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

==Incident==

At about 9:00pm on the evening of [[December 29]], [[1980]], [[Betty Cash]], [[Vickie Landrum]] and [[Colby Landrum]] (Vickie's [[grandson]]) were driving near [[Huffman, Texas]] when out of seemingly nowhere, a huge diamond-shaped object hovered nearly level to the treetops. The object began moving straight toward the trio. The object's base was expelling flame, and generated significant heat. Cash later told investigators that it was in similar size to that of a water tower and "lit up the entire sky".

Vickie, a [[born again Christian]], revealed that she initially interpreted the object as a sign of the [[second coming]] of [[Jesus]].

As the object blocked the road, Cash stopped car and observed it. Cash and Landrum got out of the car to examine the object. Cash later told an investigator that when they saw the object close-up they "... thought the end of the world was coming ...". Landrum quickly returned to the car, but Cash stood there for a few minutes, not knowing what to do next. When she finally returned to the car, Cash realized that the heat was so intense that her fingers were burned when she touched the door handle.

While all this happened, the object continued shooting flames in an apparently random manner. Cash was about to turn the car around when she realized that it was impossible since the road was too narrow and the shoulders were dangerously soft. When she suggested flooring the gas and driving directly through the object as an alternative, Landrum screamed at her that it was too risky.

For approximately 15 minutes, the trio sat in the sizzling car and watched helplessly as the object hovered overhead. Colby was crying and screaming, inspite the efforts of his grandmother. Cash estimated that the object was about 130 feet in front of the car. At one point, the car grew so hot that when Landrum pushed on the plastic dashboard, her hands left a pernament imprint that later served as the most crucial evidence that all this had really happened. Cash turned on the air conditioning to cool the car, but the air grew so hot that their faces seemed to be on fire.

Finally, the object hovered higher in the sky. As its ascend was over the treetops, about 23 helicopters surrounded it. Some of them where double-rotor [[Chinook]]s similar to those used by military forces around the world (several others would later state they too had seen Chinook-type helicopters at roughly the same time and place.) Even though the heat and terror of the situation was overtaking her, Cash could clearly see the markings on the sides of the helicopters. The letters read ''United States Air Force''.

==Aftermath==
===Health problems===
After the UFO and helicopters left, Cash took the Landrums home, then retired for the evening. That night, they all experienced similar symptoms, though Cash to a greater degree: All suffered from nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and felt as though they'd suffered [[sunburn]]s. Many [[blisters]] appeared on Cash's skin, and doctors concluded that Cash was the victim of [[radiation poisoning]]. Eventually, she was [[hospital]]ized, and had suffered very ill health since sighting the object.

Due to the Chinook helicopters' presence, the witnesses 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]]. [http://www.cufon.org/cufon/cashlani.htm]

===Legal action===

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.


== External Links ==
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash-Landrum_incident 
* http://ufocasebook.com/Pineywoods.html 
* http://www.whatwasthen.com/cashlandrum.html 

== Copyright ==
"Original data received from Wikipedia on April 23, 2006. Credit given to original authors can be seen [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cash-Landrum_incident&action=history Here]."

[[Category:Cases_in_UFOlogy]]
[[Category:UFO cases in Texas]]