Cash-Landrum Incident -- December 29, 1980: The Encounter on FM 1485

Cash-Landrum Incident -- December 29, 1980: The Encounter on FM 1485

Setting the Scene

December 29, 1980 was a clear, cold Monday evening in East Texas. Betty Cash, Vickie Landrum, and seven-year-old Colby Landrum had spent the evening at a restaurant near New Caney, Texas (some accounts say they had been playing bingo). They were driving home to Dayton, Texas, heading southward through the pine woods of Harris and Liberty Counties on Farm to Market Road 1485 -- a rural two-lane highway through dense piney woods north of Houston.

Approximately 9:00 PM: The Light Above the Trees

As Betty drove south on FM 1485, the three noticed an unusual bright light above the tree line. Initially they assumed it was an aircraft approaching Houston Intercontinental Airport. As they drove closer, it became clear the light was not moving in the way a landing aircraft would.

The Stop

Betty brought the vehicle to a halt. Ahead of them on the road, hovering just above tree level and approximately 130 feet away, was a massive object. All three exited the vehicle.

The Object

Standing on the road, all three witnesses observed:

• A huge diamond-shaped or kite-shaped craft; the point of the diamond faced upward, making the widest part horizontal at the mid-section
• Metallic gray or silver dull surface
• Brilliant blinding light emanating from the body
• Flames issuing intermittently from the bottom portion -- described by Vickie as like a large flamethrower, or like a gas jet igniting repeatedly
• Intense, almost overwhelming heat radiating outward
• A loud jet-like roaring noise
• The craft appeared to be hovering with some difficulty -- Vickie interpreted this as the craft being in distress

The Heat

The heat from the craft was intense enough to be felt immediately on exposed skin. Betty, who remained outside the longest, described her face burning. The vinyl dashboard inside the car softened from the ambient heat. The metal of the car exterior became too hot to touch with bare hands. The road surface around the vehicle reportedly felt hot underfoot.

Vickie's Return to the Car

Vickie took Colby and returned to the car earlier than Betty. When she steadied herself against the dashboard, her hand left a visible indentation in the softened vinyl -- one of the most significant physical evidence elements in the case.

The Helicopters

As the craft began to rise and move away, the witnesses observed a large formation of helicopters. Betty counted approximately 23 helicopters. They identified both the large CH-47 Chinook twin-rotor type and smaller single-rotor helicopters. The helicopters appeared to surround the craft and follow it as it departed to the west or northwest.

Betty's Return to the Car

Betty was the last to return to the vehicle. She described the door handle as too hot to grab bare-handed and used her coat as an insulator. Once in the car, she turned on the air conditioning to cool the interior.

Driving Away

Betty drove in the direction of home. At various points during the drive, the craft remained visible at a distance -- its brightness still illuminating the helicopters that accompanied it. The witnesses drove in silence, shaken.

Arrival Home and Immediate Aftermath

With Vickie and Colby dropped at Vickie's house, Betty returned to her own home. Within hours, all three had developed:

• Blisters
• Swelling, particularly around the neck
• Vomiting
• In Betty's case: near-coma level illness