CHATEAUNEUF-VILLEVIEILLE (06) 24.01.2016

On Sunday 24 January 2016 at about 12:45, a witness saw an intriguing bright ovoid craft pass west to east, finally disappearing as a grey point on the horizon. No particular sound was heard. GEIPAN considered an aircraft or helicopter despite the apparently incompatible shape. Flightradar’s secondary-radar-based traffic information showed two unusual aircraft (appendices): a Beech 200, flight OOLET, making repeated circles over Col de Braus at about 8,000 m, and an Écureuil helicopter, flight 3AMAX, detected intermittently at about 1,000 m altitude and 10 km from the witness. At 11:57 UTC, 12:57 local, they appear close together as the witness described, before the aeroplane changes direction sharply. Such activity over this sparsely inhabited area was unusual. A search found Monte-Carlo Rally special stage 16 underway: Col de l’Orme to Saint-Laurent, starting 12:08, a live-televised Power Stage, with “12.07” also given in the source listing. GEIPAN considers it very likely that the helicopter filmed the race and relayed footage through the aeroplane to television control. It did not identify the individual operators, but describes this relay arrangement as common at major moving sports events (see “cet avion qui intrigue”). Nice Météociel data show light northwesterly wind at 12:00, turning southerly at 13:00. Both opposed sound propagation toward the witness. At about 10 km, the helicopter would be inaudible in these conditions. The ovoid appearance probably came from reflected sunlight without visible detail. GEIPAN classifies A: a helicopter covering a Monte-Carlo Rally stage.