4/20/50 - Jack Robertson, Lufkin TX; 9PM

Report Summary	"Twenty-eight year old Jack Robertson... a pharmacist, didn't believe in flying saucers... Then he saw one and it burned him. 'It was about 8 feet across... I couldn't tell how deep it was because it was too dark to see the top, if it had any. And it glowed like an iron in the fire with a dull red color. It sort of looked like aluminum. I didn't feel any burn until about five minutes after it was gone. I don't believe the sparks burned me, but something did.' (In Houston, an object similar in appearance and actions to the one seen by Robertson was sighted by two men who didn't believe in flying saucers. They said they saw the thing over South Main Street)... Robertson was driving west on Highway 94 (?) in his 1942 model sedan. He was about 9 mi from Lufkin when he suddenly spotted the object flying down the highway before him about 200 yards above the ground. 'It appeared to be going the same speed I was [40 mph]. I pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. Then I got out of the car and crawled up on the fender to get a better look.' Then the thing came back down the road and hovered over his head... It was almost close enough to touch. 'The bottom was only about 12 feet above me.'... It stayed above him for only a few seconds before it took off at about a 50 degree angle. It made a wooshing roar when it took off... and a shower of sparks flew from what appeared to be a slot a third of the way up the object[footnote 1]. It climbed quickly and was soon out of sight... the sparks didn't burn me but something did... I didn't feel the burn until about five minutes after the thing was gone."[footnote 2]
Hynek Classification	CE-II
Original Vallee Classification	Type Id
Current Vallee Classification	CE5
Minimum Distance	12 feet
Object Appearance	Dull red luminous disk with underlying "aluminum" appearance.
Object Behavior	Paced car, when car stopped, flew back over car; tilted to 50 degrees, made "wooshing roar", emitted sparks from slot, climbed quickly and went out of sight.
Physical Effect	None
Medical Effect	Reddish cast to skin like sunburn, sensation of burning. Face and upper chest.
Comments / Conclusion	The sparks prior to departure seems to be an element that crops up from time to time. In the Gaichinard case, it might have been interpreted as discharge into the iron grate, but that is clearly not the case here.

Footnotes

1. Note the similarity to the Gaichinard (Vallee, Challenge to Science) case, where the witness notices sparks coming from a tube somewhat up from the base of the object.

2. Lufkin News, Lufkin TX, Fri, April 21, 1950; thanks to JM who transcribed it and Jan Aldrich who provided it.