Sighting in Saint-Côme-du-Mont, November 12, 2014

The witness was driving along the N13 from Chef-du-Pont toward Carentan, heading southeast, when they noticed a white-yellow phenomenon that looked to them like a comet. They said the sky was clear, although Meteociel records showed rain at Cherbourg and easing showers at Caen.

The sun had risen at 7:45 a.m. in the east-southeast (114°), slightly to the left of the road's axis (about 135°). Around 8 a.m. it was therefore almost straight ahead of the witness, possibly dimmed by morning haze. According to Flightradar24, several large airliners were flying at high altitude from west to east at that time, including an Airbus A330 and a Boeing 777.

Their contrails can be seen from up to about 120 km away, at an elevation of roughly 6° above the horizon. At that distance the apparent motion is very slight and, because of perspective, the trail looks very short. Seen against the rising sun, it appears yellow, orange, or even red. The GEIPAN concluded that the witness had seen these aircraft contrails near the horizon and classified the case A.