Sighting in Terraube, November 23, 2023

Two witnesses were driving along a departmental road between 10:30 and 11:00 when they noticed a black, roughly round object in the sky moving erratically. The main witness grabbed their smartphone to photograph and film it. Only one account was collected, but the video, though very short, could be analysed, so the case is considered to have good consistency.

The investigation found that a dark grey C-17 military transport aircraft was in the line of sight at a compatible time. The witness very probably caught a brief glimpse of it against the blue sky or the white clouds, then lost sight of it while reaching for the phone. Analysis of the first frames of the video showed the object shifting twice in exactly the same directions and amounts as interior parts of the vehicle, such as the dashboard or mirrors, which points to a reflection or an optical artefact caused by light and the glass. A defocusing effect, with both the object and the car interior staying sharp, indicates a very small object, most likely right against the windscreen. The rest of the footage cannot be used: the camera shakes too much and the object leaves the frame.

The main witness merged two stimuli with a similar appearance that occurred close together in space and time. The case is classified A: a C-17 military aircraft and a very small object on or very near the windscreen.