IncidentCash–Landrum Incident (29 December 1980)

Three civilians outside Huffman, Texas encountered a diamond-shaped object emitting flame and were escorted by 23 unmarked military helicopters; all three subsequently developed radiation-sickness symptoms.

An F-4 Phantom — the witnesses described being followed by what looked to be twin-rotor CH-47 Chinooks; the case turns on what the U.S. military was doing in southeast Texas that night.Wikipedia Commons · Public domain · IIAF · Unkn

What's documented

At approximately 21:00 on 29 December 1980, Betty Cash, Vickie Landrum, and Vickie’s seven-year-old grandson Colby Landrum were driving on FM 1485 near Huffman, Texas when they encountered a large diamond-shaped object hovering over the road, emitting flame from its base. They reported seeing 23 helicopters — identified by Lt. Col. Charles Halt’s contemporary records and subsequent FOIA returns as CH-47 Chinooks — escorting the object away. All three developed symptoms consistent with radiation exposure within hours: severe headache, vomiting, skin lesions, hair loss. Betty Cash was hospitalized for 15 days. They sued the U.S. government in 1981 for $20 million; the case was dismissed in 1986 on grounds that the government had no knowledge of and no involvement with the object.

Notable & intriguing

All three witnesses were treated for symptoms consistent with ionizing radiation exposure: Betty Cash, hospitalized for 15 days, developed corneal damage and skin lesions; Vickie Landrum lost her hair; Colby Landrum, age 7, developed permanent vision impairment.

Medical records, Parkway General Hospital, Houston; admitting physician Dr. Bryan McClelland, 30 December 1980 onward
Cash v. United States (Case No. H-81-2700, S.D. Tex.) was dismissed by Judge Ross Sterling in August 1986 on the grounds that no agency of the U.S. government acknowledged knowledge or operation of the object or the escorting helicopters. The plaintiffs had sued for $20 million.

Cash v. United States, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas, dismissed 21 August 1986
Lt. Col. John B. Alexander, on official assignment from Sen. Charles Bennett's office to inquire about the case, formally requested helicopter activity logs from every U.S. military installation within 100 miles of Huffman, Texas on the night of 29 December 1980. Every installation returned a 'no records' response.

Lt. Col. John B. Alexander, *UFOs: Myths, Conspiracies, and Realities*, 2011, ch. 9; FOIA returns, 1981–1983