Sighting in Wattrelos, October 5, 1980
Nord, Hauts-de-France, France
Sighting on October 5, 1980 in Wattrelos (Nord, France). GEIPAN considers the phenomenon probably identified (class B).
What happened
On an evening in October 1980, between 7:25 and 8:00 pm, several witnesses noticed an object in the sky that puzzled them. It was moving at low altitude. Some described it as circular, others as rectangular, and it gave off lights. It moved very slowly and without any noise, flying back and forth. Some of the witnesses watched it for more than a quarter of an hour. It eventually disappeared in the direction of Belgium.
The investigation found that, that same evening, a Belgian aircraft with distinctive lighting on its wings and fuselage was towing a illuminated advertising banner. GEIPAN concluded that the witnesses had probably seen an aircraft trailing a lighted advertisement, and classified the case as B (probably identified).
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- October 5, 1980
- Location
- Wattrelos · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- B
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 1980-11-00818
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.