Sighting in Berville-sur-Mer, June 16, 2019

Between 00:15 and 00:30, a witness saw three identical red-orange lights pass quickly and silently overhead, about five minutes apart. The witness described them as having no definite shape, more like an intense light resembling a red-orange fireball. They sent a link to the video they had filmed. This was the only testimony collected. The date given on the questionnaire was a mistake, one day earlier than the actual observation.

The investigation ruled out the star Capella and an aircraft, both judged too unlikely. Several factors pointed to Chinese-style sky lanterns, known in France as Thai lanterns: an estimated speed higher than that of an aircraft, the phenomenon recurring three times within a few minutes, and analysis of the video with the IPACO software. That analysis showed a very rapid fluctuation in brightness and a gradual disappearance, details considered very important. The trajectory also matched the wind direction, and the sighting took place on a summer Saturday night, a time when festivities are common. The lanterns were probably much closer to the witness than they believed, most likely because of a heavily clouded sky, which gave an impression of high speed. GEIPAN classified the case as B: very probably sky lanterns.