Sighting in Saint-Caprais-de-Bordeaux, August 15, 2016

At around half past midnight, under a clear sky, the witness was surprised to see a luminous phenomenon: three white lights arranged in a triangle, with a red light at the centre, moving steadily at very low altitude. A loud humming could be heard. The sighting lasted about 10 seconds. The witness took a photo with their mobile phone, but it does not show what they had seen. No other witness account was gathered.

The investigation concluded that the witness most probably saw an aircraft flying exceptionally low, possibly a military one, either a plane or a helicopter. No matching aircraft appeared on civil flight-tracking sites, and the request sent to the defence authorities came too late, since their records are only accessible for one month. However, three white lights with a red one in the middle are a fairly typical description in reports involving aircraft, as such lights can be present in addition to the regulation navigation lights, which witnesses often fail to recognise. The humming was also like an aircraft engine. GEIPAN therefore classified the case as A: observation of an aircraft.