Sighting in Saint-Affrique, July 21, 2000

At about 11:30 pm, a man and his son were looking at the sky when they noticed five flashing white lights with the naked eye. Each light followed a short path, and some turned back before going out. The observation lasted five minutes, and the lights disappeared one after another.

The case had first been classified D, then was re-examined using new software tools and the investigative experience gained since. Flashing white lights moving in a straight line are typically a sign of an aircraft. What startled the witnesses was the U-turns and the sudden appearance and disappearance of the lights. According to GEIPAN, an aircraft remains possible and is the most probable explanation, most likely a military or general aviation aircraft rather than an airliner. A few clouds may have hidden the aircraft. The only data available, from Météociel for Millau, 30 km away, showed a sky that was not completely clear at 4 pm.

The information needed to confirm or rule out this hypothesis was not collected at the time, or could not be, and is still missing today. The hypothesis therefore cannot be accepted as the explanation, but under GEIPAN's current methodology it also prevents the case from being called unexplained. GEIPAN considers the observation only slightly strange and classified it C, for lack of reliable information.