TheMUFON UFO JOURNAL NUMBER 135 MAY 1979 Founded 1967 $1.00 .OFFICIAL PUBUCATION OF JIMJiFOJV/ MUTUAL UFO NETWORK, INC. Shadow Identifies side -facing observer Object No.l Mra Sturg ell's impression of Shape, Z views MODEL AND SKETCHES OF UFO IN MISSOURI LANDING-TRACE CASE TheMUFON UFO JOURNAL (USPS 002-970) FROM THE EDITOR 103 Oldtowne Rd. Seguin, Texas 78155 As Bruce Maccabee's "report in this issue indicates, the RICHARD HALL December 1978 New Zealand movie film and associated radar-visual Editor sightings appear to be of extraordinary importance — contrary to ANN DRUFFEL the premature opinions of many "scientific" non-investigators. Philip Associate Editor Klass, whose skeptical views were publicized as authoritative on national television and in the New Zealand press, deserves to be LEN STRINGFIELD Associate Editor criticized for his unscientific attitude. Indeed, if he and the numerous scientists remote from the scene who pontificated without MILDRED BIESELE investigation controlled UFO investigations, we wouldn't have Jo, Contributing Editor bother investigating because we would know the answers in. advance. Such blatant pre-judgment is supposed to be a cardinal sin in science. More objective "ufologists" are not so cock-sure and WALTER H. ANDRUS Director of MUFON prefer to gather and analyze more complete evidence before passing judgement. Dr. Maccabee is a credit to the scientific profession; the TED BLOECHER "skeptics" (a term misapplied to consistent debunkers) are not. DAVE WEBB Co-Chairmen, Humanoid Study Group PAUL CERNY Promotion/Publicity REV. BARRY DOWNING Religion and UFOs LUCIUS PARISH Books/Periodicals/History In this issue MARK HERBSTRITT Astronomy ROSETTA HOLMES MISSOURI LANDING-TRACE CASE .3 Promotion/Publicity By Donald L. Seneker and George M. Koch 1979 MUFON SYMPOSIUM UPDATE 7 By Walt Andrus. - . TED PHILLIPS COSMIC SEARCH: A REVIEW 8 Landing Trace Cases By Thomas P. Deuley ' - NEW ZEALAND FILM REPORT :......... 9 JOHN F. SCHUESSLER By Bruce Maccabee . UFO Propulsion NORAD LOGS PILOT SIGHTING 14 "THE ANDREASSON AFFAIR" (Book Review) 15 NORMAE. SHORT By Ted Bloecher DWIGHT CONNELLY "HELICOPTER-UFO ENCOUNTER OVER OHIO" (Book Review)..... 17. DENNIS HAUCK By Richard Hall Editor/Publishers Emeritus IN OTHERS' WORDS 19 By Lucius Parish DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE .;..,-.;......... 20 The MUFON UFO JOURNAL is By Walt Andrus ^ published by "the Mutual UFO Network, Inc., Seguin, Texas. Subscription rates: $8.00 per year in the U.S A.; $9.00 per year foreign. Copyright 1979 by the Mutual UFO Network. Second class postage paid at Seguin, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send form 3579 to advise change of address to The contents of The MUFON UFO JOURNAL are Permission is herby granted to quote from this issue The MUFON UFO JOURNAL, determined by the editor, and do not necessarily provided not more than 200 words are quoted from any 103 Oldtowne Rd., Seguin, Texas represent the official position of MUFON. Opinions of one article, the author of the article is given credit, and 78155. contributors are their own, and do not necessarily reflect" the statement "Copyright 1979 by the MUFON UFO those of the editor, the staff, or MUFON. Articles may be JOURNAL,, 103. Oldtowne Rd., Sequin, Texas" is forwarded directly to MUFON. included. MISSOURI LANDING-TRACE CASE By Donald L. Seneker and George M. Koch (Edited by Walt Andrus) Sunday, October 8, 1978, was to sheet metal in the pasture. Seeing his minutes before both instantly vanished be an exciting day for the Marlett father come outside, Norman called to from the sky. Sturgell family as dawn illuminated their him to ask him drive their tractor from Mr. Sturgell initially assumed that 500-acre farm in rural Barry County in the house to the barn. Ray Morgan arid the long, dark-colored, log-shaped southwestern Missouri. Having their his son started walking down toward object in the sky was an airplane, but no daughter, son-in-law, and grandson the pasture as Mr. Sturgell pulled up to wings, motors, tail, or vertical fin were home for the weekend from Kansas the barn and cut the engine. At this visible to identify it as a conventional City was the first big event. From the moment, to the amazement of the aircraft. Even though he had a good window of their farmhome at 7:00 AM witnesses, the metal "thing" in the field view of the bottom of the UFO, Marlett C.D.S.T., Mrs. Marlett Sturgell and her started rising and went over a nearby Sturgell could not see any legs or grandson were scanning the pasture walnut tree, moving at an angle toward landing gear. Mr. Sturgell is 71 years of below them in the bend of Flat Creek the west. Mr. Sturgell said that it was an age, has good eyesight, and was for coyotes which frequently appear at aluminum color and very shiny. The wearing corrective lens glasses during this time of the morning. The grandson object continued to climb at an angle his observation from near the barn. He was thrilled when they spotted one into the western sky that was dotted noted a vertical dark streak on the side coyote in the early morning light about with white clouds. There was no of the UFO closest to them, contrasted 250 yards from the home. In addition to appreciable wind. to the aluminum color. He had driven the coyote, a cow and calf were also As the group of six people watched the tractor from the house to the barn, standing in a group near what appeared the ascending object diminish in size as he continued to glance toward the to Mrs. Sturgell as a white cow lying in with distance, their eyes were drawn to unknown object restingin the field. The the green fescue grass pasture. a second object that they at first tractor performed normally. He had Having seen the coyote, Mrs. thought was an airplane. "It looked like just cut the ignition switch off, when the Sturgell and her daughter Mrs. a big aircraft — it was long—just laying object started its ascent. Raymond L. Morgan (Frances) started there motionless in the sky" is the way During subsequent 'conversations . preparing a big breakfast for the men Marlett Sturgell described the second with friends, he had been asked "if he who were now getting up and starting object. The "thing" that had taken off was afraid to go down to the pasture to their farm chores. After a leisurely from the pasture flew directly toward investigate at close range?," or "why he breakfast and the usual family visiting, the hovering craft high in the blue sky. didn't go down to it and kick it over?," the subject turned to the coyote and the As the witnesses followed the small and "why he didn't get his gun and white cow in the pasture. When Marlett object, it either flew under the shoot a hole in it?" He said "it never Sturgell advised his wife that they didn't "airplane" or went directly up to it. As dawned on him to do either, and he have any white cows, he went to the the two objects converged, the family definitely wouldn't have shot at it — a window to try to identify what she had was shocked when both simply silly thing to do." observed. The time was now 9:00 AM. disappeared in the clear blue sky. No Mrs. Marlett (Dora) Sturgell was The coyote was now "hunched down," sound was heard at any time. interviewed on two occasions, the the cow and calf were still peering at the When Mr. Sturgell was second simply a follow-up on the object, but the "white cow" in the bright interviewed and quizzed about the landing site pasture conditions. Only sunlight looked more like a tarpaulin shape and size of the landed UFO, the Mrs. Sturgell's observations that covering something. After further stated it was about 4 feet thick, but he differed from that of her husband, or scrutiny from that distance, he was sure couldn't figure out how wide it was due additional information, will be related in that it was something that had fallen off to the angle at which he viewed it at this report. She confirmed that the long an airplane, since it was metallic and takeoff. He said it could have had a object in the sky .had no visible wings, aluminum in color. rounded or flat top, he wasn't sure, tail, or motor. She described the The Sturgell's adult son Norman because as it got up to tree-top level, he "airplane" as a "long grey-white board had gone back to the bam to continue could only see the bottom side. He felt it or something, laying up there." Her his morning chores, when Mr. Sturgell, was egg shaped. The group estimated son-in-law, Raymond L. Morgan, also his sonrin-law, Raymond L. Morgan, that the elapsed time for the UFO to fly reiterated this detail. She only noted and grandson went outside to try to from the pasture to the second one white cloud in that portion of the identify what looked like a piece of hovering object in the sky was 5 to 10 (Continued on next page) (Missouri Landing, Continued) *• -?-• .f*i western sky and the object wasn't close to the cloud. As for the small object in the pasture, she stated that it had slanted sides that reflected the sunlight from its brilliant surfaces. She also described a round dome shape that slanted away and had a dark streak on the lower side. Considering the length of the observation time (ascension was 5 to 10 minutes), she said that they had time to phone their neighbors to observe the objects, but "they all wanted to see what it was going to do." She didn't even think about UFOs at this time.