Case study · CASE-055 · Close encounter with reported injuries / military helicopters
Cash-Landrum incident
OpenOpen / disputedWhere Near Huffman and Dayton, TexasWhen 1980-12-29
Case
- Overview
- Betty Cash, Vickie Landrum and Colby Landrum reported a diamond-shaped object and about 23 helicopters, some identified as CH-47 Chinooks, then injuries they attributed to the encounter. They sued the U.S. government; the case was dismissed after the services and NASA denied involvement.
- Investigative phases
- Witness reports; Bergstrom AFB inquiry (1981, reported); Army Inspector General inquiry (1982, reported); federal lawsuit dismissed
- Reported phenomena
- Diamond-shaped glowing object; heat; many helicopters
- Public evidence status
- Court opinion public; medical and military records not fully public
- Alternative explanations / caveats
- Unidentified military helicopter operation; medical causes of injuries disputed (chemical vs radiation)
- Next research tasks
- Obtain court filings and Army IG records via FOIA; verify helicopter unit records for 1980-12-29
- Last reviewed
- 2026-11-11
Assessment
- Event date
- 1980-12-29
- Source category
- Court record; witness testimony
- Original data accessibility
- Limited
- Witness / instrument basis
- Three witnesses; medical claims
- Corroboration limitations
- Military involvement denied; medical causation disputed
- Extraordinary claim assessment
- Unverified
- Current status
- Open / disputed
- Priority research task
- FOIA Army IG records
- Lead source ID
- SRC-V86-29
- Last reviewed
- 2026-11-11
Evidence (1)
Documents gathered (1 line of evidence)
- Federal court opinion in the Cash-Landrum lawsuit against the United States Primary record linked