UFO Landing in Southwest Missouri in 1978 Investigated by Ted Phillips

On the morning of October

Still from a documentary reenactment

8, 1978 a family in Jenkins, Missouri saw an unidentified object in their field approximately 285 feet from their house. They also noted a similar object in the sky at a much further distance. The larger object did not move from 7:00 am when they first noticed it, until 9:00 am. The farm owner left his house to do some chores and noticed that the object suddenly rose up to a height of 30 to 50 feet above the ground. The family came out of the house to watch the object, which then bean to move to the west, ascend rapidly, turn twice, join with the second airborne object, and gradually fly away and out of sight.

The landed object was described by the farmer as an oval or egg shape which appeared white in color while it was on the ground but more silver in color and reflective once it arose. Its size was judged to be four to five feet wide and three to four feet in width. One area of the object was darker in tone, which made it easy to see that the object was rotating at about once every two seconds.

The witnesses immediately called the sheriff's department.

A deputy sheriff arrived that afternoon and took pictures and soil samples. The deputy observed in imprint in the ground which measured 4 1/2 feet long and 3 1/2 feet wide.

The farmer and deputy noted that the grass at the site where the object was first observed was noticeably swirled. Physical trace evidence investigator Ted Phillips with MUFON investigated the site and noted that the ground had been depressed and the grasses swirled, but not burnt or dried out. To Phillips, the ground appeared as a spot which was over-fertilized. The soil moisture was normal. The force bearing down on the ground was not great as measured by penetrometer tests. Phillips found no radioactive heightened readings.

As time went on there was noticeable deterioration of the grasses at the location.

 

Sources: 

MUFON Journal #135, May 1979

MUFON Journal #141, November 1979

Joplin(MO) Globe, October 24, 1978.

International UFO Reporter Vol. 3 # 12, December 1978 via www.nicap.org