On this day in 2002 a coal train nearing Paintsville, Kentucky, was struck by an unidentified flying object.
One of the men working on the train described the incident.
“Approaching a bend near milepost 42 in an area referred to as the Wild Kingdom…my conductor and I saw lights coming from around the way…as we rounded the corner our onboard computer began to flash in and out, speed recorder went nuts, and both locomotives died.”
He went on to say there were three objects, 18 to 20 feet in length, with search lights shining and one of them hovered 10 to 12 feet above the tracks. Unable to break, the train collided with the hovering object at about 30 miles per hour.
The crew brought the engine to the railyard in Paintsville, where they were met by several people in “weird outfits,” but no railroad officials. They were transported to Martin, Kentucky, and then were sent home. The official explanation is that the incident was caused by a rockslide on the tracks.