VICQ-SUR-GARTEMPE (86) 13.08.2021

Around 00:12 during the night of 12–13 August 2021, a couple walking on a path at Vicq-sur-Gartempe (86) saw 2 distinct, well-defined white lights moving silently at low altitude. They travelled right to left at a constant, relatively high speed along a perfectly horizontal straight path. A first stand of trees intermittently hid them; they reappeared on the same course, then disappeared completely behind denser woodland on the left. GEIPAN assessed the case as low in strangeness with good evidential support and identified a French military A400M; see the investigation report. It defines evidential strength as the quantity of reliable, objectively supported information collected for an account. The description and low angular elevation prompted consideration of lights from a land vehicle, vessel or aircraft. The site's layout and topography ruled out a land vehicle or vessel. Reconstruction using ADS-B Exchange data showed a French military A400M flying at low altitude in the viewing direction at the reported time. GEIPAN found its distance explained why no sound was heard. The case was classified A: observation of an A400M aircraft.