textfiles/ufo/SIGHTINGS/fawcettann.ufo

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.