Falcon Lake incident

The Falcon Lake Incident is a reported unidentified flying object (UFO) encounter near Falcon Lake, Manitoba, Canada claimed to have occurred on May 20, 1967 by Stefan Michalak. The story was featured in an episode of Unsolved Mysteries.

Incident

According to authors Chris Rutkowski and Geoff Dittman, Michalak, a resident of Winnipeg, Manitoba, had taken a short vacation in Whiteshell Provincial Park to prospect veins of quartz near Falcon Lake when he spotted two cigar-shaped objects descending, one of which landed near him. Michelak says he saw a door open and heard voices from inside the object, after which he tried to make contact in English and other languages but got no response. He claims to have burned his hand while attempting to examine "colourful glass" found around the object and seen a grid-like exhaust vent that expelled gas that burned his clothing. ^[1]

Rutkowski and Dittman write that Michalak felt pain and sickness after his encounter and was treated at a hospital, initially claiming the burns were caused by airplane exhaust. Michalak's family physician reportedly stated that Michalak was confused and dazed but rational, and showed signs of hair loss and a series of raised oval-shaped sores on Michalak's chest and abdomen in a grid-like pattern, similar to a first-degree burn. Reportedly, health problems plagued Michalak for several months, including lack of appetite, weight loss, swelling, and fainting spells, despite a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist stating that Michalak was free of "significant mental or emotional illness."

Investigation

By late June 1967, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had taken an interest in Michalak's claims. They could not identify the site on their own, and on June 1 they brought Michalak with them. However, Michalak could not locate the site, which raised further doubts regarding his claim. The RCMP also confirmed that Michalak had consumed multiple bottles of beer the night before the sighting.

By June 26, Michalak had located the site and recovered personal belongings he had left there. The RCMP obtained soil samples from the location, which they tested for radioactivity. The tests were negative.

On July 28, Michalak and RCMP officers together identified a semicircle on the rock face at the scene, 15 feet in diameter, where the moss had been somehow removed. There were traces of radiation in a fault in the rock across the center of the landing spot. No trace of radiation was found around the outer perimeter of the circle or in the moss or grass below the raised portion of the rock.

The radioactive material found in the rock fault was radium 226, a naturally occurring isotope in wide commercial use and also found in nuclear reactor waste. They concluded that the level of radiation posed no danger to humans in the area.

Michalak died in 1999, age 83.^[1]

See also

• Project Magnet
• UFO sightings in Canada
• List of UFO sightings
• UFO

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

• The Falcon Lake Incident at About.com
• Michalak at Revista Vigília
• Canada's Unidentified Flying Objects: The Search for the Unknown at Library and Archives Canada
• Unsolved Mysteries episode: 1967 Falcon Lake Incident (Part I)
• Unsolved Mysteries episode: 1967 Falcon Lake Incident (Part II)