Sighting in Outreau, October 31, 2016

At about 4:30 pm on a Monday, several people in a conservatory saw two oval objects, cream or white in colour, crossing a clear sky. The objects gradually moved away and then went out of the witnesses' view. Only one account was collected, along with a photo.

The investigation concluded that the witness most likely saw aircraft using the air corridor that brings traffic into France from the west, above Gravelines, about 50 km away. From that vantage point, their path looked as though it passed over Boulogne and Saint-Léonard. At that hour the sun was behind the witness and reflected almost perpendicularly off the fuselage of some aircraft, like a mirror. The plane then appeared as an oval shape with no wings, because the wings merged with the fuselage. At 10 km altitude and 50 km distance, the aircraft would appear about 10° above the horizon, which matches the position measured on the witness's photo. Differences in speed and distance could create the effect of two parallel lines. With a length of 20 to 80 m, their apparent size was still large enough to make out an oval shape. The witness did not live in the area and may have been surprised by a sight that local residents are used to. GEIPAN classified the case as B: probable observation of aircraft.