Sighting in Beaune-la-Rolande, February 15, 2018

At around 9:30 pm, a witness was driving along the A19 motorway when they noticed, on their right, a triangular object with two red lights. They first took it for an aircraft, then saw it turn right and cross the motorway in front of them, while the red lights turned sky blue. The witness also reported two white lights, located underneath the craft and toward the front. The object then made a second right turn and began to follow the motorway. The witness tried to photograph it without success, and opened their window but heard no noise from the object. The sighting, estimated at between 2 and 5 minutes, ended when the object disappeared into a cloud.

GEIPAN rated the consistency of the case as medium: there was only one witness and no photo. The hypothesis considered probable was that of a military aircraft. Air base 123 at Orléans, which hosts military transport aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules, lies about 30 to 40 km away, and the object was heading toward it at the end of the sighting. The red and white colours match standard aviation lights, and the "sky blue" described would be a slightly bluish white. The absence of a green light may come from the aircraft's successive positions relative to the witness. Viewing conditions were poor: night, rain, wipers running, a vehicle travelling at about 130 km/h, and a driver focused on overtaking just as the object crossed the road. The unusual behaviour could be explained by the aircraft's low speed, its two turns and the witness's own movement. However, the C-130 has only one red light, which the investigation could not explain. The long delay before the inquiry meant the presence of such an aircraft at that place and time could not be confirmed. The case was classified B.