Ellsworth AFB — Mario Woods / November-5 missile facility

Case

Overview

Mario Woods, USAF security patrolman, reports an enormous luminous object above Minuteman II launch facility; partner Michael Johnson named in later accounts.

Investigative phases

Reported alarm response; object observation; alleged memory gap, medical evaluation, debrief and NDA; Woods public interviews 2017–2025; later Johnson statements.

Reported phenomena

Large intensely luminous stationary silent object; Woods reports physiological effects and missing time.

Public evidence status

Woods recorded interview and later retellings accessible; original military/security/medical records, NDA and contemporaneous sensor data not authenticated.

Alternative explanations / caveats

Firsthand recollection decades later; details potentially influenced by later retellings; do not confuse with fabricated Ellsworth L-9 report.

Next research tasks

Obtain original alarm logs, duty rosters, NDA, medical documents; compare independent Johnson chronology.

Last reviewed

2026-11-08

Assessment

Not yet in the Case Assessment Matrix.

Evidence (1)

• Woods Ellsworth launch-facility encounter; NDA/debrief alleged Claim unverified
  CE-V81-01 · 1977 · Retrospective firsthand interview
  Gaps: NDA and records missing

Documents gathered (1 line of evidence)

0 readable here · 0 with a linked primary record · 1 still need a document · All cases on the evidence map

• Woods Ellsworth launch-facility encounter; NDA/debrief alleged Accounts / secondary only
  CE-V81-01 · Ellsworth Woods/Johnson witness case research directory
  Why it's still open: Request primary security and medical files. Chunk M search (2026-11-12): Woods's account is on ufohastings.com and case directories only. AARO's Vol. I (SRC-003 p. 30) mentions reports at Malmstrom, Ellsworth, Vandenberg and Minot from 1966 to 1977, but no Ellsworth 1977 incident and not Woods. No security-police or medical file found. Flag stays.