Ufo Crash Over Steinbach

I received a query from a news reporter today, asking whether I had heard about a crashed UFO near Steinbach, Manitoba, in November of 2006. It seemed like the type of thing I would have known about.

The source of his information was someone's post to another UFO blog which published his or her entire email and asked readers for additional information. For some reason, no one thought to ask me, even though I live near the area in question and am known for my research on UFO reports.

The story was that some people in southern Manitoba had reported seeing "suspicious" aircraft contrails in the sky and then were startled to see numerous flashing lights with ambulances, fire trucks, etc. in a field near Steinbach. What's more, a squad of individuals wearing "spacesuits" were seen in the field. Media reports eventually came out about a HAZMAT exercise by emergency crews. The poster to the site didn't buy the explanation, and believed it was possible that what happened was a UFO crash or a crash of a US military jet from North Dakota, which was covered up. (Not a plausible scenario, but whatever...)

I recall being phoned by media early that day, and quickly worked to get some details. It turned out that it was a HAZMAT exercise, after all. No one. including the media, had been advised because it was supposed to be a real test of response capabilities. A story in the media the next day noted:

Strange sightings a test not UFO

The Winnipeg Sun - Friday, November 3rd, 2006

No need to panic, people.

Calls flooded in to Winnipeg radio stations about strange sightings in the Steinbach area are likely related to a bird flu training exercise.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirms they're testing avian influenza outbreak control exercises southeast of Winnipeg, but won't specify an exact location.

Baffled Manitobans were phoning at least two Winnipeg radio stations this morning about seeing unusual activity outside of Steinbach.

Again, it's only a test.

Since it was explained and the media carried the story, I didn't think that the tale had any legs beyond this. I was wrong. As the poster to the other UFO blog noted, he was away at the time and didn't hear about the story until much later.

C'est la vie.

This does show, however, why the public needs a reliable source of information about UFOs. And why some serious investigation and research should be initiated by science, whether within the physical sciences or the social sciences.

I'm available for the next few decades or so, if anyone has some seed money for such a study.

Note: A version of this post also appears in my UFO book blog at: dundurn.com/ufos