Sighting in Les Moutiers-en-Retz, August 21, 2018

At about 9:20 pm, the witness was on their terrace with their brother when a very bright light caught their attention straight ahead of them. The brother pointed out that there was no airfield in that direction, and the witness immediately concluded that the light was not natural. They grabbed their camera and took two photos: the light was dimmer in the first, but very intense in the second. The light then went out. No engine noise was heard, as the surroundings were quiet. This was the only testimony collected for the sighting.

In November 2018, the witness contacted GEIPAN again. The phenomenon had occurred several times in the same direction, and their brother, who lives there, had noticed on a map that Nantes airport lay about 25 km away, with a runway aligned with that direction. According to the witness, aircraft sometimes take off with their lights on and switch them off about 40 seconds later, so the mystery was solved.

GEIPAN accepted this explanation, given the repeated occurrences, the proximity of Nantes Atlantique airport (30 km) and the direction of observation. The witness most probably saw an aircraft arriving at or leaving the airport, and therefore either its landing light or its rear position light. Flightradar24 does not go back far enough in time, so the specific aircraft that evening could not be confirmed. The case is classified B: aeronautical misidentification.