Sighting in Villenave-d'Ornon, January 2, 2020

At about 7:50 a.m., the witness was looking through an open window and noticed a motionless point of light to the north-northwest, roughly 40° above the horizon. It appeared to sit about twenty centimetres from a neighbouring umbrella pine. The point twinkled, was bright, and at times took on a reddish tint; it looked slightly larger than a planet.

After about five minutes, around 8 a.m., the point began to move at a speed similar to that of an aircraft, following a straight path toward the east. The case rests on a single account, with no photo or video, but GEIPAN rates its consistency as good.

The investigation looked at three possibilities: the star Capella, an airplane and a helicopter. The star was ruled out: the brightness described exceeded that of Venus, the observed elevation was 27° lower than Capella's, and the final shift of about 50° to the east in a short time did not fit a celestial object. An aircraft was consistent with the account. The red light favoured a helicopter, since an airplane heading east would have shown a green light, from its right wing. The testimony fits a helicopter following the N-EA air route and then turning toward the east. GEIPAN classified the case as B: probable observation of a helicopter.