[A63] de BORDEAUX (33) VERS BAYONNE (64) 07.10.2013

On Monday 7 October 2013 at around 18:30, a motorist on the A63 from Bordeaux toward Bayonne was intrigued by a white point in the sky. He saw it recede southward and disappear, then apparently head back north. He could see no colored flashing lights identifying an aircraft. GEIPAN notes that at 18:30 the setting Sun was at azimuth 251° and elevation 9°55′, illuminating aircraft from the side; wings unlit from above or below would appear invisible. The source also states that not all aircraft produce contrails, specifically saying those below roughly 7, 000 m do not. Flightradar24 showed many flights along this route, most above 10, 000 m but some lower, as illustrated by the attached record. At 18:52 local civil time, 2 aircraft crossed in the observation sector. This time differs from the approximate 18:30 sighting time. GEIPAN classifies the case as B: a probable sighting of 2 aircraft crossing at medium altitude, illuminated by the setting Sun.