Sighting in Annecy, July 26, 2018

At around 4 a.m., two people by the lake noticed white lights above a nearby mountain, the Mont Veyrier. Six or seven points of light came on one after another and formed a line. After a few seconds they rose into the sky and vanished. The sighting lasted about ten seconds and no sound was noticed. Only one witness account was collected.

According to the investigation, every element of the account fits a mistaken identification of a group of aircraft flying in formation. Only their powerful landing lights, white or yellowish-white, were visible from a long way off, and the aircraft were heading toward the witness for a few moments. The number of lights matches a formation of at least six aircraft. The lack of noise is consistent with the planes being several tens of kilometres away. The sudden appearance and disappearance are explained by two changes of heading: the first made the lights visible, the second made them vanish, since landing lights only shine in a limited cone and the distance hid the aircraft's structure and other lights. The Patrouille de France, possibly on a night training flight in the area, was suggested as a candidate, but its presence at that time could not be demonstrated. GEIPAN classified the case as B: a possible mistaken identification of a formation of military aircraft.