GRASSE (06) 26.03.2016

On 26 March 2016, not 26 September as stated in the free-text account, between 09:50 and 09:55, a witness in a car park watched a shiny spherical object over the town. It joined two other “balls,” which flew in formation, then a fourth joined them. Surrounding buildings hid them as they left his view together. Only one account was collected. The description initially suggested helicopters. About 12 km south of Grasse, in the direction reported, a helicopter training centre stands near Cannes–Mandelieu–La Napoule aerodrome’s runways. A call to AZUR HELICO confirmed the hypothesis. After checking, its manager told the investigator that at least three aircraft with instructors were airborne that Saturday, 26 March, between 09:30 and 10:00, covering the observation time. The spherical appearance was the witness’s main anomaly. AZUR HELICO operates R22 and/or Cabri G2 training helicopters. GEIPAN notes that these small helicopters appear spherical head-on and probably from the side too because their tails are thin. Their dark colouring and reflected sunlight could account for the reported shine. Their stated 180 km/h flying speed explains the apparently rapid motion. Silence also puzzled the witness. Near Grasse hospital, traffic noise, although not especially loud, could mask faint sounds. The helicopters were apparently well to the south, reducing their audibility compared with an overhead observer, and wind did not carry sound toward him. GEIPAN also notes local noise restrictions and that R22s and Cabri G2s are not particularly noisy. It argues that another unusual phenomenon in this populated area would have been reported by others, especially airborne instructors, but no such report exists. The 15-second observation was very brief for recognizing helicopters receding toward Mandelieu-la-Napoule before buildings hid them. GEIPAN classifies the case A: certain misidentification of a helicopter flight.