Mobile entity encounter — February 3, 1983

The witness called “Pat Norris” in APRO’s report was a 28-year-old mother returning from a visit in Mobile on the evening of February 3, 1983. The name was a pseudonym. Driving home on Highway 90, she reported a violent noise and vibration, briefly stopped to inspect her car, then noticed bright illumination through the woods. A huge object approached from the direction of a clay or gravel pit. She compared its sound and air movement to a helicopter or tornado; when it stopped nearby, the noise reportedly ceased. Norris described an elaborate, multilevel structure about 210 feet wide and 70–80 feet tall. Through a long illuminated upper window she said she saw approximately 20–30 slender, pale, bald people in white one-piece suits. They had prominent upper heads and chests but otherwise humanlike features, including ordinary-looking eyes. They moved inside a curved white compartment. Lower windows, a closing door, structural ribs, portholes and projecting pipes contributed to her impression of a vessel built more like a ship or submarine than a smooth saucer. She said that she left the car and watched for several minutes, experiencing happiness after her initial fear. Occupants on a lower observation area appeared to look outward. The object eventually moved south through the wooded area, displaying lights and beams. She reached home at 1:10 a.m.; that is an arrival time, not a securely timed start of the sighting. APRO’s account consequently spans February 3–4. The subsequent investigation by Ed O. Brown followed a hotline report. Norris also described later dreams involving an examination. Those dream scenes must be distinguished from the reported roadside observation: the published account does not establish a waking boarding or abduction.