Sighting in La Talaudière, April 1, 2023

At around 11 a.m., the witness was walking back from a large supermarket when they noticed an object in the sky shaped like a hang glider, with a square front and a square rear. It moved slowly and silently, swaying slightly. It stayed at a constant altitude and followed a straight path from southwest to northeast. The sighting lasted three to four minutes. The witness took a photograph, but the object does not show up in it and the image cannot be used.

GEIPAN rated the case's consistency as medium, because there was only one witness and the object does not appear in the photo. Two explanations were looked at. The description could fit a lightweight object carried by the wind, since its apparent path matched the wind direction. However, such a long sighting over an angular displacement of 40° fits this idea poorly, unless the object was large and far away. The witness themselves had suggested a drone, but ruled it out because there was no noise and the propellers were visible. Yet the noise of the nearby national road could have masked the sound of a drone, and a drone's propellers cannot be seen in flight because they spin so fast. Drones are banned from flying over the town, but the investigation found no sign that one had flown there at the time. No other witness account reached GEIPAN despite the built-up area, and no other trace was found.

No explanation could be favored. The case is classified C: unidentifiable, due to insufficient data.