Sighting in Rambervillers, July 25, 2016

At about 7:14 p.m., a witness sitting on their outdoor terrace saw a spherical object surrounded by a ring cross the sky quickly and silently. It came from the north-northeast. The object reflected the sun, and no trail was visible. The witness was surprised because they could not match it to any known aircraft, whether an airplane or a weather balloon.

The investigation included measurements on site, an interview with the witness, a review of the Flightradar replay and a check of weather archives. It concluded that the witness had mistaken an airliner for something else. Within about a minute of the sighting, an aircraft the witness had not noticed was passing on a path consistent with the one described. The difference in angular height is significant (56° for the aircraft, 32° estimated for the object), but it is not a decisive objection, since the observation was made in open sky with no landmarks for reference. An aircraft does not necessarily leave a trail. The spherical shape and the ring can be explained by sunlight reflecting unevenly along the fuselage, together with a partial view of the wings, which reflected the light less well. This effect may also have made the object seem larger than the aircraft the witness usually sees passing. GEIPAN therefore classified the case as A: misidentification of an airliner.