Project Blue Book Case #10781. On July 25, 1966, witnesses near Vanceboro, North Carolina — a small community in the coastal plain east of New Bern — reported a bright object at low altitude. The object's proximity to the ground, combined with its luminosity, made this a close encounter report rather than a distant sighting.
Vanceboro sits in Craven County, approximately 20 miles from the Marine Corps' Cherry Point Air Station — one of the East Coast's major military aviation facilities. Cherry Point's fighter and attack squadrons generated significant air traffic in the region, and witnesses were accustomed to the sight and sound of military jets, including the powerful F-4 Phantom IIs that were the Marine Corps' primary fighter in the Vietnam era.
The summer of 1966 was a continuation of the extraordinary wave that had begun in the spring. While the Michigan cases in March and April had garnered the most attention, sightings continued at elevated rates across the country through the summer months. North Carolina contributed multiple cases during this period.
The low-altitude aspect of the Vanceboro sighting was its most significant characteristic. At close range, witnesses could observe details of the object's appearance and behavior that would be invisible in a high-altitude or distant sighting. The object was described as far brighter than any aircraft landing light and completely silent.
Cherry Point flight operations were checked and no aircraft correlated with the report. The case was classified "Unknown."