Sighting in Florensac, September 30, 2019

At around 8 p.m., the witness saw a flash and first thought of a thunderstorm, although no clouds were in sight. Almost immediately, a very powerful light appeared and forced them to shut their eyes. When they opened them again, they saw a cylindrical, metallic-looking object following a curve before disappearing behind the trees. Lights were visible on its side. The witness saw no wings and heard no noise. They compared the light to the sun and believed the object had passed over their house. No other testimony was collected.

GEIPAN classified the case as B: the object was probably a military transport aircraft of the Hercules C-130 type, observed under unfavourable conditions. The initial flash resembles that of an anti-collision light. Because the witness looked away, they missed the following flashes. The bright light was probably the aircraft's landing light or lights, pale yellow and pointed toward the witness, and the side lights may have been navigation lights. The dazzle left a retinal afterimage. With twilight, the distance and the aircraft's low angle in the sky, the wings blended visually with the fuselage, giving the impression of a cylinder. The slow, wide curving path fits such an aircraft flying low, and Istres air base, which hosts this type of aircraft, lies about 120 km away. The lack of noise is partly explained by a very light wind and by the distance. Since the witness had their eyes closed, the pass over the house is not confirmed, and the aircraft may well have passed farther away. However, the presence of a Hercules C-130 in the area could not be formally established.