Sighting in Neuville-aux-Bois, May 25, 2011

A witness looking out of a window saw a very bright white light in the north at 2:09 a.m. The light travelled in a straight line towards the south, then turned towards the east-south-east. After about five seconds it suddenly vanished. The witness heard no sound while it passed.

The GEIPAN investigation favoured the explanation of an aircraft seen head-on, coming from the north and approaching Orléans or Orly with its landing light on. Seen along its axis, such an aircraft looks like an almost motionless point whose distance cannot be estimated. The flashing lights are not visible because the front lamp dazzles the observer. These landing lights can be seen from more than 10 km away along their axis. When the aircraft changes course, the point of light shifts sideways, changes in brightness, and then seems to disappear, since the observer is no longer in line with the lamps. If the aircraft is not too far away, the flashing lights then become visible. The phenomenon can recur from time to time under similar weather conditions.

The lack of noise is not surprising if the witness misjudged the distance, something that cannot be avoided at night when looking at a single point of light. The case was classified B: probable sighting of an aircraft.