The Falcon Lake UFO – Another Unsolved Mysteries Case

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Continuing this look back at Unsolved Mysteries UFO episodes (they are available free on Youtube). We go back to 1967 and the strange case of a man who claimed to have been burned by a UFO whilst prospecting in the Falcon Lake area of Canada.

Here's the relevant episode which first Aired on November 4th, 1992

Unsolved Mysteries Show Notes

On Saturday May 20, 1967, a Polish immigrant living in Winnipeg, Canada, Stefan Michalak (then 51) was prospecting for minerals at Falcon Lake, Manitoba. Around 80 miles from his hometown. It was mid-day, he was distracted by a flock of geese, and noticed two glowing red UFOs descend. One hovered for 3 minutes then took off.

The other landed 50 to 60 yards from him, changing in colour to silver. A hatch opened and a harsh violet light appeared. Michalak observed then made a sketch. Eventually, he approached the craft and thought he could hear human voices inside. He called out in several languages but the voices stopped.

Stefan’s son, Stan Michalak, was 10-years-old in 1968. He takes up the story:

“I do remember one description that he gave at the time. He said that the skin of the craft, the outside of the craft was flawless. There was… nothing. It was as though you had milled out of a solid block of steel, this disc, this saucer with the dome on top.”

Stefan told his son that the light emitted from the hatch was so bright, he had to snap down the visor on his safety goggles. He also burned his gloved hand when he touched the outside. Then, after a few moments, the door suddenly shut, the craft rotated, knocking him backwards, and set his shirt on fire:

“After igniting with the fire, the craft lifts up 30 to 40 feet and vanishes. And then I decide… now is the time for me to buzz off from here. So I start going.” – Stefan Michalak

The burned-out area was 30 feet across.

Stefan headed for the road in a state of shock. He was nauseous and vomited several times. Confused, he checked his compass. But the needle went haywire (a compass was not mentioned in his interview with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police- RCMP). Stefan made a best guess of the direction back to his hotel. Eventually arriving home in Winnipeg at around 10:15pm. Badly burned and still disoriented. According to his son, Stan, Stefan’s burns left doctors baffled:

“At that point in time, the diagnosis, if you can call it that, was burns. And sure, they were burns, yes. Heat-caused burns. What they couldn’t diagnose and didn’t have a clue about was what appeared below the chest on the abdomen, the exact same pattern of holes that was on the grid on the side of the craft in the same order, in the same rows in the same number appeared as red spots on his lower abdomen, red dots.”

Michalak photographed in 1968

Released from hospital, Stefan’s symptoms worsened. The nausea continued, and his body appeared to emit a sulphuric stench. Radiation poisoning tests, however, were negative. The source of the strange burns on his lower torso, a complete mystery.

When Stefan felt well enough, he accompanied the RCMP back to the area, but was also unable to find the landing site.

Six weeks after his strange encounter, Stefan and a ‘friend’ (reports state he claimed to not previously have met this person) went looking for the site. After several hours, they found a burned-out circle. Also retrieved from the encounter site, were Stefan's glove, shirt and some tools, which were subjected to extensive analysis at an RCMP crime lab. No one could determine what caused the burns.

At the landing site was a circle about 15 feet in diameter, devoid of the moss and vegetation growing in other areas of the same rock outcropping. Soil samples, along with samples of clothing, were tested and deemed radioactive. As were some pieces of metal that were chipped out of cracks in the rock about a year after the incident. The metal had somehow melted into the cracks.

Members of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)and a team of experts from the United States, arrived on site. They took measurements, soil samples, and tested for radiation. The levels appeared relatively high in a very small area and authorities considered quarantine, until it was discovered that the high levels were caused by a vein of radium in the region.

Meanwhile, Stefan’s burns, which had appeared to have healed, flared up again. According to Stefan, his doctors remained mystified:

“After every three months, my burns from the legs and here were coming back, showing up again and burning.”

Michalak never thought he’d encountered 'aliens' instead believing it was some form of experimental aircraft. Sadly in October of 1999, Stefan died with burn marks still on his torso.

Beyond Unsolved Mysteries

Unsolved Mysteries gave a decent run down of the case. If mainly from Stefan Michalak’s point of view. It seems rather incredible for Michalak to have hoaxed a story like this. But there are many questions remaining. Not least the claim of his injuries from a UFO.

• Why were there no other witnesses to the UFO(s)? Forest Rangers and police saw nothing. Nor did anyone else that day. The forest ranger, on duty at the time of the incident, did not recall any landing or flight of anything in or over the forest. Nor did he see smoke from the burning moss.

• What caused the injuries to Michalak? The grid pattern on his torso in Jan 1968 was not the same as that photographed in early June 1967 (weeks after the incident). Michalak refused to let a police officer come close to inspect his injuries immediately after his encounter. Telling him he had been irradiated by a spaceship and to keep away from him. The officer reported that it looked like Michalak had rubbed burnt wood ash into his chest. His rash was photographed just after the incident, and then again in 1968. The earlier rash is not only on the wrong side and higher up but certainly not in the distinctive grid pattern of the later photo.


1967 and 1968 Photos of Michalaks 'rash'


Michalak’s undershirt : NOTE the burn marks are higher up than the torso area.

• In hospital, radiation tests on Michalak were negative. Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment tested Michalak who showed no radiation above normal background levels. The burns on Michalak's abdomen were diagnosed as ‘thermal’ in origin.



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• Why Couldn’t Authorities initially locate the alleged landing site? The RCAF and police searched the area and found nothing initially. Even with a helicopter in support. Michalak was also unable (or perhaps unwilling) to locate his abandoned belongings and the site when he accompanied them.

• How was Michalak then able to find his burnt shirt and tools some 6 weeks later? Michalak returned with another person (often claimed to be a friend but Michalak states he had not met him personally at that point in police interviews). This time he supposedly found his burnt shirt, tools and a circular patch that appeared to be worn away where the craft allegedly landed? The soil samples he took, remnants of Michalak’s shirt and his tape measure were tested later and found to be radioactive. But he had removed them from the scene and taken them home. Something the RCMP specifically asked him not to do should he ever locate them. After returning to the site with this ‘friend’ Michalak also became rather uncooperative with authorities saying he wanted to file a mineral deposit claim and the site was not to be revealed.

• Why did authorities dedicate so much time and resources to this case? The RCAF officer in charge of the case was convinced Michalak had been drinking the night before (something he'd denied but a barman claimed he had 5 bottles of beer). Not really enough to make you imagine you are seeing spaceships on the following day. The officer in charge, Squadron.Leader, Paull Bissky, seemed determined to discredit Michalak as a drunk who had hallucinated the whole thing. Although he admitted he could not disprove his claims, why did he waste so much time on the case?

• Was there really a fear of contamination from radiation from somewhere or someone? Site visits confirmed a very small area (about 8ft square of naturally occurring radium) was emitting radiation. Authorities prepared to cordon off the area as a hazard at first. Orders were also given to police to investigate a graveyard (where cancer patients treated with chemotherapy had been buried) and even Michalak's place of work (an Engineering company) to see if they had used any radioactive materials.

There are many other small details in the case, but I have left them out for brevity here.

What seems really odd is why a single witness UFO report was given so much official interest and investigations rumbled on for months? The story even ended up in the Condon Report!

a reply to: mirageman

S & F for another well put together thread.

With only a single witness, we would have to look at the character of the witness. Such as, was he known to be an attention whore?

As we all know, the attention whores throughout the last 80 years, have done a great job of discrediting ufology in general.

It would be interesting to know what percentage of ‘encounters’ are completely made up.

An interesting case, with physical evidence.
After seeing a huge flying disc myself 25 years ago, I am sure it happens to many people, most don't come forward because of all the notoriety.
Something happened to this man, I have read his story before and how his son never doubted him.

a reply to: KKLOCO

With only a single witness, we would have to look at the character of the witness. Such as, was he known to be an attention whore?

Hard to say. The further I keep digging, the more itchy my head gets.

Michalak supposedly initially shied away from giving too many interviews. He wrote a booklet/pamphlet about his encounter called "My Encounter with The UFO". But it had little impact back in the 1960s, and he earned no money from it. Some thought he hoaxed the UFO story in the expectation it would stop other prospectors making a claim in the area. Others have accused him of making up a story to cover up for an accident involving brewing his own alcohol.

Who knows?

These were slightly more innocent times. Start with a little fib, then it sometimes reaches a point where you can't back down.

But there was also an obsessive investigation into this case that suggests something else was afoot.

There are a lot of interesting links on Wikipedia as a starting point.

a reply to: mirageman

Why did authorities dedicate so much time and resources to this case?

Well, it may be that Canada is more apt to take things like this more seriously than the US ufo government mob.

Here goes Stefan MICHALAK Report of Unidentified Flying Object. Falcon Beach, Man. 20 MAY 67 …..from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 5pgs.

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a reply to: mirageman

Yet another fascinating dissection of an Unsolved Mysteries episode.

You may have thought, like me, that this case has some parallels to one of my favourite UFO cases - Scotland's Bob Taylor, who in 1979 encountered a large spherical object that allegedly attacked him via smaller spiked spheres emerging from the craft. Like Michalak, his clothes were damaged - not burnt but ripped, and subsequently examined by local police (as you know, the case is the only UFO report that exists on the official police books as an unsolved assault by persons unknown).

Unlike Michalak, Taylor was 100% open about his encounter and exactly where it happened. Interestingly, the marks left in the 'landing area' of Taylor's 'craft' bear some similarities to the marks on Michalak's chest. But, as you point out, there are big question marks about why the pattern on his chest seemed to change between 1967 and 1968, alongside other suspicious details.

The miraculous discovery and naive/suspicious removal of items in the area by Michalak (and his so-called 'friend' - or not a friend...) after a previous search by authorities had revealed nothing, sets off many alarm bells.

Instinct is everything, and something about the Michalak case stinks to high heaven - unlike Bob Taylor's encounter that still continues to baffle. At least Bob Taylor had a dog with him as a witness... but unfortunately Dr. Doolittle wasn't available!

a reply to: Ophiuchus1

That's an impressive find!
Seems that Michalak was extremely confused after his experience, and that officials really took it seriously.

Here are podcasts……. we unravel Canada's most infamous UFO case with the help of Stephan Michalak's son, Stan, and Canadian UFO expert and author, Chris Rutkowski.

I recommend starting with Part 1

Some additional pics….. Source 2017: Falcon Lake incident is Canada's 'best-documented UFO case,' even 50 years later




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Another Report an actual initial? interview with Stefan from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police….. RCMP interview with Stefan Michalak on May 20, 1967

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a reply to: Ophiuchus1

There are lots of reports on the case linked on the Wikipedia page on the case.

Michalak certainly appears to have been burned by something in late May 1967. He was examined by more than a dozen doctors over the next two years in Canada and over the border in the USA (at his own expense).

A number of officials and numerous civilians visited the alleged landing site and spoke to Michalak on numerous occasions.


• RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) Training Command Headquarters
• CFB (Canadian Forces Base) Winnipeg
• RCMP CID (Criminal Investigations Division)
• The Department of Health and Welfare
• Manitoba Provincial Department of Health and Welfare
• University of Colorado Condon Committee
• Life Magazine Reporters
• APRO (Aerial Phenomena Research Organization)
• CAPRO (Canadian APRO),
• Department of Mines and Natural Resources
• Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment (WNRE)
• Manitoba Cancer Institute
• The Mayo Clinic and other medical facilities


The question is whether this case unfolded as Michalak (being the only witness) said it did?

The photograph of his burns taken in June 1967 is not consistent with the more distinct 'grid' pattern shown in the later photographs that came a year later. His undershirt also showed a grid pattern just below the neckline.

Then there's the question of how he was actually burned by the craft. If you look at the sketch you posted, he must have been in a very strange position to receive burns to his torso. According to his statement to the RCMP he claimed he was the length of his hand from the grill [or blower as he called it].


He also told a police patrol officer he first encountered that the back of his cap had been burned! (see report). But the officer noted neither his head nor his hands appeared to be burned.



Michalak also refused the offer of a ride from the officer, to Falcon Lake for treatment.

originally posted by: peaceinoutz
a reply to: mirageman

Why did authorities dedicate so much time and resources to this case?

Well, it may be that Canada is more apt to take things like this more seriously than the US ufo government mob.

It certainly could have been the case.

There was a genuine concern of a hazard to public health caused by ionising radiation. See Dept. of Health and Welfare Report. But ultimately the conclusion, some 4 months after Michalak's encounter, was that any radiation levels were not high enough to be a risk to public health.

One of my favorite episodes. I love when he trys to start talking to the all the aliens in other languages

originally posted by: MisguidedAngel
One of my favorite episodes. I love when he trys to start talking to the all the aliens in other languages

And that's one of the things that really makes me believe this man, he honestly thought this was a craft from our planet, and tried to communicate with the occupants.
And that interview that Ophiucus1 posted, Michalak gives many surprising details, along with that incredible drawing.

If I read the 2nd report 26 May 1967 in a chronological order as written, so to speak….the following happened in this order…..

First…


Second….


I don’t doubt that the observer’s of these marks and seeing them with their own eyes….were truthful for the Report …reporting purposes. These RCMP members saw what they saw.

Btw….the pajamas that Stephan wore on the bed had a vertical stripe pattern. The shirt here’s wearing standing up is also in a vertical stripe pattern……however, the striping widths are different. These are not the same articles of clothing. Both pictures were not taken at the same time and probably not the same place…..if it was questioned at all. Apparently Stephan likes striped clothing, like people like plaid ….imo.

I lean to believing the sincerity of the two RCMP report’s written by the RCMP personnel. Anything after that is second, third, fourth, hand knowledge and perhaps embellishments from all others wanting to do the interviews with others, etc. over time it becomes the phone game….imo.

Whether Stephan was making up what he told the RCMP remains to be proven …..he’s dead and we continue to have an unsolved mystery.

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originally posted by: RonnieJersey

originally posted by: MisguidedAngel
One of my favorite episodes. I love when he trys to start talking to the all the aliens in other languages

And that's one of the things that really makes me believe this man, he honestly thought this was a craft from our planet, and tried to communicate with the occupants.
And that interview that Ophiucus1 posted, Michalak gives many surprising details, along with that incredible drawing.

Michalak, however, has never stated that he believed the craft (or the apparently invisible occupants - he saw an empty interior) were alien in nature - on the contrary, he was convinced until his dying day that it was a man-made experimental project. He did "entertain the notion" that it was ET, but this was not his personal conclusion.

originally posted by: mirageman
a reply to: KKLOCO
Others have accused him of making up a story to cover up for an accident involving brewing his own alcohol.

He was described as seeming drunk/hungover, and whether he'd got 'high on his own supply' whilst brewing booze before an accident occurred is an interesting angle, but why did he flag an officer down in the first place? He didn't smell of alcohol but did deny drinking five bottles of the beer the previous evening - why? And (ignoring the radiation excuse) why was he bizarrely reluctant to allow the officer to go near him or examine his burns and clothing? Oddly, at one point Michalak also claimed the officer had completely ignored his request for help - I think we're more inclined to believe the officer's statement that an exchange did take place.

Michalak refused the offer of a ride from the Mountie, but did opt to contact the local newspaper - so much for shirking publicity! He clearly wanted publicity but, again, WHY? The real motive, and indeed the crux of the entire case, may simply point to detracting attention from prospective prospectors to potential riches in the area? (Try reading aloud that last sentence after five beers!)

Like MM, the more I investigate this case, the itchier I feel. Something smells off. And 'Unsolved Mysteries' deserves a slap on the wrist for ignoring both the initial interaction with a police officer, as well as muddying the waters as to when the grid pattern appeared on his chest, ie the following year, not at the time of the incident. These details are vital, even for a mainstream TV entertainment show.

Used to do a lot of fishing and hunting about 100 miles east of there. Lots of nothing for miles and miles. Might have had a bigfoot issue there but didn't actually see anything just something threw large rocks in our general direction.

This reminds me of an incident I vaguely recall of a man and his son having ufo contact and had a pyramid image attached to their chests. I can’t recall the specific incident.

What a great write up by Charlie Wiser 2022 about the Falcon Lake UFO incident……..chock full of analysis with pics and documents.

Blasted by UFO exhaust!

A must read……

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