To our knowledge this is the only case suggestive of the sucking up of a vehicle by a UFO without it being a hoax. After quite a lengthy period of perplexity on being confronted by such strange facts, we think that, today, we are in a position to propose a rational and plausible interpretation of this phenomenon.

A little before sunrise the Knowles family is driving along the Eyre Highway in southern Australia. After making a swerve so as to avoid colliding with a first UFO which was in position above the highway, the Knowles passed a car over which was flying a second UFO. The son, who was driving, his curiosity aroused, decided to turn around and to begin a chase. Having caught up again with the vehicle, still with the UFO flying above it, he realised that this UFO was now flying in his direction, with the result that he turned round again and accelerated away. Although the Knowles were now travelling at more than 160 kilometres an hour (about 100 m.p.h.) in their attempt to escape from the UFO, the latter caught up with them and came down hard on top of the car with a dull thud. One can reasonably think that the ball of plasma simulating the UFO was exerting at that moment a magnetic field of sufficient intensity to magnetise the roof of the car and "stick" to it. Inside the vehicle the passengers seemed to be speaking in slow motion, as a result of the electromagnetic field, and one of the three sons had the impression that his brain was being removed from his head, a subjective impression we have already met with (see above § 42). The driver tried to leave the road but the steering seemed to be jammed, as if the plasma were forcing the magnetised vehicle to continue in a straight line. It was then that the car rose up some 3 metres before falling back down heavily, probably because the magnetic strength of the plasma proved to be insufficient to maintain the vehicle suspended any longer. The rear tyre on the right-hand side burst on impact with the asphalt. The driver then regained control of the steering and succeeded in stabilising the vehicle and bringing it to a standstill. Luckily there were no victims in this incident.

Apparently Mrs Knowles had the time to lower her window and look at this shining white light, yellow at the centre, and to touch the underside, which felt like a hot sponge. (Is this the feeling produced by touching a plasma? Is it possible to touch a plasma of such intensity without burning oneself? Did she really touch the UFO or merely experienced a subjective feeling, disturbed by the surrounding electromagnetic field?)

After these events, a bump (strangely, a dent) remained behind on the roof of the car and analysis of the dust found there showed the presence of oxygen, carbon, calcium, silicon, potassium, and perhaps also of astate, a radioactive element of synthetic origin. The witnesses, who did not maintain their anonymity, were broadly ridiculed by the Australian media.