Sighting in Barcelonnette, May 11, 1977
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Sighting on May 11, 1977 in Barcelonnette (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France). GEIPAN identified the phenomenon with certainty (class A).
What happened
In the evening, between 10:05 and 10:25 pm, several people noticed two objects in the sky moving without any sound. The objects gave off a bright red light at intervals. The witnesses also saw that they were shining a white light down toward the ground.
The gendarmerie investigation established that two Puma SA 330 helicopters from the training base at Le Cannet-des-Maures (Var) were flying at night. They were carrying out exercises, including lighting up the ground, in the area where the witnesses lived. The GEIPAN classified the case as A: what the witnesses saw was a night flight of helicopters.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- May 11, 1977
- Location
- Barcelonnette · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- A
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 1977-05-02608
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.