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Air Force Witness Describes Partner Found Frozen Gripping Steering Wheel After UFO Encounter

Area52 · He Encountered Beings at the Nuclear Missile Facility - Mario Woods | ep. 94 · July 3, 2026
Air Force Witness Describes Partner Found Frozen Gripping Steering Wheel After UFO Encounter
Area52
Area52
He Encountered Beings at the Nuclear Missile Facility - Mario Woods | ep. 94
"He was so locked up. How long had he been stuck on that steering wheel like that? How do you grab onto something and not let go for however long it was and not be aware of it? We had to break his fingers getting his hands off that blue plastic F-150 steering wheel literally."
Woods discovered his partner, Michael Johnson, completely unresponsive and physically locked onto the vehicle's steering wheel following their encounter. Johnson remained in this catatonic state for an extended period and required physical assistance from multiple personnel to have his hands removed from the wheel. Johnson later privately confirmed to Woods that he experienced the same phenomena but did not turn to see the beings Woods observed.

About this episode

Former United States Air Force security police officer Mario Woods provides an extraordinarily detailed account of a close encounter with a massive spherical craft and non-human entities at Ellsworth Air Force Base's November-5 nuclear missile site on November 18, 1977. Woods, who was on active duty responding to an alarm at the Minuteman ICBM facility, describes a craft the size of a Super Walmart hovering directly over the missile's blast door with a plasma-like roiling surface. During the encounter, Woods and his partner Michael Johnson experienced missing time of approximately five hours, atmospheric pressure changes inside their vehicle, and telepathic communication conveying 'do not fear.' Woods observed four non-human beings—three smaller entities and one tall figure—at close range before losing consciousness. His partner was later found in a catatonic state, physically locked onto the steering wheel and requiring assistance to have his hands removed. An extensive search involving FBI, state troopers, and military personnel was conducted before the two were located miles from their assigned position with no tire tracks indicating how they arrived. Following the incident, Woods underwent unexplained medical procedures by Air Force flight surgeons who removed tissue samples from burns he hadn't noticed, in the presence of OSI agents including Richard Doty. Woods was subjected to multiple debriefings, signed non-disclosure agreements, and was never returned to November control. His partner Michael Johnson independently confirmed key details weeks later, including hearing the same telepathic message and revealing knowledge of Woods' missing glove on a 'shiny floor'—a detail Woods had no conscious memory of. Woods maintained his security clearance and continued working at highly sensitive Department of Energy facilities including Oak Ridge's Y-12 and Los Alamos. He testified to AARO for over four hours in 2021. His account is notable for its exceptional detail, the witness's credible military background subject to the Personal Reliability Program for nuclear weapons personnel, independent corroboration from his partner, and documentation of the search efforts. Woods also discusses childhood sightings, including a 1961 mass sighting of three craft over his elementary school in Port Arthur, Texas, and his family's history of encounters. Under hypnotic regression years later, he recalled additional details including observing that the beings' large black eyes are protective shields covering blue pupils, and memories suggesting he may have been taken aboard a craft. The interview represents one of the most comprehensive firsthand military testimonies of close contact with non-human entities at a strategic nuclear facility.

Key takeaways

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