Sighting in Angoulême, August 15, 2009

The witness was in the garden at home, at around 1:15 p.m., when they saw an oval shape of dull brown pass across the sky. It followed a straight path from east to west, heading toward Cognac. The witness heard no noise during the sighting, and no one else reported seeing the phenomenon.

The witness ruled out an airplane or a helicopter. This could not be checked with air traffic control, because the GEIPAN received the gendarmerie report late. Other explanations were considered for this atypical case, including objects close to the witness (a rugby ball, clay pigeon shooting, a frisbee, model aircraft), but none matched the account, since the phenomenon passed well above the rooftops. A meteoroid entering the atmosphere was also considered, as the sighting fell during the Perseid peak, but it could not be verified without another witness.

With no firm explanation, the GEIPAN classified the case D: a strange to very strange phenomenon, of medium to high consistency.