MONTAGNE (LA) (44) 14.07.2022

On 14 July 2022 at about 10:17, a witness on the terrace of his home in La Montagne (44) saw a pale off-white, oblong UAP to the east. It moved silently from north to south on a straight path, at an apparently rapid and steady speed. He compared it to an egg with identically shaped ends or a Tic Tac sweet. It had no visible trail or smoke plume and was lost from view after about 15 seconds. GEIPAN assesses the evidential support as moderate: one witness, no photograph, and a report submitted almost a year after the sighting. The description suggested either an aircraft or a balloon (see the investigation report). Investigators ruled out an aircraft because no corresponding radar track was found. The description fits a light-coloured oblong balloon drifting with the wind. Calculations of its distance and speed, assuming a typical party-balloon size of about 30 cm, produced values compatible with the account. GEIPAN explains that perceived speed depends on distance, which cannot be established here. Without reference points, the size and distance of an unfamiliar aerial object cannot be reliably estimated. A small object moving moderately at low altitude can be perceived as a large object moving rapidly high in the sky. The balloon's origin could not be established, but the investigation converges on a white rubber balloon carried by the wind, perhaps lost or released at a private celebration. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable observation of a party balloon.