SAINT-BENOIT-DES-ONDES (35) 03.11.2013

While flying a kite, a witness saw a metallic-grey oval object with 2 round wings very high in the sky. It travelled in a very straight line at an apparently very high speed. Because he was flying a kite, the witness had his back roughly to the wind and was looking east or northeast, with wind from west to northwest. He saw the object pass above the kite and disappear northward according to his questionnaire, or eastward according to his sketch, stbenoit.jpg. GEIPAN considers its behaviour consistent with an object carried by the strong 26–44 km/h wind, probably low enough, at 100–200 m, to appear very fast. The drawn shape resembles a Mickey Mouse balloon (see the example). The witness perceived a 45° difference between its path and the wind direction. GEIPAN explains that this may reflect estimation uncertainty and wind variations with time and altitude (see weather records). It considers the sighting only slightly unusual, with straight movement very probably following the wind. The very brief single-witness account has moderate evidential support; a photograph or second account could have confirmed or refuted the hypothesis. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable observation of a child’s balloon.