DIEPPE (76) 24.05.2012

On 24 May 2012 at 23:55, 2 witnesses in Dieppe's harbour area (76) observed an elongated white luminous object flying low in a clear, starry sky. It passed in front of the château, then over the beach and slowly towards the sea and offshore, following a straight line. They observed it for a total of 30 minutes without hearing any unusual sound. Only 1 account was collected. The objective information gathered indicates slow flight at very low altitude over the Dieppe urban area, with no wind or only a light wind opposing its motion. Some features suggest a possible drone. A helicopter was also considered but could not be confirmed; see the investigation report. GEIPAN concludes that the available information does not explain the UAP, but its characteristics remain compatible with the plausible hypotheses considered. The account has moderate evidential substance: precise but lacking detail, with no photograph and only 1 witness providing an account. GEIPAN regrets the absence of the second witness's account and, especially, the lack of a response to a request for an interview. The observation is strange because the characteristics do not fully match known flying objects, although its flight characteristics are not extraordinary either. Without information to support either hypothesis, particularly the missing second account and interview, GEIPAN classifies the case C: insufficient information.