While driving home after working in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest on November 5, 1975, six loggers claim to have witnessed a large UFO hovering over a clearing. One of the workers named Travis Walton was curious enough to get out of the truck and approach the craft for a closer look. His coworkers watched, in horror, as a bright blast of light was emitted from the UFO and struck Walton. His coworkers vacated the area but Mike Rogers, the foreman of the crew and Walton's best friend, returned a short time later. Travis Walton was no where to be found. For five long days, continuous searches were conducted by authorities and volunteers but no trace of Walton was found. Police questioned the other five men, who all stuck with their story and later passed polygraph tests. People of the town were even passing rumors that the men must have killed Walton.

Travis Walton eventually reappeared after placing a phone call to Mike Rogers from a phone booth. When he was found a short time later, Walton was over 15 miles from the point where he disappeared. He was also seriously malnourished and dehydrated unlike a person who is trying to pull off a hoax. Travis Walton has only a few foggy memories of the events that took place during the five days he was missing, but does claim to have been taken aboard the UFO. He also claims to have been the victim of some minor medical tests and to have been given a tour of the large space ship.

Travis Walton's story was the inspiration of the 1993 movie "Fire in the Sky". Walton himself claims that the movie was extremely exaggerated in its depiction of the medical tests and other scenes of intense gore.