The Falcon Lake Incident

The 1960s were a decade defined by exploration, both earthly and cosmic. As the world watched the space race unfold between the United States and the Soviet Union, public fascination with what lay beyond Earth’s atmosphere reached new heights. It was against this backdrop of UFO fervor that Stefan Michalak’s strange encounter at Falcon Lake occurred in May 1967...

The 1960s were a decade defined by exploration, both earthly and cosmic. As the world watched the space race unfold between the United States and the Soviet Union, public fascination with what lay beyond Earth’s atmosphere reached new heights. Science fiction was booming in popular culture, fueled by TV shows like The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, which speculated on humanity's place in the universe. Amid this excitement, a growing number of reports of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) began to capture the public imagination. From mysterious lights in the sky to strange encounters with alien beings, UFO sightings seemed to be on the rise, and with them came both wonder and fear. The 1960s became a pivotal decade for UFO culture, as incidents like the Betty and Barney Hill abduction in 1961 made headlines, convincing many that we were not alone in the universe.

It was against this backdrop of UFO fervor that Stefan Michalak’s strange encounter at Falcon Lake occurred in 1967. His story, marked by physical injuries and unexplained phenomena, added another layer to the growing belief that something unknown was visiting our world. While UFO enthusiasts saw Michalak’s case as proof of extraterrestrial contact, skeptics scrambled to find more grounded explanations. Still, in a decade where the line between science fiction and reality seemed increasingly blurred, Michalak’s experience stood out as one of the most compelling—and puzzling—encounters of its time.

Stefan Michalak’s experience, now known as the Falcon Lake Incident, began like any other Saturday for him on May 20, 1967. As a mechanic and amateur prospector with a passion for nature, Michalak was exploring the area around Falcon Lake, located in southeastern Manitoba, hoping to find mineral deposits. Armed with little more than a few tools, a notebook, and his prospector’s hammer, he wandered through the dense woods until he reached a rocky outcrop—a common spot for prospecting.

Around noon, as Michalak was chipping at a vein of quartz, he was startled by a flock of geese. The birds, which had been calmly settled near the lake, suddenly erupted into loud honking and took off as if frightened by something. Startled by their reaction, Michalak looked up into the sky to see what had spooked them.

At first, he didn’t see anything unusual, but moments later, two objects caught his eye. Hovering in the sky, they appeared to be oval or cigar-shaped, glowing with a reddish-orange hue. Michalak would later describe them as “two cigarette-shaped crafts” floating silently, almost as if they were observing the landscape. After watching them for several seconds, one of the objects changed course and sped off into the distance, vanishing from sight.

The other craft, however, began to descend toward the rocky outcrop where Michalak stood. He watched in awe as the object slowly landed about 160 feet away from him, balancing perfectly on the uneven terrain.

Initially confused but driven by curiosity, Michalak cautiously approached the landed craft. As he neared it, he observed that the object was about 35 feet in diameter, shaped like a classic flying saucer, with a domed top. The surface was smooth, metallic, and highly reflective, resembling polished stainless steel. It gleamed brightly under the midday sun.

Michalak could hear a faint humming sound emanating from the object, and there was a distinct smell of sulfur in the air. As a practical man with no strong belief in UFOs, Michalak assumed it might be a secret military vehicle. His mind raced with possibilities—was this a U.S. experimental aircraft? A Soviet device? He shouted out to whoever might be inside, calling in English, then in Polish, and even Russian, hoping to communicate with the occupants.

But his calls were met with silence.

Despite the lack of response, Michalak continued to study the object. As he walked around it, he noticed what appeared to be an open door or hatch on one side of the craft. Bright lights, too intense for him to see clearly, streamed from the interior, casting a glow on the rocks around him. He could hear something inside—like the sounds of machinery or faint voices—but he could not make out any clear details.

His instincts warned him to be cautious, but curiosity overpowered his fear. He moved closer, standing just a few feet away from the glowing opening. From his vantage point, Michalak could see strange patterns inside, but the intense light made it impossible for him to discern much more than that.

Feeling bolder, Michalak reached out to touch the craft. The surface felt smooth and strangely warm, almost hot. To his shock, the fingertips of his rubber gloves melted on contact with the object’s skin, as though it were radiating intense heat. Startled, he pulled his hand back, realizing that the craft was no ordinary metal machine.

Suddenly, without warning, the door slammed shut with a quiet hiss. As Michalak stared at the seamless hull of the ship, he noticed a grid of small holes or vents on the side of the craft, directly in front of him. Without any forewarning, the vents expelled a blast of hot gas, which struck him square in the chest. The force of the blast sent him sprawling backward, and immediately, Michalak felt intense pain radiating through his body. His shirt and undershirt caught fire, and as he frantically tore them off, he realized that the scorching gas had left a distinct, grid-like burn pattern on his torso.

Dazed and nauseous, Michalak struggled to comprehend what had just happened. The air now smelled even more strongly of sulfur, and the humming sound of the craft intensified. Before Michalak could fully regain his senses, the object lifted off the ground with a sudden upward motion. It hovered for a brief moment, its smooth metallic surface reflecting the surrounding forest and sky, before shooting off into the distance at a speed faster than anything Michalak had ever seen.

Alone now, Michalak’s body throbbed with pain. His chest felt like it was on fire where the blast had struck him, and he could feel waves of nausea overwhelming him. He looked down to see a perfect grid of burn marks seared into his skin—an exact match to the pattern of the vent holes he had seen on the craft. Gasping for air, he retched and vomited onto the rocky ground. His legs felt weak, and his head spun with dizziness.

Realizing he needed medical help, Michalak staggered away from the landing site. He found his way back to his campsite, where he had left his gear earlier that day. Though his body felt like it was shutting down, he managed to gather his belongings and begin the difficult trek through the dense forest to the highway. The walk was agonizing, each step sending shooting pains through his body as the nausea ebbed and flowed.

After what felt like an eternity, he reached the road and flagged down a passing driver, who, seeing Michalak’s disheveled and pained state, quickly drove him to the nearest town of Kenora.

At the Kenora hospital, doctors examined Michalak’s burns, and he explained his encounter with the strange craft. He was weak, dehydrated, and disoriented. The burns on his chest were particularly baffling to the medical staff—they weren’t typical of anything they’d seen, and the precise grid-like pattern was puzzling. In addition to the burns, Michalak was experiencing severe nausea, vomiting, and headaches.

Over the next few days, his condition worsened. His body seemed to be rejecting food, and his nausea became a constant, unrelenting problem. Michalak’s skin broke out in rashes, and he began to suffer from periods of fainting and confusion.

Though he tried to explain what had happened to him, many of those who heard his story were skeptical. But despite the surreal nature of his experience, Michalak stuck to his account with unwavering consistency, adamant that what he had encountered was not a hallucination or dream, but a real, tangible event.

As the sun set on May 20, 1967, Stefan Michalak lay in a hospital bed, his body wracked with pain and confusion. The burns on his chest would remain with him as a permanent reminder of his strange and terrifying encounter near Falcon Lake. While he didn’t know what he had experienced, Michalak was sure of one thing: whatever he had seen and touched on that rocky outcrop was like nothing he had ever encountered before.

The immediate fallout from Stefan Michalak's encounter at Falcon Lake was one of widespread curiosity, skepticism, and intense investigation. Michalak’s story, bizarre as it was, attracted attention both locally and nationally. What made his account compelling wasn’t just the strange details, but the physical evidence—burns on his chest, his illness, and the corroborating physical findings at the site—that suggested something extraordinary had occurred. As a result, what started as a local mystery quickly evolved into one of Canada’s most well-documented UFO cases.

Upon being treated at the hospital in Kenora for his burns and illness, Stefan Michalak began telling his story to both medical professionals and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). His initial description of a strange, flying craft and subsequent injury caused by its close proximity sparked immediate disbelief among some who heard it. However, due to the severity of his physical condition, he was taken seriously enough that further investigation seemed warranted.

Michalak’s story was soon picked up by local press in Manitoba. News of his encounter made headlines, drawing significant attention from UFO enthusiasts, skeptics, and government authorities alike. Newspapers ran headlines about the "Falcon Lake UFO Incident," and Michalak’s burns became an iconic part of the story. Some viewed Michalak’s story as a potential hoax or hallucination, while others speculated it could be the result of a classified military experiment gone wrong.

Locally, reactions were mixed. Some people in the Falcon Lake area were skeptical, dismissing Michalak’s encounter as a case of a prospector spending too much time in the sun or encountering some other natural phenomenon. Others, intrigued by the mystery, believed there could be truth to his claims, particularly due to his reputation as a sober, reliable, and practical man. Many who knew him found it hard to believe he would fabricate such an outlandish story, especially since he seemed genuinely traumatized by the event.

As word spread about the incident, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police became involved in the investigation. Officers from the RCMP met with Michalak shortly after his hospital visit, where he provided them with a detailed account of the incident. Despite the fantastical nature of his claims, the RCMP treated the case seriously, particularly due to Michalak’s physical injuries and the growing public interest.

In the days following the incident, the RCMP sent officers to the Falcon Lake site where Michalak said the encounter took place. When they arrived, they found the rocky outcrop as Michalak described it, including a circular burn mark about 15 feet in diameter where Michalak said the craft had landed. What perplexed investigators even further was that parts of the rock near the burn circle were radioactive. The RCMP, while unable to explain Michalak’s story, documented their findings and relayed them to the proper authorities.

Given the potential national security implications of a foreign or unidentified craft, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) launched its own investigation. RCAF personnel visited the site to assess the possibility of the object being an experimental military craft, either Canadian, American, or perhaps Soviet. However, their findings remained inconclusive. While they acknowledged the physical evidence at the site—radioactive material and the burn marks on the rock—they couldn’t determine the source of the radiation or explain Michalak’s burns beyond a shadow of a doubt. The area was cordoned off for further testing, and the RCAF recommended more rigorous follow-ups on Michalak's story.

The media, always hungry for sensational stories, eagerly followed Michalak’s case. Newspapers across Canada, and even in the United States, ran stories about the Falcon Lake UFO incident. Headlines like “Man Claims UFO Burned Him” or “Canadian Prospector Injured by Mysterious Craft” became common as journalists flocked to the small town in Manitoba.

Michalak, while not seeking the spotlight, cooperated with reporters and investigators alike. He gave interviews, though he repeatedly stressed that he wasn’t claiming to have seen extraterrestrials or flying saucers. He stuck to the facts of what he experienced: the strange object, the intense heat, the blast of air or gas that burned him, and the subsequent physical illness he endured. Michalak was adamant that he was simply recounting what happened, without embellishment or conjecture. His stoic and matter-of-fact demeanor only added to his credibility.

Despite this, Michalak also faced intense scrutiny. Skeptics, both in the press and the general public, questioned his motives. Some suggested he had fabricated the entire story for attention or financial gain, though Michalak consistently denied this, pointing out that the incident had only caused him harm—physically, emotionally, and financially. His family, including his son, later recounted how the media attention and doubters created stress and chaos in their lives. Michalak himself had no desire to turn his encounter into a spectacle but was forced into the public eye because of the nature of the incident.

Beyond the government and media, the incident also drew the attention of scientists and UFO investigators. UFO research organizations in both Canada and the United States took an interest in the case, interviewing Michalak and visiting the site. These groups were often divided in their assessments. Some UFO researchers believed that Michalak’s case was one of the most credible UFO encounters due to the physical evidence—the burns, the radioactive material, and Michalak’s consistent testimony. Others were more skeptical, suggesting that Michalak had either hallucinated or encountered something terrestrial that he misinterpreted, such as a natural gas vent or a malfunctioning piece of military technology.

One of the most puzzling aspects for investigators was the radiation found at the site. While the burn mark on the ground could be explained by some kind of natural fire or chemical reaction, the presence of radioactive material was harder to dismiss. Scientists conducted tests on Michalak’s clothing, which also showed traces of radiation, further complicating the investigation. However, the exact source of the radiation could not be definitively linked to any known technology or natural phenomena in the area.

In the weeks following the incident, Michalak continued to suffer from severe health problems. His burns took a long time to heal, and the mysterious grid-like pattern remained visible on his skin for weeks. He suffered from ongoing nausea, headaches, weight loss, and periods of blackouts or fainting. Doctors who examined him were baffled by his symptoms. The burns on his chest didn’t match any known medical conditions or injuries caused by common heat sources, such as a fire or chemical burns, and the recurring nature of his symptoms made them even more mysterious.

As Michalak dealt with the physical and emotional fallout of the incident, his story remained a topic of national conversation. UFO enthusiasts hailed him as a credible witness, while skeptics pointed to the lack of clear, undeniable evidence of extraterrestrial involvement. Despite the swirling controversy, Michalak stuck to his story, never changing or embellishing the facts. He maintained that he didn’t know what the object was, but he was certain that it was not anything he had ever encountered before.

In the immediate aftermath of the Falcon Lake Incident, Stefan Michalak’s life was thrown into turmoil. His strange and traumatic encounter drew the attention of government authorities, the media, and the scientific community. While investigations by the RCMP, the RCAF, and various researchers failed to provide a clear explanation for what happened, the physical evidence—burns, radiation, and Michalak’s deteriorating health—gave credence to his account. Michalak became an unwilling participant in a national mystery, one that would continue to spark debate and intrigue for years to come. Despite the ridicule and scrutiny, Michalak’s steadfast commitment to the truth of his experience ensured that the Falcon Lake Incident remained one of the most compelling and credible UFO cases in history.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was one of the first agencies to respond to Michalak’s claims. Initially, they treated the incident with skepticism, suspecting that it might have been a hoax or a misinterpretation of natural phenomena. However, when RCMP officers interviewed Michalak, they found him to be rational, sincere, and consistent in his retelling of events. His physical condition—especially the strange grid-like burns on his chest—also lent credibility to his account.

The RCMP sent officers to the site where Michalak claimed the craft had landed. At the location, they found a 15-foot-wide burn mark on the ground, precisely as Michalak had described. Further tests revealed the presence of radiation at the site, although the source of the radiation was unclear. Investigators took soil samples, which were later analyzed and confirmed to contain radioactive material. This finding intrigued the RCMP but also deepened the mystery, as there was no obvious explanation for the radiation in the area. Despite their efforts, the RCMP could not definitively explain what had happened and left the case open, listing it as "unsolved."

The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) became involved shortly after the RCMP. Given the Cold War tensions at the time, there were concerns that Michalak might have encountered a secret military aircraft, either from the United States or the Soviet Union. The RCAF sent personnel to investigate both Michalak’s claims and the landing site.

While the RCAF was thorough in its examination, their findings were ultimately inconclusive. They found no evidence of any aircraft or technology known to be in operation at the time that could explain the encounter. The burns on Michalak’s body and the radiation at the site remained perplexing to RCAF officials. They did consider the possibility of an experimental craft or a military exercise gone wrong, but no evidence supporting this theory ever emerged. Without concrete proof, the RCAF closed their investigation without a definitive conclusion.

Given the international attention the case garnered, the U.S. Air Force also took an interest in Michalak’s story. Through their UFO investigative program, Project Blue Book, U.S. officials conducted interviews and reviewed the findings from both the RCMP and the RCAF. However, like their Canadian counterparts, Project Blue Book investigators could not determine the nature of the craft Michalak described. They acknowledged that the physical evidence—particularly the burns and radiation—was unusual, but without more concrete evidence, they listed the case as "unsolved." Project Blue Book closed in 1969, leaving the Falcon Lake Incident as one of the few cases with significant physical evidence that remained unresolved.

Michalak’s deteriorating health became a focal point of the investigation. In the days and weeks following the incident, Michalak experienced severe nausea, headaches, weight loss, and recurring fainting spells. Doctors who examined him were baffled by his symptoms. The burns on his chest, which matched the grid pattern of the vent on the craft, did not resemble typical thermal burns or those caused by chemicals. The persistence of Michalak’s symptoms over time added to the mystery.

Some medical experts speculated that Michalak had been exposed to a type of radiation that was not commonly encountered, possibly an industrial or military-grade source. However, no definitive cause for his symptoms was ever identified. Despite extensive medical examinations, Michalak’s condition slowly improved, but he continued to suffer from lingering health issues for years after the incident.

In the years that followed, numerous theories emerged to explain what Michalak had experienced on that fateful day in 1967. While no single explanation has been universally accepted, a few common theories have persisted:

1. UFO or Extraterrestrial Craft

Many UFO researchers believe that Michalak had a genuine encounter with an alien craft. The physical evidence—burns, radiation, and the landing site—aligned with other UFO sightings and encounters reported around the world. Michalak’s consistent retelling of his experience, along with his refusal to claim he saw aliens, lent credibility to this theory. To this day, some view the Falcon Lake incident as one of the most compelling UFO encounters on record.

2. Classified Military Aircraft

Skeptics have proposed that Michalak may have encountered a secret military aircraft, either Canadian or American, that was being tested in the remote wilderness of Manitoba. During the Cold War, experimental aircraft were often tested in isolated areas. However, no military records have ever surfaced to support this theory, and both the Canadian and U.S. governments denied having any aircraft in the area at the time of the incident.

3. Natural Phenomenon

Another theory suggests that Michalak may have stumbled upon a natural gas vent or some other geological phenomenon. Some skeptics propose that Michalak could have inhaled toxic gases, which caused him to hallucinate the encounter. However, this theory doesn’t explain the burns on his chest or the radiation found at the site. It also fails to account for the detailed descriptions Michalak provided of the craft itself.

4. Hoax or Fabrication

A small group of skeptics have suggested that Michalak could have fabricated the entire story. They argue that he may have injured himself in a prospector’s accident and created the UFO narrative to gain attention or financial compensation. However, Michalak consistently rejected these claims and refused to capitalize on his experience. His reluctance to turn the incident into a commercial venture makes the hoax theory less plausible.

Stefan Michalak never wavered in his account of what happened at Falcon Lake. Until his death in 1999, he maintained that he had encountered an unknown craft of some kind, though he never claimed it was extraterrestrial in origin. Michalak’s son, Stan, later took up his father’s cause, working with UFO researchers to further investigate the case. In 2017, on the 50th anniversary of the incident, Stan Michalak co-authored a book, When They Appeared, detailing his father’s experience and the subsequent investigations.

The Falcon Lake Incident remains one of the most well-documented UFO cases in history. The physical evidence, particularly the radiation and the burns on Michalak’s body, has puzzled experts for decades. Despite numerous investigations by both Canadian and U.S. authorities, no definitive explanation has ever been provided. Michalak’s story stands as a compelling and unresolved mystery, with many considering it to be one of the most credible UFO encounters ever reported.

Over half a century later, the Falcon Lake Incident continues to captivate those who study UFO phenomena. Stefan Michalak’s experience, bolstered by physical evidence and thorough investigation, remains a case without clear answers. Was it a secret military craft? A geological anomaly? Or perhaps something not of this world?

The answers have eluded investigators for decades, and as the years pass, the incident’s mysterious nature only deepens. Stefan Michalak himself could never provide an explanation beyond what he experienced, leaving future generations to ponder the strange events of that day. And for that reason, the Falcon Lake Incident will remain a tantalizing mystery lost in the wilderness of Manitoba, forever unresolved...

Episode Information

Research & Writing by Amelia White

Hosting & Production by Micheal Whelan

Published on September 25th, 2024

Music Credits

Original music created by Micheal Whelan

Outro/theme music created and composed by Ailsa Traves

Sources and Other Reading

CBC News. (2017). Falcon Lake incident: Book commemorates anniversary of Canada’s ‘most famous’ UFO case. CBC News. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/falcon-lake-incident-book-anniversary-1.4121639

University of Manitoba. (2021). The Falcon Lake UFO files. UM Today News. Retrieved from https://news.umanitoba.ca/the-falcon-lake-ufo-files/

Steinbach Online. (2022). 54 years since Falcon Lake’s famous UFO incident. Steinbach Online. Retrieved from https://steinbachonline.com/articles/54-years-since-falcon-lake-s-famous-ufo-incident

HowStuffWorks. (2021). The Falcon Lake incident. Science. Archived at: https://web.archive.org/web/20211109035050/https://science.howstuffworks.com/space/aliens-ufos/falcon-lake-incident.htm

Pappas, S. (2021). Canadian UFO collection donated to University of Manitoba. Live Science. Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/canadian-ufo-collection-falcon-lake-incident.html