This was going to be an answer to the Flatwoods and UAV post, but it became so long that I figured it deserved it's own post. I had no idea that it would generate so much commentary! If you haven't read it, be sure to do so, and don't forget to read the discussion, which is even more interesting.

Today, I re-listened to an interview with legendary Fortean Ivan Sanderson about his Flatwoods investigation, which took place about 2 days after the incident. The recording was from one of the Long John Nebel shows in 1968. Sanderson said that he and other investigators (including Gray Barker) talked to scores of witnesses and determined that there were SIX glowing objects seen on the night of Sept. 12, 1952 in and around the Sutton/ Flatwoods area. They determined this by the descriptions that placed "flaming, glowing" things flying through the night on six separate trajectories, sometimes within 200 feet of witnesses (meaning that they considered the idea that people had seen the same thing from differing angles.) They all traveled in a line from north to south, and I believe he said that the trajectories were almost evenly spaced apart.

Arriving at the site, they could still smell the horrible, "molten metal" odor, which was greatly diminished by that time. They also found an area of crushed grass and soil where the object had been sitting when seen by the witnesses. There were also three deep and evenly spaced "horseshoe"-shaped depressions at the edges of the flattened area, each about 2 feet in diameter.

One resident on a neighboring hillside to the "monster" sighting was watching through binoculars and saw a red-turning-to-orange object lift off the hill - apparently after the encounter. It faded out and disappeared.

At least two of the objects were witnessed crashing into hillsides. Sanderson/ Barker et al trudged to the sites and found broken trees and branches, flattened vegetation, something that looked like ashes, and most interestingly, small strips of something that resembled white plastic.

One of the people with Sanderson was a chemist from Monsanto. He took some of the "strips" (which were described as the size of "a pinky finger" i.e. about 3-4 inches long) to a lab. The samples were placed in varying chemical solutions with no results until someone suggested that they try water. The sample swelled up and grew to about 9 inches, and resembled "reptile skin." (!)

One thing I liked was his comment that he had no idea what the monster witnesses had seen, even after questioning them for about 3 days - separately, and in groups. He reported that they never changed their stories, and were consistent in details, never adding any, even when prodded to do so.

Unfortunately, Sanderson hardly mentions the physical appearance of the monster, except its "spade-shaped" head and blue, glowing "eyes" that appeared to be scanning the surrounding hills. The place at which the "monster" scared the bejeebers out of the witnesses and where the UFO had apparently landed was the highest point in the area, and afforded a view of 14 miles or more.

Commenter Bill Hancock wrote that the National Guard was on the scene right away. Sanderson said that a shotgun-wielding posse was formed to go up the hill and look for the monster, and that they came back almost immediately, saying that they had seen nothing. What do you want to bet that they met up with military types who warned them away and told them to shut up?

As Bill says-just like the Kecksburg Incident (and Roswell etc. etc.)