NORTH CAROLINA UFO SIGHTINGS

 FOR RELEASE JANUARY 1991

FROM GEORGE D. FAWCETT III

     PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR

     Mutual UFO Network of North Carolina, Inc.

     602 BATTLEGROUND ROAD

     LINCOLNTON, N.C. 28092

     USA

     (704)735-5725 (nights)

NORTH CAROLINA UFO SIGHTINGS ON THE INCREASE IN 1990

      .....SITUATION THE SAME WORLDWIDE TOO!

     UFO sightings in North Carolina showed an increase in

1990, as did worldwide encounters during the same period of

time, a veteran civilian UFO investigator and researcher said

today.

     George D. Fawcett III, 61, who serves the North Carolina

unit of the Mutual UFO Network Inc. (MUFON) issued his twenty

third annual report for the Tar Heel state this morning.

     Fawcett, who has investigated UFO sightings for the past

46 years noted that such observations had been reported from

Oxford, Mount Airy, Morganton, Asheboro, Lincolnton, Vale,

Charlotte, Durham, Boone, Dudley and Garland.

     Collectively speaking, the crop of current UFO reports

in North Carolina had many common characteristics, such as

large objects seen at low altitude mostly at night and the

early morning hours and had multiple lights (sometimes

portholes) and were making whining or humming sounds.

Eyewitnesses in different parts of the state were unaware of

similar sightings elsewhere, so collusion on the part of

witnesses had to bee ruled out. Many were long duration

observations.

     Elsewhere in the United States, Russia, China, Japan,

England, Belgium, Australia, and South America sightings were

also on the increase with pilot reports, landings, radar

trackings & video filming the order of the day.

     On November 20-21 multiple eyewitnesses, along with

Ronald T. Currin reported seeing a circular UFO (approx. 50

ft. in diameter) above an open field off highway 96 near

Oxford. On one occasion the UFO passed over a car and lit up

the whole area. The white and orange lighted object took off

vertically at night and left the area.

     On October 30 at 9:30 pm Mrs. Irena E. Stafford in Mount

Airy reported a dome-topped UFO hovering outside her home and

making a high pitched whining sound. Mrs. Stafford had just

left home to take her dogs out to walk, but her dogs refused

to leave the house, instead they whined, shook and rubbed

their ears. The UFO, which was bigger than a plane had "red

and green " lights that rotated on the bottom edge of the

object. It was seen for approx. 28 minutes. While the UFO

hovered, it gave off "beams of light."

     On October 20 Robin Church contacted a UFO hotline

service in Washington State to report two oval-shaped UFOs

"joined together with a bar-like device," that she saw in

Morganton at 10:19 pm. The UFO was as long as a small car and

maneuvered in the sky at a 200-300 foot altitude for 3 to 4

minutes.

     On October 11 in Asheboro Hilda Lilly reported finding a

30 foot wide circle on the ground in the afternoon. It looked

like a UFO had set down Lilly said, but no UFO was seen. The

"circle" had a one foot wide band on its outer edge. The

Agriculture Department could not explain the "circle."

     On October 9 in Asheboro S.C. and Pat Richardson along

with two other eyewitnesses saw a big object "like a fireball

in the sky" that split into three pieces. The UFO made a

thumping sound while it hovered and then it went straight up.

Possible meteor, but some of the witnesses discounted this

explanation. Radio Dispatcher Debbie McKenzie reported

receiving over 100 phone calls concerning this sighting,

which occurred during the early morning hours.

     On October 1 in Lincolnton a woman textile employee saw

an "amber color football-shaped UFO that dropped down from

the sky and disappeared between a group of trees at night.

(witness name on file).

     During late September three 3-foot circles were found on

the ground at Vale, while an "18 foot circle" was reported

from Charlotte.

     During May (date unknown) Andrew Sullivan and his 14

year old son were cutting the backyard grass when they

observed a silver football-shaped UFO moving about 100 feet

above the ground at 4 pm in Charlotte. The UFO, the size of a

standard car was moving silently North to South in the

direction of the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

     In mid-March a large disc-shaped UFO (estimated to be 45

to 60 feet wide) the size of a small house at treetop level

by a businessman (name confidential) at 2:30 am. The witness

said the UFO was about 150 to 300 feet away and had a series

of "lighter areas" (windows?) across its lower edge. Durham

was the sighting location.

     On February 20 at 9:13 am in Boone several witnesses

reported a UFO to Watauga County Sherriff's Department. No

details have been released.

     On February 16 at Dudley Jay Stallings encountered a UFO

(larger than a standard car) while driving on the highway 117

By-Pass at 6:10 pm. The UFO looked like an Eastern Airline

plane without its wings and had "a series of blinking lights"

across the middle of its cigar-shape. For some time the UFO

hovered above the Georgia Pacific Smokeworks.

     On February 15 at 5:40 am a former U.S. Air Force pilot

Art Canady reported seeing a "bright light, like that of a

fluorescent bulb" hovering above Garland. Canady estimated

that the UFO was hovering at a 1,500 foot altitude. Next the

UFO moved upward 4,000 to 5,000 feet in a matter of seconds

and on another occasion it flew parallel to NC highway 411.

It was last seen by Canady at 6:43 am so the sighting

duration was for an hour and three minutes. A large number of

other eyewitnesses saw the object over the same time period.

(other eyewitnesses names on file).

     Six of the twelve encounters occurred during the fourth

quarter of the year. Eyewitnesses of UFOs, either old or new

sightings are encouraged to report them to MUFON-NC, Inc. in

care of George D. Fawcett III, 602 Battleground Road,

Lincolnton, N.C. 28092. Reports will be kept confidential if

so requested. Phone calls can be made to (704)735-5725, but

collect calls cannot be accepted.

*UFO Reports still average 150 per day world wide and North

Carolina still ranks fourth in the United States.