EMANCE (78) 14.09.2024

On the evening of 14 September 2024, a resident of Emancé (78) and his children were watching the Moon when they saw unusual navigation lights behind a small wood. T1 identified a military helicopter, probably a Tigre, passing slightly above the Moon. A few minutes later a second object followed a similar path towards the Moon. Navigation lights were visible, and an elongated cigar-like silhouette appeared against the moonlight, with a single white light at the front. Its crossing of the Moon lasted 1–2 seconds, without audible sound. GEIPAN finds low strangeness and a good amount of reliable, objectively supported information: several witnesses, 1 fairly complete account and no UAP photograph. It identifies an airliner; see the investigation report. The evidential assessment concerns the quantity of such information collected for an account. Navigation lights strongly suggest an aircraft. A reconstruction of air traffic could not locate the helicopter T1 described, but identified the UAP as Vueling A321 flight VLG43PQ, whose trajectory and passage time matched. Reconstruction of its apparent path showed that it did pass in front of the Moon. The case is classified A: observation of an airliner.