Sighting in Carqueiranne, February 17, 2012
Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Sighting on February 17, 2012 in Carqueiranne (Var, France). GEIPAN could not reach a conclusion for lack of sufficient information (class C).
What happened
At about 8:20 a.m., a driver and their daughter noticed a bright, silvery-white object in the sky. The light was so intense that the witness struggled to describe its shape precisely, which seemed rather rectangular and fairly flat, or its size, which appeared large. The object stayed motionless and silent for about twenty seconds. The witness then looked away for roughly three seconds to manoeuvre the car, and could not find the object in the sky again.
The GEIPAN received no other testimony. An investigator sent to the area questioned dozens of people, even though many were taking children to school at that hour, and none confirmed the sighting. The cognitive interview added nothing to the witness's first report.
The witness had been driving towards the sun. Investigators considered the reflection of a shiny object in the windscreen, or the sun glinting off a helicopter in flight, but could not confirm either idea. The sighting was brief, made from a car, and could not be corroborated. The GEIPAN classed the case as C because of insufficient information and cross-checking.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- February 17, 2012
- Location
- Carqueiranne · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- C
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2012-02-09419
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.