HOMEINCIDENTSDOD-032
UNCLASSIFIED
DOD-032 · 1980-12-29

Cash-Landrum Diamond UAP — Radiation Injuries

DoDHuffman, Texas, USANorth America#1980Diamond~60 ft AGL~20 minutes
EVIDENCE GALLERY

Visual reconstruction and recovered media extracted from the incident dossier. This case includes still evidence and analytical reconstruction.

Representative official gallery image traced to an official public-source archive

MEDIA STATUS
Official gallery media is shown as representative archive context for this case.
SOURCE TYPE
Witness testimony, radar language, and dossier reconstruction.
VIEW MODE
Still view highlights silhouette, environment, and encounter geometry.
AT A GLANCE

Three civilians suffered documented acute radiation injuries after a close encounter with a large diamond-shaped, flame-emitting craft escorted by 23 military Chinook helicopters on a Texas highway. The witnesses sued the U.S. government for damages; the case was dismissed because the government denied ownership of either the craft or the Chinook escort.

PRIMARY WITNESSES
Betty Cash, Vickie Landrum, Colby Landrum (age 7); 23 military helicopter crews
EVIDENCE PROFILE
VISUAL RECONSTRUCTIONDIAMOND
FILE ID
DOD-032
DATE
1980-12-29
AGENCY
DoD
REGION
North America
SHAPE
Diamond
ALTITUDE
~60 ft AGL
OBSERVED BEHAVIORS
Stationary HoverEmitting Sub-Objects
DECLASSIFIED DETAILS

On the evening of December 29, 1980, Betty Cash, Vickie Landrum, and Vickie's seven-year-old grandson Colby were driving on a rural road near Huffman, Texas when they encountered a large diamond-shaped craft hovering at approximately 60 feet, emitting intense heat and periodic jets of flame from its base. The three exited the vehicle — the exterior metal was too hot to touch. All three subsequently developed symptoms consistent with acute radiation exposure: hair loss, nausea, blistering skin, eye inflammation, and weakened immune systems. Betty Cash, who spent the longest time outside the vehicle, required hospitalization and suffered permanent health effects. At least 23 military CH-47 Chinook helicopters were observed accompanying the craft in a structured escort pattern. The witnesses filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, presenting medical documentation of radiation-consistent injuries. The Department of Defense denied any knowledge of or responsibility for the craft, and the case was dismissed in 1986 on the grounds that no such object was owned by the U.S. military. The Chinook helicopter corroboration has never been officially explained.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS
  • Diamond-shaped craft hovering at 60 ft with periodic flame jets from base
  • Three civilians with medically documented radiation injury symptoms
  • 23 CH-47 Chinook helicopters observed in structured escort formation
  • Vehicle exterior too hot to touch during encounter
  • U.S. government denied ownership of both craft and Chinook escort
  • Betty Cash hospitalized with permanent health effects — radiation pattern
ORIGINAL SOURCE

This incident is indexed as file DOD-032inside Now Declassified's research layer. The nearest official source trail for this agency points to NARA RG 615 / OSD, where archive records, imagery, or supporting context are published for public review.

OPEN OFFICIAL SOURCE CONTEXT →
EVIDENCE STRENGTH
PARTIAL
Video Record
0
Still Imagery
0
Witness Credibility
20
Sensor Corroboration
0
Physical Evidence
0
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