TOULOUSE (31) 13.07.2023

On the evening of 13 July 2023, a Toulouse (31) resident was outside his building on a phone call when he saw a white-grey “elliptical” UAP. He took two photographs and a video. GEIPAN finds good evidential substance*: one witness with usable imagery, and identifies an airliner after investigation (see report). The elongated form fits a fuselage, the white-grey colour fits sunset illumination, and straight constant-speed movement supports aircraft. Distance over 30 km and nearby road traffic could explain the silence. Wings could be invisible through a combination of small apparent size at that distance, a 35° viewing angle, atmospheric scattering and reflection geometry favouring broad rounded surfaces such as the fuselage. An aircraft can lack a contrail under suitable temperature and humidity conditions at its altitude, although these conditions could not be determined here. Traffic reconstruction shows two airliners crossing the viewing direction then. Google Earth analysis combined with flight data identifies EXS4LX as the UAP. GEIPAN classifies A: airliner. *Evidential substance is information collected for an account considered reliable and objectively substantiated.