On May 19, 1967 mechanic and amateur geologist Stephen Mickalak had decided to travel to the Whiteshell Provincial Park. His objective was to follow out some of the quartz veins in the area in hopes of discovering some of the silver that resides in conjunction with the crystal. He spent the morning following a quartz vein along a brook near Falcon Lake, enjoying his hobby and the fine partly cloudy spring day.
Shortly after lunch Mr. Michalak heard a flock of geese passing overhead and stopped digging to watch them. Instead he saw the shocking sight of two glowing red, cigar-shaped objects descending through the clouds. Closer to the ground they took on a more disk-like shape. One of the craft stopped and hovered in the sky as the other descended and landed about 150 feet from the astonished witness. The other then began to ascend back through the clouds, changing color from red to orange then grey. The disk on the ground matched the changes.
Fortunately Mr. Mickalak was still wearing his protective goggles, as they seemed to protect his vision from some intensely bright purple light shining through openings in the craft. He sat for a half-hour watching the craft and sketched a picture in his notebook. Eventually what appeared to be a door opened in the side and he could see the brightly-lit interior. Curiosity overcame his fear and he approached the craft. At one point he heard "voices" inside and looking in saw several panels of colored lights blinking but no occupants.
Suddenly the door slammed shut and as he touched the surface of the craft was shocked to see his glove melting. A vent, approximately six inches across opened and began to vent heat directly onto Mr. Mickalak. His shirt caught fire and as he fell back in pain the craft launched itself back into the air. Now requiring medical attention he began the slow trek back to civilization. Along the way he suffered nausea and a severe headache.
Finally reaching a doctor, he was treated for his head and stomach problems and the pattern of sixteen grid-like burns on his chest. Debunkers tried to claim they came from a barbecue grill although no one could discover a model shaped like Mr. Mickalak's burn marks. He would ultimately see a half dozen doctors in both Canada and the United States before they healed.
Not only the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Air Force but also several civilian UFO groups and the American Condon Committee investigated the location of his sighting. There was never a conclusive explanation for what had burned him so severely and in such a distinctive manner.