Travis Walton incident

Travis Walton at The 2019 International UFO Congress in Phoenix, Arizona.
Travis Walton at The 2019 International UFO Congress in Phoenix, Arizona

The Travis Walton incident was an alleged alien abduction of American forestry worker Travis Walton on November 5, 1975 in the Apache–Sitgreaves National Forests near Heber, Arizona. It is widely regarded as a hoax, even by believers of UFOs and alien abductions.[1][2][3]

Walton was employed by future brother-in-law Mike Rogers on a federal contract. On October 20, Rogers acknowledged in writing that the job had fallen seriously behind schedule and might not be completed by the deadline.[4] That night, Walton and Rogers watched The UFO Incident, a movie about the alleged abduction of Barney and Betty Hill. After the broadcast, Walton reportedly discussed the possibility of being taken aboard a flying saucer.[4]

On November 5, the crew reported Walton missing. They recalled driving back after sunset when Rogers stopped the truck and Walton walked into the forest towards an overhead light. Walton was illuminated by a beam of light, and Rogers drove away with the others. Police organized search parties that were called off at the insistence of Travis's mother. After five days and six hours, Walton called his sister from a phone booth in Heber.[5][6][7] Walton sold his story to tabloid The National Enquirer, which published the account and awarded the crew a $5,000 prize.[8] In 1978, he wrote The Walton Experience, which was adapted into the 1993 film Fire in the Sky.[9]

Science writers Philip J. Klass and Michael Shermer highlight a potential motive for the hoax was to provide an "Act of God" that would allow the crew to avoid a steep financial penalty from the Forestry Service for failing to complete their contract by the deadline.[10][1] In 2021, Mike Rogers made a social media post renouncing his status as a witness to Walton's "supposed abduction".[11] After 2021 interviews with Rogers, researchers proposed that a nearby fire lookout tower and its spotlight were used to create the illusion of a flying saucer shining a beam of light on Walton.[12]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference PubDeceiv was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Susan A. Clancy (2009). Abducted: How People Come to Believe They Were Kidnapped by Aliens. Harvard University Press. pp. 99–. ISBN 978-0-674-02957-6.
  3. ^ "Sheriff Skeptical of Story: Saucer Traveler Hiding After Returning To Earth". The Victoria Advocate. Associated Press, Nov 13, 1975. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference DangGame32 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Independent, Karen Warnick The (November 14, 2015). "40 years later: Most documented UFO sighting, abduction still draw interest". White Mountain Independent. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  6. ^ "The Walton Experience – Return". TravisWalton.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  7. ^ "The Abduction". SYFY. Archived from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  8. ^ Paul Kurtz (2013). The Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal. Prometheus Books. pp. 441–. ISBN 978-1-61614-828-7.
  9. ^ Speigel, Lee (April 23, 2015). "UFO-Alien Abduction Still Haunts Travis Walton". Huffpost. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Shermer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sheaffer2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sheaffer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).