Sighting in Faverges, October 2, 1954

An experienced pilot, a specialist in Alpine flying, was flying a Nord 1203 at 2,000 m and 220 km/h on a heading of 250°. At 4:20 p.m. the pilot noticed a craft to the right, moving on the same heading at about 4,000 m altitude and, by their estimate, roughly 10 km away. It followed a rising curve. The pilot described it as a disc tilted 30 to 40° on its axis, with a phosphorescent glow on its rear edge, and put its diameter at 3 to 4 m. After 70 seconds it disappeared at the horizon. The pilot filed a brief report, and no other witness account was gathered.

The investigation found that the object was about 11° above the horizon, near azimuth 340°, with no astronomical confusion identified. The low sun was almost in line with the flight direction. At that distance, an object 3 to 4 m across would be barely visible, at the limit of the eye's resolution. The investigators could not rule out a sun reflection off a much closer small object, such as a balloon, or off the canopy. The axis of the disc's tilt was not specified, and the descending part of the trajectory was not described. GEIPAN classified the case as C because of insufficient information and corroboration.