The William “Eddie” Laxson CE3 Case of 1966

William “Eddie” Laxson was employed as a civilian electronics instructor at Sheppard Air Force Base in Witchita Falls, Texas. However, as he drove to work on the morning of March 23, 1966, he had a Close Encounter of the Third Kind. It happened around 5 a.m., about eight miles south of Temple, Oklahoma, on U.S. Highway 70. Initially, Laxon thought a truck was stopped and having troubles on the highway ahead of him. He pulled over onto the shoulder of the road, some 80 yards distance, and then began to walk in the direction of the object. He had left his car headlights on, which were illuminating the object, which in addition was being illuminated by four brilliant lights on the side of the object itself. Laxson became increasingly puzzled by what he saw. Very familiar with all kinds of military aircraft, this object resembled nothing he had ever seen. He would later tell officers at Sheppard AFB that it looked something like a C-124 without wings or motors. He described the object as 70 to 80 feet in length, more than 12 feet high, and was some 3 feet off of the ground. Laxson felt the object was resting on supports, although he only saw one. He also saw an open door, with a ladder leading up to it. Laxson also described to ufologist Hayden Hewes how he had seen an occupant. Laxson stated:

“He must have heard my car door slam, because he crawled up the ladder in a big hurry. When the door shut, it sounded like metal hitting metal. Almost as the same instant the craft lifted off and went up about 50 feet. It didn’t seem like he had time to get strapped in.

“The ‘human’ appeared to be about five feet, nine inches tall and weighed about 180 pounds. He had a fair complexion and was wearing a mechanic’s cap with the bill turned up. I got the idea he had three stripes arching over his shoulder, something like a master sergeant. I got the impression that he was between 30-35 years old due to his stoop shoulders. He was wearing either coveralls or a two- piece suit that looked like green-colored fatigues. I would know him if I saw him in Oklahoma City tomorrow, and I bet he’d know me, too. The craft was lit up inside and he had a plastic bubble in front which was about three feet in diameter, and you could see light through it.”

In addition, Laxson noticed markings on the side of the craft. He saw what looked like a T over an L, with a four-digit sequence of numbers directly underneath. He thought the numbers were either “4738"or “4138.” Laxson had the mysterious object in view for an estimated 30 to 60 seconds. He added, “When the craft started up it sounded like a high speed drill. As it left the ground, the hair on the back of my head and neck stood up. In about five seconds it was over a mile away. I guess it was traveling about 700 miles per hour.”

Two other motorists had independently also seen a UFO in the area around the same time. One claimed that the object had followed him for some 20 miles, and then landed. Laxson was convinced that what he had seen was a terrestrial vehicle, an experimental one, but Project Blue Book was never able to identify it, and so listed it as “unidentified.” Over the years, no additional evidence has emerged to establish a terrestrial identity for the sighting.

Reference: The UFO Encyclopedia, The Phenomenon from the Beginning, Vol. 2:L-Z, 2nd Edition, by Jerome Clark. Omnigraphics, Inc., Penobscot Building, Detroit, MI 48226. 1998. ISBN: 0-7808- 0097-4.