Sighting in Bagnolet, May 10, 2011

From their home, the witness regularly saw a point of light moving across the sky. It grew larger, then smaller, before disappearing at the horizon.

The investigation noted that the witness lived almost in line with one of the runways of Orly airfield. When the wind blew from the north, aircraft therefore took off in the witness's direction. An aircraft's front lights are very powerful and highly directional, so the witness could not make out the flashing red lights, which are much weaker. As soon as the aircraft moved off the line of sight, the light reaching the witness dropped sharply.

The fact that the sightings kept recurring supported this explanation, and the witness could check that it happened when the wind came from the north. GEIPAN classified the case as B: probable sighting of aircraft taking off from Orly.