Sighting in Le Plessis-Belleville, February 26, 2023

At about 1 a.m., from home, the witness saw a fire-coloured object with orange flames crossing the sky in a straight line. It moved at about the same speed and altitude as a light aircraft. It seemed to come from the direction of Silly-le-Long and head toward Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport, meaning it travelled from northwest to southeast.

The file rests solely on a gendarmerie report: there was no completed technical questionnaire and no photos or videos, so the case has little substance. Even so, GEIPAN noted that the description (fire colour, orange flames) fits a sky lantern, a passive object carried by the wind. A weather station 18 km from the witness recorded an 18 km/h wind blowing from the northwest to the southeast, the same direction as the object's movement. The sighting also took place on the night from Saturday to Sunday, a time when lantern releases are common.

The case was classified A: a very probable sighting of a sky lantern.