Sighting in Paris, February 6, 2024

At around 12:12, the witness was in their living room when they noticed a small black dot on the horizon, darker than the planes or helicopters they were used to seeing go by. It came from the south, followed a straight path and seemed fairly high in the sky. Intrigued, the witness opened the window of their apartment and took photos and a short video. The object then passed over the building and the witness quickly lost sight of it. The sighting lasted about a minute and a half.

GEIPAN rated the consistency of the case as good: there was only one witness, but the photos and video, supplied as copies rather than originals, could be studied. The investigation showed that the wind direction matched the direction the object was moving, which favoured an object carried by the wind, such as a reflective Mylar party balloon. A park frequented by children, the Parc Montsouris, also lies in line with the starting position the witness described. What struck the witness as odd was the fairly high speed, the straight path and the lack of noise. A balloon accounts for the silence. The speed is explained by the object actually being close, though it looked distant to the witness, and by particularly strong wind that day, with gusts of 67 km/h. However, GEIPAN could not trace where the balloon was released, so the case is classed B: probable party balloon carried by the wind.