1977 · Launch facility November-5, 2.1 miles west of Newell, Ellsworth AFB missile field, South Dakota
Two airmen and a craft at an Ellsworth missile site
From Mario Woods' account (American Alchemy, 2026): a huge glowing object over a Minuteman launch facility, two security airmen, 1977; shape was not described. · Illustration for uaptrail.com
WhenNovember 1977 (night of the 16th, 17th or 18th; sources differ)
WhereLaunch facility November-5, 2.1 miles west of Newell, Ellsworth AFB missile field, South Dakota
Backing2 independent
Witnesses1 named
Evidencerecord
In November 1977 security airmen Mario Woods and Michael Johnson answered an alarm at Minuteman launch facility November-5, 2.1 miles west of Newell in Ellsworth's missile field. Both describe a huge glowing object over the site and small beings, then hours of missing time; Woods came to behind the Belle Fourche Reservoir dam more than 8 miles away, with Johnson rigid at the wheel. At Ellsworth they were examined, given injections and told nothing happened; a flight surgeon took a skin sample from Woods. In 2026 Jesse Michels' team found Johnson, who on the first call recalled 'the UFO' unprompted, and reunited the two men. Woods says Richard Doty was at his debrief, and an old chain of researchers says Doty forged the only paper, the 'L-9' report about a neighbouring site 8 miles away. Woods was reported to have died on 16 October 2026 (not independently confirmed).
Evidence, in date order (2)
- 2026Michael Johnsonwitnesssecond firsthand airman at the site; recalled the UFO unprompted on a recorded call Michael Johnson
- 44th Missile Wing site listrecordN-05 lies 2.1 miles west of Newell, beside the Belle Fourche Reservoir dam where Woods says he came to
How plausible · High
Two named security airmen give firsthand accounts; one recalled it unprompted on a recorded call, and the site geography fits. Later hypnosis material adds to it.
- ●●Access Security airmen answering the alarm at November-5.
- ●●Independent convergence Johnson recalled "the UFO… big… white" on a cold call with only a site name as prompt.
- ●●Checkable details check out N-05's location by Newell and the reservoir dam check out.
- ●●Fits the documented skeleton Objects over Minuteman sites are well documented.
- ●●Fits secrecy practice Medical, debrief by OSI; Doty says he forged the L-9 paper to muddy it.
- ●○Cost of speaking Named, on camera.
Against
- −Story grew Beings and an operating table come from later hypnosis sessions.
Plausibility weighs how well an account fits where secrecy hides the documents by design, so missing records never count against it. Strength measures what is documented. Assessed 2026-10-23.
On the record
- Two named airmen, Woods and Johnson, each give a firsthand account of the night (American Alchemy, 2026).
- Michels phoned Johnson cold on 26 June 2026; prompted only with 'Ellsworth, 1977, November-5', Johnson said 'Oh, the UFO'. The call is recorded and was aired.Rapid City 1953
- The 44th Missile Wing site list puts November-5 2.1 miles west of Newell, the launch facility nearest a town, as Woods says. N-01, the control facility the truck was taken back to, is 6.7 miles northwest of Newell. The Belle Fourche Reservoir (Orman Dam), where Woods says he woke, lies just outside Newell.
- The L-9 report is about Lima-9, about 8 miles from November-5 in the same squadron, dated 16 November 1977. Its misspellings, two Social Security numbers ending in the same digits and wrong survey-meter readings mark it as a fake.
- Robert Hastings wrote in 1989 that Bruce Maccabee told him Bill Moore said Doty had confessed to forging the Ellsworth document, adding that the incident really happened. The chain is secondhand, but on paper since 1989.The Holloman landing, as told to George H. W. BushRapid City 1953
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind opened on 16 November 1977, the same week.
Claims
Just after midnight an alarm at November-5; an object wider than the fence line over the site, 'sunshine bright' light on the truck, chest pressure, a 4-6 ft black ball circling the truck, a sulphur-and-ammonia smell, 'Do not fear', three small beings and a taller one, then blackout. He came to about 06:00 behind the Orman Dam, more than 8 miles away.firsthandSourced, unconfirmedMario Woods
Frozen at the wheel, eyes burning, unable to blink; blurs circling the truck, a 'human form... pointed head', 'Don't fear'. Then a medical at Ellsworth with an injection, talk of sodium pentothal, an OSI man present, and told 'nothing happened'. His right arm has been weaker since.Rapid City 1953firsthandSourced, unconfirmedMichael Johnson
Cold-called on 26 June 2026 with only 'Ellsworth, 1977, November-5' as a prompt, he said 'Oh, the UFO... it was big... it was white', under 50 feet over the launcher.Mario Woods and Michael Johnson reunite after 49 yearsRapid City 1953firsthandOn the recordMichael Johnson, recorded call played on American Alchemy
A flight surgeon examined his teeth and jaw, said he had burns, and clipped a skin sample into a corked tube. Five men at the debrief: the wing commander, the deputy base commander, OSI agents and a civilian in a grey tweed suit.firsthandSourced, unconfirmedMario Woods
Two Meade County deputies from Sturgis and a state trooper were sent at Wing Security Control's request.Mario Woods and Michael Johnson reunite after 49 yearssecondhandLeadMario Woods (learned in 2021)
Richard Doty was the junior OSI agent at Woods' debrief; Doty later casually admitted being there on a podcast with Woods.Mario Woods and Michael Johnson reunite after 49 yearsThe Holloman landing, as told to George H. W. BushsecondhandLeadMario Woods; Jesse Michels
Where
Launch facility November-5, 2.1 miles west of Newell, Ellsworth AFB missile field, South Dakota
44.7°N 103.5°W
In The picture
They came when we split the atomFrom 1948, green fireballs flew over Los Alamos and Sandia; Sandia logged 209 sightings and Los Alamos held a conference of physicists about them. In March 1950 the Farmington paper named a dozen townspeople, a few hours' drive from Los Alamos, who watched hundreds of silvery discs fly in formation; in 1953 an F-84 c…
‹ Previous in Entity encountersSocorro, New Mexico: Lonnie Zamora's landing report4 of 8Next in Entity encounters ›Ariel School
Similar cases · sharing people, threads, topics or era
Connected cases
A glowing giant and a black diamond over Minuteman silos Rapid City 1953 1953The Holloman landing, as told to George H. W. Bush 1964Malmstrom 1967
People and organizations
Jesse Michels personMario Woods personMichael Johnson personRichard Doty personRobert Hastings personYvonne Smith personThe 'Lima-9' security report, Ellsworth AFB (Nov 1977) document
Threads · click one to see it on the board
Sources
- Jesse Michels, "Air Force Veterans Abducted By Aliens Reunite 50 Years Later" (YouTube)
- 44th Missile Wing Minuteman launch sites (Wikipedia)
- Robert Hastings (1989) on Doty and the Ellsworth document
- American Alchemy: Deep Prasad with Jesse Michels (Oct 2026)