Sighting in Montmorency, April 13, 2023

At 10:55 in the morning, the witness was driving alone on the A16 motorway, somewhere between Montmorency and Beauvais, where they live. They noticed an object in the sky with a very unusual shape, an inverted "V", white with a nearly pearly sheen. It moved slowly in a straight line, on a slightly descending path.

The witness drew a sketch of the object's shape and characteristics and supplied photographs that made it possible to pinpoint the observation site. There was only one witness and no photo or video of the object, so the GEIPAN rated the case's consistency as medium.

The radar map provided by the CAPCODA showed a Cessna 152 in the area at the exact time the witness gave. The aircraft was flying a circular manoeuvre above the A16, following a left-to-right path that matched the description. The white, almost pearly colour, the slow and steady speed, the straight movement and the altitude were all consistent with this aircraft. Cumulus clouds the plane passed through probably altered how the witness perceived the object's angular size and shape. The engine noise may have been drowned out by ambient sounds inside the car, especially since the witness's attention was strongly focused on the visual sighting. The case was classified A: observation of a Cessna 152 aircraft.