Sighting in Lyon, August 27, 1997

At about 9:45 p.m., three witnesses on their way home from work saw an object moving at low altitude and in complete silence. Depending on the account, its shape was described as triangular or rather round. It had two large headlights. As it passed over the group, one of the lights was aimed at the witnesses for a few moments. One of them made out two silhouettes inside a glazed cabin.

The witnesses wrote to the gendarmerie, which then interviewed them. The first stressed the searchlight pointed at them, the lack of noise, and the fact that no propeller or exhaust system could be seen. The second repeated the first two points and added that they had seen green and red lights, like an aircraft's navigation lights. The third reported nothing strange and said they had paid little attention to the phenomenon before returning to their vehicle.

The investigation noted that the object was over the area where the hospital's helicopters operate and land, and where the witnesses worked. Everything described fits a helicopter flight. The lack of noise had led to this explanation being set aside at the time, but other cases have shown that witnesses can fail to hear a helicopter 100 or 200 metres away when their attention is absorbed by what they see or by emotion, and wind also affects how much noise is heard. Helicopters often aim searchlights at the ground, and the darkness explains why no propeller or exhaust was seen. The green and red lights and the slow speed support the helicopter explanation. The testimonies were not very consistent, and the first witness probably influenced the other two. GEIPAN therefore classified the case as A: helicopter.