Todd Zechel
Todd Zechel is an American UFO researcher associated with the National Investigation Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP). He is known for archival and field research into mid-century UAP cases, including tracking down obscure witnesses and obtaining signed affidavits.
| Role | UFO researcher; NICAP investigator |
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Willingham Affidavit
Zechel discovered clippings of a 1965 Mechanicsburg (Pennsylvania) newspaper article in NICAP's files — the article being the first public appearance of Colonel Robert Willingham's account of a 1955 UAP crash near Langtry, Texas. Twelve years after the article's publication, Zechel tracked down Willingham and obtained a signed affidavit in 1977. This affidavit contains discrepancies with Willingham's later account — including the aircraft type (F-94 in the affidavit vs. F-86 in the 2008 book) and the year of the incident (1948 in the affidavit vs. 1955 in the book) — which UAP Gerb cites as significant credibility concerns.
Zechel also reportedly obtained a declassified USAF document stating the military had recovered a foreign object on December 6 or 7, 1950, and transported it to Carswell Air Force Base — a document potentially connecting to the El Indio 1950 crash case. However, no proof of this document has been publicly produced, preventing it from being incorporated into the evidentiary record.