Sighting in Mont-Saint-Aignan, August 6, 1982

One summer evening, at about 8:05 pm, a witness standing at a road junction saw an egg-shaped, metallic grey object pass by about 20 metres above the ground. It moved silently in a straight line from south to north, and the sun reflected off it from time to time. On its side, the witness made out a red geometric shape that looked to them like an "eye".

The witness turned around on noticing that another person was already watching the scene. When they looked back toward the object, it had gone. They gave a statement to the gendarmerie five days later, without being able to give better estimates of distances. The gendarmes visited the site the following day: they gathered no other testimony and found no traces.

After re-examining the case, the GEIPAN retained the hypothesis of a metallised nylon balloon of the "Mylar" type. The metallic look, the oval shape, the decorative design and the steady drift with the wind all fit this explanation. Such balloons already existed in 1982, often round or oval and decorated with a circular motif; a red motif lit by the setting sun could have looked like a glowing red eye. The object may have vanished while the witness had their head turned, but how long they looked away is unknown. Consistency remains rather low, as the hypothesis can be neither firmly confirmed nor ruled out, but it is probable enough to be retained. The case, first classified D, is now classified B.