Travis Walton incident

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. Walton reportedly discussed the possibility of being taken aboard a flying saucer.

On November 5 1975, Walton was reported missing by the logging crew he worked with. Five members of the crew recalled driving back after sunset when Rogers stopped the truck and Walton walked into the forest towards a light. Walton was illuminated by a beam of light and fell on the ground. The crew drove away apparently in fear, believing Walton to be dead. Police organized several search parties, aided by a helicopter. After five days and six hours, Walton called his sister from a phone booth in Heber. Walton sold his story to tabloid the National Enquirer, which published the account and awarded the crew a $5,000 prize. In 1978, he wrote The Walton Experience, which was adapted into the 1993 film Fire in the Sky.

Science writers Philip J. Klass and Michael Shermer alleged that Walton perpetuated a hoax, and highlighted a potential motive that an abduction would provide a suitable "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. In 2021, Mike Rogers made a social media post renouncing his status as a witness to Walton's "supposed abduction". 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.