Sighting in Ouville-l'Abbaye, October 1981

In 2013 the witness reported an observation made in 1981, probably in October, although the exact day and month are uncertain (October or November). At around 11 p.m., bored with a TV series, they were looking out through a glass door when they saw five or six orange-red points of light slowly cross the sky in a straight line, set around the edge of a dark object. After one to two minutes the phenomenon went back the way it had come, then headed upward and vanished almost instantly in a clear sky. As it accelerated, the witness noticed a change of colour to white. No particular sound was heard. The whole sighting lasted two to three minutes.

A second witness who was present wrote in January 2014 that they had seen, to the west, a garland of red bulbs arranged in a half circle. The phenomenon disappeared, then reappeared, before leaving at very high speed toward the northwest. This person did not wish to give a fuller account. The observers did not go outside; they examined the spot, 30 to 35 m away, the next day. The witness said they were not unduly disturbed, though aware of seeing something astonishing. No other testimony was collected.

The investigation could not completely rule out a mistaken identification of a passing farm or construction machine, which was the witness's own first thought. However, this idea conflicts with the height of the lights (4 or 5 m, among the trees) and above all with the rapid disappearance with a rise into the sky. The age of the case and the uncertain date make it impossible to check. The case therefore remains strange, with no explanation above 20% probability, but it lacks information and reliability: the account was gathered over 30 years later, the date is imprecise, and the second witness was reluctant. GEIPAN classified it C, for insufficient reliable data.