Asunción: UFO paces Cessna 210 for 25 minutes
On June 8, 1991, pilot Cesar Escobar encountered a bright oval object pacing his Cessna 210 near Asunción, Paraguay, for 25 minutes, disrupting instruments. Air traffic control confirmed the luminous object hovering over the airport after landing.
[Dolan Vol.2 enrichment]: Dolan Vol.2 provides the definitive account: On June 8, 1991, Cesar Escobar pilots a Cessna 210, takes off from a farm near Concepcion at about 6 PM. Shortly after, an interesting conversation comes over his radio between a traffic controller at Silvio Petirossi Airport and LAP Flight 702 (Asuncion to Miami) — the LAP pilot has an unknown object in front of him. Minutes later, Escobar sees a strong bluish-white light. For the next 25 minutes, the UFO accompanies his aircraft. 'Its operator was toying with me,' Escobar says. The object closes on his position repeatedly, causing instruments to malfunction. Airport radar confirms the object's presence. Control tower duty operator Anibal Gavigan sees the luminous object flying next to Escobar's plane. After landing, Gavigan orders the field lights shut off and observes the object hovering motionless 600 meters away with a strong reddish light, confirmed by radar. Then 'a perfect yellow line going as far as you could see to the west' — a bright ray shot to the horizon — and the object departs 'instantly at an astonishing speed.' Radar confirms departure speed: the radar makes one revolution every five seconds with 150 nautical mile range; the object disappears during one revolution, meaning at least 26 miles per second — translating to over 1,500 miles per minute, or more than 90,000 mph. LAP copilot Col. Angel David Farina confirms the crew's sighting lasting about 30 minutes. The case is thoroughly investigated by MUFON's Jorge Alfonso Ramirez and an official report is obtained from Paraguay's Ministry of Defense.
Background
Incident
On June 8, 1991 at 18:00, Cesar Escobar was flying a Cessna 210 to Asunción, Paraguay with co-pilot Angel David Farina and two passengers. Near Concepción, Escobar overheard an exchange between the control tower and a Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas aircraft about a brightly glowing object on a collision course, which was also visible on radar.
Encounter
Shortly afterwards an intense pale white light appeared to his right, which accompanied the aircraft for 25 minutes at a distance of about 400 metres. The light concealed the oval shape; the object approached playfully several times, which alarmed Escobar. Instruments, including the automatic direction finder, failed as it came near.
Landing and Observation
At 19:22, on approach to Asunción airport, the object fell back and hovered. Anibal Gavigan, an air traffic control specialist, saw it and had it confirmed on radar. After landing, the airport lights were switched off; the object remained motionless. A yellow beam shot briefly toward the western horizon, then it accelerated away faster than radar could follow.
Witnesses and Evidence
Witnesses: Cesar Escobar, Angel David Farina, Anibal Gavigan, and the LAP pilot. Radar and visual confirmation. Sources: MUFON UFO Journal (1994), UFO Briefing Document (2000). The several professional witnesses have been cited as giving it high credibility.