Cash-Landrum UFO Incident

The Cash-Landrum incident stands apart from most UFO cases for one devastating reason: the witnesses didn’t just see something strange - they were physically harmed by it. The injuries they sustained were consistent with radiation exposure, and they spent years fighting for answers from a government that denied everything.

The Encounter

On the evening of December 29, 1980, Betty Cash (51), Vickie Landrum (57), and Vickie’s seven-year-old grandson Colby were driving home to Dayton, Texas after dinner. They were on Farm to Market Road 1485, a rural highway cutting through the piney woods north of Houston.

At approximately 9:00 PM, they noticed a bright light above the trees ahead. As they drove closer, the light resolved into something that terrified them.

The Object

Hovering above the road was a massive diamond or kite-shaped object, approximately 40-50 feet tall. The witnesses described:

• Brilliant, blinding light emanating from the object
• Flames or jets shooting downward from the bottom
• Intense heat that they could feel through the car
• A loud roaring or rushing sound
• The object periodically belching flame and rising, then settling back down

Betty Cash stopped the car. All three got out to look, though Colby and Vickie quickly returned to the vehicle because of the heat. Betty remained outside longer, transfixed by the object.

The car’s dashboard became too hot to touch. The metal and vinyl surfaces were searing. When Betty finally returned to the car, she had to use her coat to open the door handle.

The Helicopters

As the object began to rise and move away, the witnesses observed something even stranger: helicopters. Lots of them.

Betty Cash counted 23 helicopters surrounding and following the UFO. Both CH-47 Chinook twin-rotor helicopters and single-rotor aircraft were identified. They appeared to be escorting or pursuing the object.

This detail would become crucial - if military helicopters were involved, someone official knew what was happening.

The Aftermath

Within hours, all three witnesses began experiencing severe symptoms:

Betty Cash (the most severely affected):

• Intense headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Large blisters on her face and head
• Swelling that closed her eyes shut
• Hair loss in clumps
• Hospitalized for weeks as a “burn victim”
• Developed cancer and other health problems
• Never fully recovered; died in 1998

Vickie Landrum:

• Similar but less severe symptoms
• Eye inflammation
• Hair loss
• Long-term health complications

Colby Landrum:

• Burned eyes
• Hair loss
• Persistent health problems

The symptoms were consistent with ionizing radiation exposure.

The Investigation

The witnesses reported the incident to authorities and sought answers:

Medical Assessment: Doctors documented their injuries but couldn’t explain the cause. The symptoms resembled radiation burns, but there was no explanation for how three civilians would encounter such exposure.

Military Denial: The witnesses filed a formal complaint with the U.S. government, seeking $20 million in damages. The Army, Navy, Air Force, and NASA all denied having any aircraft in the area that night.

Helicopter Investigation: Despite the military’s denial, independent investigators identified the helicopters as consistent with CH-47 Chinooks - military aircraft not typically available to civilians or private companies.

The Lawsuit

In 1981, Betty Cash and the Landrums filed suit against the United States government. Their case was dismissed in 1986. The judge ruled that since the government denied owning or operating the object, there was no proof of liability.

This created an impossible situation: the witnesses were clearly injured by something, but the government denied involvement, and no one else could have fielded 23 military helicopters and a massive flying object.

Theories

Secret Military Aircraft: A classified aircraft - possibly nuclear-powered - malfunctioning and requiring helicopter escort. The radiation injuries would support this.

Recovered UFO: A captured non-human craft being transported, with military escort, that malfunctioned during transit.

Experimental Technology: A test of some experimental propulsion system that went wrong.

Pure UFO: An unexplained craft that happened to be observed by military helicopters.

None of these explanations fully satisfy. If it was military, why the denial even after civilians were harmed? If it wasn’t military, whose helicopters were they?

Betty Cash’s Legacy

Betty Cash spent the rest of her life seeking answers. She was hospitalized repeatedly, developed breast cancer, and suffered health problems she attributed to that night in 1980. She died on December 29, 1998 - exactly 18 years after the encounter.

She never received compensation, explanation, or acknowledgment from the government.

The Unanswered Questions

The Cash-Landrum incident poses questions that remain unanswered:

• What was the diamond-shaped object?
• Whose helicopters were present?
• If it was military, why deny and abandon injured civilians?
• If it wasn’t military, who else could field such resources?
• What caused the radiation-like injuries?

Something real harmed these people. The physical evidence - the burns, the hair loss, the ongoing health problems - was documented by doctors. The witnesses had nothing to gain and everything to lose by coming forward. Betty Cash paid for those few minutes on a Texas road with her health and arguably her life.

Whatever descended over FM 1485 that December night, it left marks that never healed.

Sources

• Cash-Landrum UFO Incident documentation
• MUFON investigation files
• Court records from Cash et al. v. United States (1986)