An in-depth (re)view of the Cash/ Landrum case

I was raised in Dayton Texas and Vicky landrum is one of my childhood friends aunts. As soon as I had read about this story years ago I called him to ask questions about it. He refused to talk about it. Every now and then I'll go into a local cafe back home and you'll still hear people talking about it.

reply to post by wilson417

That's interesting Wilson. I'd heard that Colby disliked talking about the events, because he'd been teased by kids in school. I've always wondered how much the locals talked about things, and if they thought it really happened.

There's an interview with the Dayton, Texas Poice chief, and he seems to believe it:

When Ken DeFoor was with the helicopter division of the Houston Police Department in late December 1980, there was a report of a UFO near the city of Dayton.
"This was a widely publicized UFO sighting," said Ken, who now lives near Dayton in the community of Kenefick. "We received several calls in Houston as to whether or not we had helicopters up that night because 23 helicopters were seen escorting a UFO over Dayton. We did not have any helicopters in the air that night...

Talkin' Texas: Dayton was scene of alleged UFO sighting

Did you ever hear any other stories of UFOs or strange helicopters in the area?

I came across a post on another board where someone related a 2nd hand story about the road being repaired after the Cash-Landrum event. The road episode sounds like a local legend that somehow crept into case records. The reason seems to be that the primary case witnesses believed the stories and repeated them to the investigator.

I'm working on fully documenting the road story, but here's a rough timeline:
12/29/1980 UFO Incident on a worn 2-lane country road
2/28/1981 General area of the road examined, photographed. No UFO damage to road in report.
7/11/1981 Recreation of the scene on original road for "That's Incredible!"
6/16/1982 Recreation of the scene on original road for "The UFO Experience"
7/2/1982 MUFON Symposium: road repair 1st mentioned, with claim UFO scorched pavement
12/5/1983 Billy Cox, (Florida) Today visited the scene, “One lane wears a new coat of asphalt.”

Yes, the road was repaired, but not immediately. It seems to have happened about a year and a half later, during a period of expansion and construction, when convenience stores and apartments started being built in the area.

IsaacKoi, back in 2011
forums.mufon.com...

"I was listening to Coast to Coast the other night and they were talking about the object that was being chased by helicopters. I personally witnessed this event back in 1980. I was standing on my mothers porch and I saw back to the south an object that looked like a large propane tank glowing and was being chased by approximately 20 to 25 helicopters. They were coming from the east (from Beaumont) going west toward Dayton, Texas."

By the way, the person I mentioned trying to contact back in 2011 in relation to the above post (due to the relevant username of the witness, "lmcmillen45") was Lincoln Lewis McMillen. McMillen's name appears on a few (non-UFO) webpages in connection with the username lmcmillen45. I tried to contact McMillen once in 2011 and once again in 2011 to get further details but never got a response. Sending two emails is about my limit, since I don't want to be a pain in the backside.

Below are details of another vague online post from a possible witness. (Hey, if you find these a bit frustrating then ... join the club!).

In the comments on one of Kevin Randle's blog posts in January 2011, just above a bunch of spam, is the following post that I don't recall spotting until today (when Curt's recent postings had me sniffing around a few points, although not with any great gusto since I don't have John Schuessler's book on this incident and spending time on this case without reading that book is probably a bit of a waste of time).

kevinrandle.blogspot.co.uk...

joe b. said...
vickie,coby,and betty were not the only witnesses out there that night in 1980, I was right down the road on my way to houston, as i was coming from england air force base in alexandria louisiana!
4:55 PM

reply to post by IsaacKoi


Thanks, Isaac. If genuine, it'd be great if these witnesses would provide further information. The tiniest detail might provide a substantial lead.

I've hit mostly dead ends in my investigation, but have unearthed a few files. I've included them in a linked directory of case files, articles and documents:

The Cash-Landrum UFO Case Resource Guide
(A newly updated, expanded version)

I'm hoping by making these files public, it will lead to the release of other documents in the case, both military and civilian.

CardDown
I'm hoping by making these files public, it will lead to the release of other documents in the case, both military and civilian.

You may know that you can get more complete FOIA responses if you have a privacy waiver signed by an individual touched upon in the relevant documentation.

Since you will be speaking to Colby Landrum shortly, you could ask him to sign a privacy waiver. A FOIA request may then result in more documentation than was obtained by CUFON in its request regarding the Cash-Landrum litigation. (You may have seen that the response to that request, at at link in your helpful blog post on relevant resources, expressly refers to further documents not disclosed due to personal privacy reasons).

See:
m.motherjones.com...

When he started using privacy waivers, Shapiro realized he was on to something. Suppose you and I volunteered for the animal rights group PETA. If Shapiro requested all PETA-related FBI documents, he might get something back, but any references to us would be blacked out. If he requested documents related to us, he'd probably get nothing at all. But if he filed his PETA request along with privacy waivers signed by us, the FBI would be compelled to return all PETA documents that mention us—with the relevant details uncensored.

Shapiro began calling up old friends and asking for waivers. Coming of age amid the 1990s punk scene, he'd been drawn to animal rights causes and took part in their actions. He walked into foie gras facilities to film sick and injured ducks, several of which he rescued, and locked himself to the doors of fur salons. And while he no longer does such things, he has kept in touch with people who do.

Armed with signed privacy waivers, he sent out a few experimental requests—he calls them "submarine pings"—and when the FBI returned more than 100 pages on a close friend, he knew he'd struck gold. The response included pages of information that Shapiro had requested previously, but that the FBI had claimed didn't exist. Using case details from those documents and a handful of additional waivers, he filed a new set of requests.

I could prepare a relevant waiver for Colby Landrum to sign, if he would like one.

A couple of other leads that I can across when looking into a few points arising from the material recently kindly posted by CardDown:

(1) In relation to the legal proceedings brought by Cash-Landrum, Curt has already posted a link to some relevant court documents on the CUFON website. However, that collection is clearly incomplete. I haven't been able to access the relevant court documents via the PACER database in the USA (possibly because most courts do not have scanned copies of material going back to the 1980s). However, it seems that at least some relevant documents were collated and published in a Quest Publication I mentioned in this thread a couple of years ago. I didn't post full details of that publication at the time, so I thought I'd post these details now (pending my obtaining a copy...):

www.sspc.jpn.org...
11 The Cash-Landrum File, Civil Action No. H84 348, Quest Publications
International LTD, P.O. Box 2, Grassington, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 5UY, England.

(2) The enviable UFO collection of the AFU (which makes my own collection of a bit over a thousand UFO/SETI books look pathetic...) includes the following 17 page publication on the Cash-Landrum incident:
van Utrecht, Wim: Cash-Landrum UFO identified? 2001 published by Caelestia, Antwerp, Belgium

Wim van Utrecht and I are both fairly active on one email discussion List, so I'll ask him if he happens to have a copy of his publication (and is willing to give me permission to upload it...).

IsaacKoi
I could prepare a relevant waiver for Colby Landrum to sign, if he would like one.

Yes, absolutely! You know how to reach me.
I'm also going to solicit further help from an expert in targeting FOIA requests.
I can assure you that any results will be shared and announced here.

Thank you very much for your suggestion and assistance!

reply to post by CardDown


Thank you both CardDown and Isaac for still being active on this topic!

I enjoy reading all of your posts and updates and I refuse giving up hope that this case will be solved one day, at least in some points!

Thank you!!!

reply to post by Dalbeck


Dalbeck, thank you! Your thread has been a valuable resource for me and helped me get in touch with many helpful research partners. It has also helped a new generation of researchers to discover the case- here's a newly publish article at a Russian UFO site:
«Летающий реактор» над Техасом

The article contains an excellent collection of images and two vintage newspaper articles. Also, it provides links to some of the case documents (some released by yours truly) and a portion of Schuessler's out-of-print book, The Cash-Landrum UFO Incident. Use a translator and take a look!

IsaacKoi
(2) The enviable UFO collection of the AFU (which makes my own collection of a bit over a thousand UFO/SETI books look pathetic...) includes the following 17 page publication on the Cash-Landrum incident:
van Utrecht, Wim: Cash-Landrum UFO identified? 2001 published by Caelestia, Antwerp, Belgium

Wim van Utrecht and I are both fairly active on one email discussion List, so I'll ask him if he happens to have a copy of his publication (and is willing to give me permission to upload it...).

It turns out that the relevant item by Wim van Utrecht was in fact NOT published, only prepared in draft and sent to some colleagues. However, Wim has kindly provided the last version of that draft item (18 pages, at at 2002) and said that I should feel free to inject this text into the new discussion. Wim has asked that if I do inject his draft article, I should include some notes by him.

I've included those notes by Wim below.

I've uploaded a searchable PDF version of Wim's draft article to the link below:
app.box.com...

Here are a couple of sample extracts:





The notes that Wim asks that I post along with the draft article at the above link are as follows:

- The “flame reflections” that I refer to in the article are actually part of a broader phenomenon that I have since called “Artificial Light Pillars in High Cloud” (a six-part article on these light pillars can be found here: www.caelestia.be...).


- There are various paragraphs in the text that I now feel should have been either left out or rewritten.


- The German photos included at the end are not a good example of the type of pillar that, I think, caused the CASH/LANDRUM report. Most of the pillars that are shown in these pictures are reflections from unshielded city lights in low cloud (ice mist). What we need for the CASH/LANDRUM report is a mirrored image of a big flame in cirriform cloud. Flames from a gas well or a petrochemical complex may have been responsible for the twin pillars in the bottom picture, but I never managed to establish that with certainty.

A much better example of a bright reflection is this one: www.caelestia.be... It was caused by a flame from a refinery near Terneuzen, The Netherlands. We calculated that the reflection occurred in 16,000 feet high cirrus clouds.

Despite the fact that there are quite a few shortcomings in the text I'm sending you, there is no doubt in my mind that the first phase of the CASH/LANDRUM incident was indeed caused by an atmospheric reflection of a bright flame. Compare for instance the image I just linked to with the following descriptions given in SCHUESSLER’s book:

- Betty: first a “red glow” near the horizon, then also “a vertical streak of red” that “appeared to be miles away”, but “stood out clearly in the sky”.

- Vickie: “a long streak of fire” that didn’t move.


Or in HENDRY’s recently surfaced preliminary report:

- “The whole sky seemed bright ahead of them”; “Then the witnesses became aware that a vertically oblong form was suspended over the road”.

Note also that, like with the light pillar caused by the flare at Terneuzen, the Texan witnesses too wondered if Jesus was going “to come out the fire in the sky”.

The light source responsible for the CASH/LANDRUM reflection - if that is what it was - can only be tracked down if we now the azimuth and elevation of the vertical streak of light (among other things, it was never a 100% clear to me where the car was when the “object” was first spotted). If it turns out that a big flame from an industrial site is impossible, we might be looking at an accident with a pipe line that, for some reason, needed to be covered up.

I still think it’s a pity that I never finished this article, but there were simply too few useful data in SCHUESSLER’s study to make a solid case for this theory.

Wim would welcome any comments on his draft article.

Wim also asks "By the way, do you know if a detailed map of the sighting location has surfaced in the past decade?". Over to you Curt...

I'll try to get hold of the Quest publication containing some of the court documents relating to the Cash-Landrum litigation to see if that publication included more than the papers on the CUFON website.

reply to post by IsaacKoi

Isaac, I'm very impressed with Wim's article, from its analysis of the Schuessler book alone. His observations are so in tune with my own that I'm beside myself. I can't speak to his theory about the light pillar solution, but definitely need to examine the text more closely. I'll read it again this evening, but have found no faults in his case examination.

I prepared a map based on case record of the sighting. See if this is what he's looking for :

Map: Cash-Landrum Route and Witness Locations

Here's another based on the solid sampling done by the Texas Health Department's Bureau of Radiation Control
Map: Texas Health Department: Between a beer joint…

Tell Wim, if likes I'd be honored to host his article finished or otherwise as a guest article at BBL. Thank you, Isaac for unearthing this!

EDITED TO ADD
I forgot this, a treasure pointed out to me by DPD11, an aerial map of the terrain from 1981 (loads slowly)
Historic Aerial Map of Huffman Texas area, 1981

Wow Isaac, thanks a lot for Wim's investigation, it's a great read and clears up some points of the case in a scientific way

I would've loved to see the picture of the factory lights in the Netherlands given in the link but it soens'nt work for me/ maybe it's outdated.

And thanks Curt for the map(s), it paints a great picture of the place / event that night!!!

New video slideshow of Vickie Landrum's original 1981 phone call reporting the UFO incident to NUFORC.
For further details, see Vickie Landrum's Phone Call to Report a UFO Encounter


In other news, Colby Landrum is recording a live show on Dec. 4 with
Podcast UFO that will be streamed via Art Bell's Dark Matter Network.

… an extremely rare interview with Cash-Landrum UFO Incident witness Colby Landrum. Researchers Chris Lambright and Curtis Collins will be joining Martin for this extraordinary episode. It very well may be the only opportunity listeners have to hear Colby Landrum speak about the famous 1980 Texas UFO encounter which left the participants with strange symptoms consistent with radiation exposure.

Colby Landrum interview now posted online at Podcast UFO:

AUDIO Link: Recorded Live- Podcast UFO Interview with Colby Landrum
podcastufo.com...

Some thoughts on the show… Colby carries a lot of anger about not having answers on this. The lack of detail about the UFO is disappointing, but he did describe a few tangible details. He was specific about flight paths and very distinct about the impression of the craft "floating." A bit less clear on the glow, but seemed to be saying it was more glow that gave the impression of fire, but that it definitely generated heat. Just as in his childhood testimony, he did not mention any sounds associated with the encounter. something stressed by Betty Cash. I wish he'd had another hour! Maybe he will keep talking…

I just listened to the repeat a while ago and absorbed a lot more of it without the worry of the Skype mechanics etc. Lack of detail about the UFO is disappointing, but the fakers make up better stuff. Also, a lot of the things he remembers are practical physical details, not the fanciful stuff like the Contactees say. Except for the evil or negligent U.S. government, he makes no claims of understanding the events or motives of the UFO. Most fabricators place themselves at the center of the experience, making themselves the star of the story.

This story simply isn't good enough to be made up.

December 29, a day to remember the events and the people behind the story:
Remembering Betty Cash and Vickie Landrum

Nice work gentleman.

Here is the photo of the Terneuzen refinery flare phenomena.



Cash-Landrum: The Light Pillar Theory Revisited by Wim VAN UTRECHT

Certainly an intriguing addition to the possibilities...

There's a new batch of documents just released on the Cash-Landrum case, a 26 page PDF of letters and annotated articles.

"I am concerned that Betty Cash and Vicki and Colby Landrum may be merely pawns in some kind of game." - Coral Lorenzen

The context is a feud between UFO organization APRO vs MUFON partly over their portrayal of the object as an extraterrestrial spacecraft. APRO claimed to have insider information, and the support of superstar UFOlogist Bill Moore that the object was a secret nuclear-powered US test vehicle.
During the heated exchanges of letters, documentation is provided about individuals and events rarely mentioned in the case literature. This is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the case, UFO history, or pre-Internet flame wars.

Backstage Drama: the MUFON vs APRO Feud over the Cash-Landrum UFO Investigation

DId anyone read this?
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Compelling...I have my own theories. But this thread and subject has not lost its fascination over the years. Maybe someday we'll know something, maybe not.

reply to post by aliensporebomb


As, they say, "Cool story,Bro." Now, get ready for this one. It's from
The Elijah Effect: Part One: Remote Viewing Eschatology by By David R Harrington
A remote viewing session turned into... a poem?

TERRA INCOGNITA (view)
I was looking into the Cash & Lander Case again
Not like I've had enough of Texas or anything
Black Ops Task Force 160 comes up again
Wasp and Wasp 2 chatter can't hear the phone ring

Seems an oxymoron to me you ever heard of it
A nuke powered personnel carrier testing in Texas
Hundred or so Chinooks seeming to escort it
Night Ops tax dollars at work in Texas

Don't you dare say it I don't want to hear it
I hear Terra Incognita again and that's it

We had multiple USO shows in the Pacific
Rosie took first nuke weaps to sea power
Apparently attracted very much traffic
Interrupted the Admiral during his shower

Can't these things squawk on our radio net
Sir when they're when they're around we have no radios
No lights One-MC or sound-powered phones yet
Speed and maneuverability are unreal ratios

Don't you dare say it I don't want to hear it
I hear Terra Incognita again and that's it
KCKS~02-15-09

On a more serious note, Greg Bishop recorded a show discussing the Cash-Landrum case, and it should be online after Feb.6 at Radio Misterioso