Sighting in Bouguenais, December 4, 2021

GEIPAN received an Air Safety Report, an incident report written by the crew of a Ryanair flight from London to Nantes. While on approach to Nantes Atlantique airport, the pilot reported an object lying in the aircraft's path at 6,000 feet. The pilot had to take avoidance action, speeding up the descent to prevent a collision. As the aircraft passed beneath the object, it was estimated to be 300 to 400 feet above.

The object showed up neither on the TCAS, the onboard system that helps prevent collisions between aircraft, nor on the airport radar. The crew met no other traffic before landing. The pilot raised the possibility that it was a drone.

The air transport gendarmerie at Nantes-Atlantique investigated and considered a drone the probable explanation. However, nothing confirmed that a drone was present. GEIPAN relied on the gendarmerie's investigation and did not carry out one of its own. It classified the case as C, meaning the information available was insufficient to reach a conclusion.