Quick Info
November 5, 1975. A remote logging road in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest near Heber, Arizona. Seven forestry workers watched a glowing object descend from the night sky. Travis Walton stepped out of the truck to investigate and was struck by a brilliant beam of light. He vanished for five days and five nights while his six crewmates were questioned by police, investigated by APRO and NICAP, and passed polygraph tests.
When Travis reappeared he told an incredible story of being taken aboard a craft, examined by small beings, and released unharmed. The case became one of the most famous, thoroughly investigated, and consistent abductions in UFO history, backed by six crewmates who stood by their account for decades.
The Crew: Seven Loggers, One Extraordinary Night
The men were part of a small, tight-knit logging crew working a contract in the Sitgreaves National Forest. They were tough, no-nonsense guys who spent weeks at a time in the woods, cutting timber, sleeping in trailers, and living off coffee and camp stoves. On November 5, 1975 they were driving back to their camp in a single-cab truck after a long day. Travis Walton, 22 years old, was riding in the bed with Mike Rogers (crew chief), Allen Dalis, Bobby Cogdill, John Goulette, Steve Pierce, and Dwayne Smith. The sun had set. The sky was clear. The road was empty. They were tired, hungry, and ready for dinner.
Then Mike Rogers saw something strange ahead.
"I looked up and saw this light through the trees. It was bright, yellowish-orange, and it was moving. I said to the guys, 'Look at that!' Everyone piled out to see."
– Mike Rogers (crew chief, 1975 interview)
They stopped the truck. Everyone got out. The light was coming closer. It was no plane, no helicopter. It was a glowing object, disc-shaped, hovering just above the treetops. Travis Walton jumped down from the truck bed and started walking toward it. The others yelled at him to come back. He kept going. He wanted to see it up close.
"Travis was always the curious one. He said, 'I'm going to check it out.' We told him not to, but he walked right toward it anyway."
– Steve Pierce (crew member)
The Beam – The Moment Everything Changed
Travis got within 20 feet of the object. It was about 15 feet wide, metallic, domed on top, flat on the bottom, glowing softly. No sound. No wind. Suddenly a narrow beam of bright blue-green light shot out from the bottom and struck him in the chest. His body jerked backward, arms flung wide, boots lifted off the ground. He hung suspended for a second, then dropped hard to the ground and lay motionless.
The crew screamed his name. No response. They thought he was dead. Panic took over. Mike Rogers floored the accelerator. The truck sped away down the dirt road. They drove for about a quarter mile before stopping. Mike wanted to go back. The others were terrified. After a brief argument they turned around. The object was gone. Travis was gone. No body. No blood. Nothing.
"I thought we had just killed our friend. We left him there. I still have nightmares about that."
– Mike Rogers (later interviews)
"We were all screaming. The light hit him and he flew back like he'd been electrocuted. We thought he was dead. We panicked and drove off."
– Allen Dalis (crew member)
They drove straight to Heber, called the sheriff's department, and reported Travis had been hit by a beam from a UFO. The deputies laughed at first. Then they went out to search. Nothing. Travis Walton had vanished.
Five Days of Fear – The Search & the Skepticism
November 5–10, 1975. Travis was missing. Search parties combed the forest. Police questioned the crew relentlessly. The men stuck to their story. No one cracked. Polygraph tests were arranged. Six crew members passed (including Mike Rogers, Dwayne Smith, Bobby Cogdill, Steve Pierce, John Goulette). One (Allen Dalis) refused and later gave conflicting statements. The case exploded in the national media. Headlines screamed "UFO Kidnaps Logger." The crew became suspects in a possible murder. Some locals believed they had killed Travis and invented the story to cover it up.
Travis's mother, brother, and sister-in-law stayed in the spotlight, insisting he was alive and would return. They refused to believe he was dead. The pressure was intense. The crew was harassed, threatened, and shunned. Yet they never changed their story.
"We were accused of murder. People said we killed him and dumped the body. But we knew what we saw. We passed every test they gave us."
– Dwayne Smith (crew member)
November 10, 1975 – Travis Comes Home
Five days and six hours after he disappeared, Travis Walton reappeared. He called his sister-in-law from a phone booth in Heber. He was dazed, disoriented, thin, and dehydrated. He told her he had been taken aboard a craft, examined by small beings, and released. He remembered little at first. Over the following weeks more memories returned.
His account (compiled from interviews, hypnosis, and his book *The Walton Experience* / *Fire in the Sky*):
- He woke up on a table in a small, curved room. Three or four small beings (grey, large eyes, small mouths) were working around him.
- He panicked, grabbed a glass-like object, and swung at them. They backed away.
- A taller human-like figure (wearing a helmet) entered, took him down a hallway to a larger room with a domed ceiling and stars visible.
- He was placed on another table. More beings (some female) examined him with instruments.
- He was released near Heber, saw a glowing object lift away, then walked to a phone booth.
"They were small, delicate, with big eyes. They didn't speak. They just looked at me. I felt they were curious, not cruel."
– Travis Walton (1976 interviews)
Polygraphs, Investigations, and Media Storm
Travis and the crew underwent multiple polygraph examinations. Travis passed several (including one administered by Cy Gilson, considered one of the best examiners in the U.S.). The crew's polygraphs were consistent. The case was investigated by APRO, NICAP, and the sheriff's department. No evidence of hoax was found. The media frenzy was intense , newspapers, TV, talk shows. Travis appeared on Larry King, Merv Griffin, and others. He wrote a book, *The Walton Experience* (later republished as *Fire in the Sky*).
Physical & Psychological Aftermath
Travis was examined medically after his return. He had lost weight, showed signs of dehydration, and had puncture marks on his arm. No radiation or unusual substances were detected. Psychologically he suffered nightmares, anxiety, and flashbacks for years. The crew also reported lasting stress. Mike Rogers lost the logging contract due to publicity and suspicion. The men faced ridicule, job loss, and harassment. Yet they never recanted.
Fantastic conversation between Travis and Chris Ramsay @AREA52
Visit the superb AREA52 on YouTube
"I still wake up sometimes thinking about it. The eyes. The lights. The silence. It changed everything."
– Travis Walton (2020s interviews)
Legacy in 2026
Nearly 51 years later, the Travis Walton case remains one of the most famous and thoroughly investigated abductions. It inspired the 1993 film *Fire in the Sky* (though it was HEAVILY dramatized and contained quite a few errors), countless books, documentaries, and podcasts. Travis and the crew have stood by their story through decades of scrutiny, and oftentimes outright ridicule.
Polygraphs, consistency, lack of motive for hoax, and multiple witnesses keep it undefeated. In 2026 it is still, and rightly so, cited as one of the strongest multi-witness close encounters in UFO history, a night in the Arizona forest that changed six lives forever. I personally think Travis is telling the 100% truth, what he says happened.. happened. What do you think?
