Sighting in Metz, September 18, 2019

Very early in the morning, while on the way to work, the witness noticed an object in the sky shaped like an equilateral triangle. It was white, with a yellow area at its base. The object did not move. The witness watched it for about 10 seconds, then continued on their way. When they looked at the sky again, the object was gone. Only one account was collected.

The investigation considered two plausible explanations, both consistent with the phenomenon's apparent lack of movement: a crane spreader bar (or lifting beam), and an aircraft contrail. Neither accounts for the whole description, however, and the level of strangeness remains fairly high. Investigations, carried out both remotely and on site, produced a fairly satisfactory amount of information. But there was no other witness and no photo or video. The witness was imprecise in their estimates: apparent size, azimuth, height and shape changed unintentionally over the course of the inquiry. They cooperated actively, but the reliability of the account appears reduced, since they may have been influenced by a UFO-related environment tied to their own personal research, both before and after the sighting. GEIPAN considers the witness sincere in having seen something unusual, but notes they seem to be trying to convince others of its unusual nature. The case is of real interest because of its unexplained residual strangeness, but GEIPAN classified it C for lack of reliable information.