Sighting in Plestin-les-Grèves, September 5, 1980

At about 10:45 p.m., eight people were startled by a luminous phenomenon over the ocean. Only three of them were questioned by the gendarmerie, three days later. Two of these witnesses, who were travelling by car with other passengers, described two very bright red balls leaving a trail in the sky. They felt that the balls were getting closer and following them. Frightened, they took refuge at the home of a resident, the third witness, who had also seen a very bright red ball at the top of the fir trees beside the cemetery. That sighting lasted a few seconds, after which the resident brought everyone inside to reassure them.

GEIPAN re-examined the case, originally classed D. The main hypothesis is a mistaken identification of two distress flares of the "parachute flare" type. The shape, red colour, strong brightness and trail all fit, and the phenomenon was placed over the ocean, in or near the bay of Saint-Michel-des-Grèves, where such flares can be fired. The impression of being followed is explained by the "following ball" illusion that affects distant objects. The apparent growth in size may come from the increase in brightness once the flare's illuminating charge ignited.

One inconsistency remains: the sighting lasted between 60 and 90 seconds, whereas these flares are never visible for more than 45 seconds. Two successive launches, with the switch between them going unnoticed amid the panic in the vehicle, could account for this. However, the testimonies are vague about the durations and possible breaks in observation, and cannot be checked more than 35 years later. With too little data to justify a B classification, the case remained C.