns and a decreased lymphocyte count.

For several months, he experienced hair loss, loss of appetite, and weakness. However, doctors declared Stefan mentally healthy. One expert suspected radiation sickness. A clear explanation for the incident was never found.  You can and should share this story on social media. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

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