Sighting in Paris, July 30, 2008

At about 10:05 pm, two people were in their sixth-floor apartment when they noticed an unusual object to the left of the Eiffel Tower. It was a dark, lens-shaped mass. It stayed still at first, then began to move toward Charles de Gaulle airport. It then blended into the horizon and vanished in a flash of light. One of the witnesses filmed the scene twice, first at 10:05 pm and again at 10:08 pm.

GEIPAN rated the case as low to medium in strangeness, and as solid thanks to the video. According to the investigation, the sighting strongly suggests a small balloon accidentally released over Paris, particularly because of how it moved, which was entirely consistent with an object carried by the wind. The flash the witnesses described does not fully fit this explanation. The case was nevertheless classified B: probable balloon sighting.