Within Remote Reports
Did the Old Crow Sighting Stop the Machine?
A brief overhead sighting and a stopped snow machine became linked in memory, but no inspection or second statement confirmed the connection.
On this page
- The trappers' reported encounter south east of Old Crow
- Why the engine failure claim is hard to verify
- Ordinary mechanical and visual alternatives
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Introduction
The claim that a UFO stopped a snow machine near Old Crow is one of the most frequently repeated details from a little-known Yukon witness account. The story centres on two trappers travelling roughly 130 kilometres south-east of Old Crow in the winter of either 1989 or 1990. One man later recalled seeing a huge dark form with coloured lights pass overhead at great speed. When he looked down afterwards, he found that his snow machine had stopped and believed he had not switched it off. Although this has sometimes been presented as evidence of an unidentified object interfering with machinery, the available evidence is much weaker than that interpretation suggests. The published account contains no mechanical inspection, no independent confirmation from the second trapper, and no contemporaneous official investigation. As a result, the engine failure remains an unverified part of the witness’s recollection rather than an established feature of the incident.[UFO*BC]ufobc.caUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old CrowUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old Crow
The trappers’ reported encounter south-east of Old Crow
The account was published by investigator Martin Jasek in 2000 as one of two retrospective Old Crow reports collected for the UFO*BC archive. According to the witness, two men were travelling by snow machine on a trapping route when an unusual object crossed above them.
The witness described:
- an apparently enormous dark shape;
- coloured lights concentrated near its centre;
- a passage overhead lasting less than a second;
- no opportunity to observe detailed structure because of the object’s speed.
After looking back towards his machine, he realised its engine was no longer running. He reportedly believed he had not intentionally switched it off and wondered whether the aerial object had caused the stoppage. The published report gives only an approximate date—December 1989 or 1990—and does not identify the precise location beyond being south-east of Old Crow.[UFO*BC]ufobc.caUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old CrowUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old Crow
Importantly, the published narrative records this as the witness’s own interpretation rather than demonstrating a physical connection between the two events. The second trapper travelled through the same experience but no separate interview or corroborating statement accompanies the published report.[UFO*BC]ufobc.caUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old CrowUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old Crow
Why the engine failure claim is hard to verify
The stalled snow machine is the aspect that distinguishes this account from many brief overhead sightings, yet it is also the weakest element from an evidential standpoint.
Several factors limit what can be concluded.
No mechanical examination. There is no report that the snow machine was inspected afterwards to determine why it had stopped. Without such an inspection, it is impossible to distinguish between an ordinary mechanical fault and an unusual external influence.[UFO*BC]ufobc.caUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old CrowUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old Crow
No documented restart sequence. The published account does not explain whether the machine restarted immediately, required repairs, or continued to malfunction. Those details would normally be important when assessing whether an electrical or fuel-related failure had occurred.[UFO*BC]ufobc.caUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old CrowUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old Crow
No independent witness statement. Although two men were present, only one detailed account appears in the published source. The absence of a second statement does not mean the event did not happen, but it limits opportunities to compare memories about timing, appearance and the engine stoppage itself.[UFO*BC]ufobc.caUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old CrowUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old Crow
Retrospective reporting. The incident was recalled years after it allegedly occurred. Memory can preserve striking experiences remarkably well, but exact sequences of events, durations and cause-and-effect relationships often become harder to reconstruct over long intervals. The report therefore documents what the witness remembered rather than providing a contemporaneous record.[UFO*BC]ufobc.caUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old CrowUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old Crow
Taken together, these gaps prevent investigators from testing the key claim that the aerial sighting and the stalled engine were physically connected.
Ordinary mechanical and visual alternatives
Nothing in the available evidence allows investigators to rule out more conventional explanations for either part of the experience.
A snow machine operating in remote northern conditions can stop for many ordinary reasons, including fuel delivery problems, carburettor icing, ignition faults, cold-weather starting issues or accidental operation of the kill switch. Without inspection records, there is no basis for preferring an exotic explanation over these routine possibilities.
Likewise, the reported appearance of a vast dark form with coloured lights is difficult to reconstruct because observers viewing an unknown object against a dark winter sky have few reliable cues for estimating size, altitude or speed. A nearby small object and a distant large object can produce similar apparent angular sizes, while fleeting observations make shape estimates especially uncertain.
The coincidence of an unusual visual event and a mechanical problem can naturally encourage a witness to link the two, particularly when both occur within seconds of one another. Establishing causation, however, requires evidence beyond temporal proximity, and that evidence is absent in this case.
What this claim contributes to Yukon UFO history
The Old Crow snow machine account is valuable primarily as an example of how remote-community testimony enters the historical record. It illustrates both the strengths and the limitations of such reports.
The witness was an experienced trapper familiar with travelling on the land, making it less likely that ordinary winter travel itself was unfamiliar or alarming. At the same time, the remoteness of the location meant there were no radar records, photographs, independent investigators, weather reconstructions or official agency reports available to examine the event shortly after it occurred.[UFO*BC]ufobc.caUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old CrowUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old Crow
The case therefore occupies a middle ground within Yukon’s UFO history. It is more detailed than many single-sentence sighting reports because it includes a specific claimed physical effect, yet that same claimed effect cannot be tested because no supporting evidence survives. Readers should therefore distinguish between two separate propositions:
- that a witness sincerely remembered both an unusual overhead object and a stopped snow machine; and
- that the object caused the engine to fail.
The first is documented in the published testimony. The second remains an unverified inference rather than a demonstrated fact.[UFO*BC]ufobc.caUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old CrowUFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old Crow
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Endnotes
1.
Source: ufobc.ca
Title: UFO*BCTwo UFO Sightings from Old Crow
Link:https://ufobc.ca/yukon/oldcrowindex.html
2.
Source: ufobc.ca
Title: Yukon UFO Sightings Archive
Link:https://www.ufobc.ca/yukon/
3.
Source: ufobc.ca
Link:https://www.ufobc.ca/yukon/22fox2and3.htm
4.
Source: ufobc.ca
Link:https://www.ufobc.ca/yukon/22fox4and5.htm
5.
Source: ufobc.ca
Title: UF O Stories from the Yukon Interior I> UFO Stories from the Yukon Interior
Link:https://ufobc.ca/yukon/yukoninterior1.htm
6.
Source: ufobc.ca
Link:https://ufobc.ca/yukon/22faqs.htm
7.
Source: ufobc.ca
Link:https://www.ufobc.ca/Store/giantufo.htm
8.
Source: ufobc.ca
Link:https://ufobc.ca/yukon/22index.htm
9.
Source: ufobc.ca
Title: Martin Jasek
Link:https://www.ufobc.ca/yukon/martin.htm
10.
Source: ufobc.ca
Title: UF O SIGHTING REPORTS
Link:https://www.ufobc.ca/Sightings/sightspre95_v2.htm
11.
Source: ufobc.ca
Title: Stave Lake UFO
Link:https://www.ufobc.ca/History/1980/Version1%20saved/stavelakeufo.htm
12.
Source: ufobc.ca
Title: about UFOYukon Archive
Link:https://www.ufobc.ca/yukon/aboutUFOYukonArchive.html
13.
Source: ufobc.ca
Link:https://ufobc.ca/sitemap.htm
Additional References
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Source: rt.com
Link:https://www.rt.com/uk/479267-raf-declassify-ufo-[archives
Source snippet
UFOpen for business: Britain’s Royal Air Force to declassify X-Files kept in secret for years — RT UK NewsJanuary 27, 2020 — UFOPEN FOR B...
Published: January 27, 2020
15.
Source: openskyprotocol.com
Title: Open Sky — The UFO archive that investigates itself
Link:https://www.openskyprotocol.com/
Source snippet
We pulled in every public UFO/UAP source we could find, turned it into a graph, and put autonomous Watchers on the case. They build the w...
16.
Source: aircraft-data.com
Title: OL D CROW LLC Aircraft Manufacturer | Aircraft Data
Link:https://aircraft-data.com/aircraft/old-crow-llc
Source snippet
OLD CROW LLC makes 1 aircraft model. This model is the fixed wing single engine type, powered by a reciprocating engine. One aircraft is re...
17.
Source: rcmp.ca
Title: Yukon search for debris suspended | Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Link:https://rcmp.ca/en/news/2023/02/yukon-search-debris-suspended
Source snippet
February 17, 2023 — YUKON SEARCH FOR DEBRIS SUSPENDED February 17, 2023 - Ottawa, Ontario From: RCMP National Headquarters ON THIS PAGE *...
Published: February 17, 2023
18.
Source: ufoinsight.com
Title: UF O Encounters Over The Yukon
Link:https://www.ufoinsight.com/ufos/[close-encounters
Source snippet
UFO Encounters Over The Yukon - UFO InsightApril 28, 2019 — UFO ENCOUNTERS OVER THE YUKON By Marcus Lowth Image: Published Date April 28...
Published: April 28, 2019
19.
Source: iufob.com
Title: International UFO Bureau
Link:https://iufob.com/
Source snippet
Illuminating the Past - Understanding the Present - Guiding the FutureMay 28, 2026 — CONTINUING THE WORK OF HAYDEN HEWES The Founder: Hay...
Published: May 28, 2026
20.
Source: tall-white-aliens.com
Title: The Yukon Territory UFO Encounters | “Tall-White” aliens
Link:https://www.tall-white-aliens.com/the-yukon-territory-ufo-encounters/
Source snippet
Eng. The following is as brief a summary that could be made from a complex 22-witness even...
21.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Thirty Witnesses Encounter The Biggest UFO Sighting Ever Reported
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDgDxav3d0E
Source snippet
Yukon Paranormal, Episode 2- Fox Lake- UFOs in the Yukon...
22.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Speedebunking: Swedish Snowmobile UFO
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkzfD49fLjI
Source snippet
"The Yukon UFO: 30 Witnesses. What happened?[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5V0XQ4w4sI..."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5V0XQ4w4sI...")...
23.
Source: ufodossier.com
Link:https://www.ufodossier.com/about