The Falcon Lake Incident was a reported UFO event that happened on May 20, 1967, at Falcon Lake in Whiteshell Provincial Park, Manitoba, Canada. Unlike most UFO sightings, the only person who saw the event, Steve Michalak, said he heard human voices, claimed the object was man-made, and reported burns on his stomach caused by its exhaust. CBC News called it "Canada's best-documented UFO case."
At first, Michalak told police the burns were caused by a spaceship. Later, he told reporters it was a man-made aircraft, which led to investigations by police and the military. Although he agreed not to disturb the site, Michalak visited it again with another person and gave authorities objects he said he collected from the area. Some of these objects tested positive for low-level radioactivity, and scientists suggested they might have been contaminated with materials like radium-based paint, which was available at the time.
In 1968, Michalak said his burns had returned and showed photos of a grid-like pattern of marks on his stomach that looked different from his earlier burns. A psychiatrist concluded the new wounds were probably caused by himself. In 2017, CBC News quoted Michalak's son, who said: "If Dad hoaxed this—remember we're talking about a blue-collar, industrial mechanic—if he hoaxed it, then he was a freakin' genius."
Overview
On May 20, 1967, Steve Michalak told a highway patrol officer that he had been burned by a "spaceship." Later that night, he received medical care for first-degree burns. Two days later, Michalak spoke with the press, and the media attention led to many investigations by both civilians and officials in Canada and the United States. On May 23, a civilian UFO investigator took a photo of Michalak’s torso, which showed burns that were irregular in shape and spacing.
Although he had promised not to disturb the site, on June 26, Michalak surprised authorities by saying he had returned to the location to collect items, including a burnt shirt, steel tape, and a soil sample. A soil sample from Michalak tested for high levels of radioactivity, so he led officials to the landing site. Small amounts of radiation were found, possibly from a natural radium source or contamination from luminescent radium paint, but no dangerous levels were detected.
Near the end of 1967, Michalak shared his story in a booklet. In January of the following year, he contacted the press again, and newspapers published photos of Michalak with evenly spaced marks on his abdomen, which he claimed were burns that had returned. A psychiatrist from the Mayo Clinic examined Michalak and noted that his injuries were diagnosed as "obviously factitial," though no clear signs of serious mental illness were found.
Spaceship report of May 20
On Saturday, May 20, 1967, around 3 p.m., Constable G. A. Solotki of the Falcon Beach Highway Patrol was driving on Trans-Canada Highway 1 when Steve Michalak, a 50-year-old mechanic, stopped him. Michalak told the constable not to get too close, saying he was worried about spreading a skin disease or radiation. A police report from a few days later stated that Michalak claimed to have seen "two spaceships" that glowed red and spun. He said he had touched the craft and that his hat and shirt were burned, but he refused to show the constable the burned shirt, saying it was in a briefcase he was carrying. Constable Solotki saw a burn on Michalak’s hat but not on his head. Michalak showed marks that Solotki described as looking like they were made by rubbing ash on the skin.
Michalak said he had been prospecting, but Solotki noticed he did not have any camping or prospecting equipment, nor a vehicle. Solotki reported that he believed Michalak had been drinking and was experiencing a hangover. Solotki noted he did not smell alcohol on Michalak and offered to help him return to Falcon Beach for treatment, but Michalak refused.
After returning home to Winnipeg on a Greyhound bus, Michalak was treated that night for first-degree burns as an outpatient at the Misericordia Health Centre.
Public claims of unidentified aircraft and human voices
Michalak contacted The Winnipeg Tribune and was interviewed at his home by reporter Heather Chisvin. The newspaper later published his story under the title "I was burned by UFO," along with a photo of Michalak holding a drawing of the object he claimed to have seen: a disc-shaped craft similar to the classic "flying saucer."
On May 23, newspapers in the region reported Michalak’s claim that he had seen strange objects at Falcon Lake the previous Saturday. Michalak described one object as 35 feet long and metallic. He said a door opened, releasing bright violet light, air-hissing sounds, and voices that sounded "definitely human." Michalak reported speaking to the craft in several languages but received no reply.
He claimed to have been burned in a "checkerboard pattern" when the craft took off. His family doctor examined the burns, as reported by the press. Michalak also described headaches, vomiting, rapid weight loss, and a "foul smell" after the encounter. He said the craft left a circular indentation in the ground, where grass and leaves had been removed, which he believed was caused by the craft’s heat. A burnt undershirt was photographed, showing a grid-like pattern of marks that did not match his irregular burns.
Canadian authorities, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), the Department of Health, and the Department of National Defence, as well as American groups like the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO) and the United States Air Force (as part of the Condon Committee), investigated the incident.
On May 23, J. B. Thompson, a member of APRO, visited Michalak and photographed his burns, which medical records described as "several round and irregular shaped burns the size of a silver dollar." Michalak claimed the burns formed a grid caused by exhaust from evenly spaced holes in the craft, but Thompson’s photo showed irregular, blotchy burns.
That same day, two RCMP officers interviewed Michalak at his home. He said he had lost 13 pounds in three days due to nausea, vomiting, headaches, and a strange taste and smell. The officers saw burns on his abdomen, which looked like "an exceptionally severe sunburn" in one spot. Michalak explained he had not shown Constable Solotki his shirt because he feared radiation exposure and did not want to contaminate others. He also said he had avoided giving a specific location because he had found a high-quality nickel strike nearby and wanted to protect the site. However, he offered to take officers to the site once he was physically able.
Michalak showed the officers his burnt cap, melted grinder goggles, and burnt undershirt. The shirt was sent to a lab for radioactivity testing, but no radioactivity was found. A partially melted glove was given to Thompson. On May 25, the RCMP and RCAF conducted an aerial and ground search. They found items Michalak had mentioned discarding, such as a shopping bag and an old saw, but did not locate the reported landing site. On May 26, police interviewed employees of the Falcon Hotel, who said Michalak had consumed several beers the night before the incident, despite his claims of not drinking alcohol.
On June 26, Michalak contacted the RCAF, saying he and a partner, Gerald Hart, had found the landing site over the weekend. However, he refused to cooperate with investigators, citing concerns about his mineral claim. Despite earlier instructions not to remove items from the site, Michalak said he had already collected items, including his burnt outer shirt and soil samples.
The soil sample provided by Michalak was tested and found to be "highly radioactive." Officials searched Michalak’s home for radioactive materials and took possession of the remaining soil. After the lab report showed potentially dangerous radioactivity, Michalak agreed to lead authorities to the site. Investigators found a semicircle where moss had been removed. Trace amounts of radiation were detected in a rock crevice, but the levels were not dangerous. Chemists suggested the radiation might have come from commercially available radium-based luminescent paint.
On June 30, the press reported that Michalak’s case was being investigated by defense authorities amid a rise in UFO sightings in the area. The incident was included in the May/June bulletin of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP). In October, the press reported that Michalak had been interviewed by Professor Ray Craig of the Condon Committee at the University of Colorado and had led the RCMP to the reported landing site, where they confirmed burnt vegetation. On November 6, Minister of National Defence Léo Cadieux said the government would not release the official investigation report publicly.
A series of dramatic comic strips about the incident appeared in newspapers in November 1967.
1968: burns allegedly return
In 1967, Michalak shared his story in a 40-page pamphlet called My Encounter with the UFO, published by Osnova Publications in Polish. Later, Paul Pihichyn translated the account into English.
On January 17, 1968, the Winnipeg Tribune reported that Michalak said the burns on his body had returned. He noted that this was the second time they had returned. Photographs showed a grid of evenly spaced marks, which were different from the uneven burns described in medical records and seen in a photo from May 1967. Many people later believed the 1968 grid marks were the actual burns from 1967.
On August 6, 1968, a psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota examined Michalak. The report stated, "Although the injuries were clearly self-inflicted, there is no clear evidence of serious mental or emotional illness."
By October 1968, American UFO researchers claimed that the Canadian and American governments were hiding information about the event. By November 14, 1968, Michalak also accused the government of covering up the incident to prevent public fear. Newspapers urged the government to release documents related to the Falcon Lake sighting.
Metallic debris claim
By November 1968, newspapers reported about a piece of metal that Michalak said he found near the supposed landing site. A professional astronomer and UFO researcher named Peter Millman analyzed the material. He found it to be 95% silver but slightly radioactive, similar to the radioactivity found in a glow-in-the-dark wristwatch. Millman suggested that the metal had been dipped in pitchblende to create a fake artifact.
Skeptical reaction
Skeptics of the Falcon Lake UFO Incident believe that Michalak's burns were caused by an accident related to alcohol use, and that he made his claim to hide the real reason for the injuries. When Michalak reported the incident, he may have hoped to discourage others from searching for minerals on his land. However, the public and media's interest in the story had the opposite effect, leading many people to visit the site. Skeptics also claim that the pieces of melted, radioactive metal found at the scene were placed there after the event to support the idea that the story was a hoax.
John B. Alexander, who wrote in the Journal for Scientific Exploration, noted that some of Michalak's long-term health issues, such as skin sores he said were caused by exposure to a blast, may have been due to an allergic reaction. Alexander pointed out that Michalak's descriptions of the event contained several contradictions.
Aaron Sakulich, who wrote for the Iron Skeptic, supported the idea that alcohol use was the cause of Michalak's injuries. Sakulich also mentioned that Michalak's accounts of his interactions with highway patrol officer G. A. Solotki were inconsistent. Additionally, the type of drinks Michalak had before the incident was questioned. Officer Solotki's own report to the RCMP that night stated Michalak avoided answering questions, even though he had visible burns and may have been drunk. By claiming he was attacked by a UFO, Michalak may have tried to avoid attention from competition over a site where he had already claimed ownership.
In popular culture
The incident was shown on Unsolved Mysteries (Season 5, Episode 8), where Michalak talked about his experience during the event, and scenes that acted out the events were included.
In 2010, singer-songwriter Jim Bryson and The Weakerthans released an album called The Falcon Lake Incident, named after the event. The album was recorded in a cottage near Falcon Lake. John K. Samson, a member of the band, told the National Post that he "did not believe in extraterrestrials" but "believes that people have had real experiences." The 2013 film Rulers of Darkness was inspired by the Falcon Lake Incident. In the movie, the main character's mother is hurt by burns from a UFO at Falcon Lake, which is similar to Michalak's claims.
Fifty years after the incident, Michalak's son, Stan Michalak, and ufologist Chris Rutkowski wrote a book called When They Appeared—Falcon Lake 1967: The Inside Story of a Close Encounter. The book gathered information from people who witnessed the event. Other books about the Falcon Lake Incident include The Falcon Lake UFO Encounter by George Dudding.
In 2018, the Royal Canadian Mint created a $20 silver coin to mark the 50th anniversary of the Falcon Lake Incident. The coin was part of the Canada's Unexplained Phenomena series. Designed by Joel Kimmel, it had glow-in-the-dark features, which made it the first coin to include this special element. Beams from under a UFO were shown on the coin's back side. The front of the coin showed Queen Elizabeth II, while the back depicted Michalak falling from an exhaust blast in the Manitoba wilderness as a UFO hovered above him. Only 4,000 coins were made, and they originally cost $129.95 each.
In 2019, documents and burned clothing from the Falcon Lake Incident were donated to the University of Manitoba Archives. Falcon Beach Ranch, owned by Devin and Kendra Imrie, who inherited the land where the alleged UFO landing happened, now offers a "UFO Tour" for visitors who want to see the area.