GEIPAN Case 2022-05-51350 — MONTLUEL (01) 14.05.2022

Brief

This document is not the primary investigation report but a geographic supplement: it charts elevation profiles (profils de dénivelé) along the initial, median, and final axes of observation logged by the single witness. The underlying case, investigated by GEIPAN, records an approximately 8-second observation of a silent, anthracite-gray rectangular object moving west to east at low altitude around 03:10 local time; GEIPAN assigned classification D, meaning the phenomenon remained unidentified after full investigation. The elevation profiles would have been used to assess sightlines, horizon obstruction, and plausible altitudes of the observed object. Page text is sparse — the document consists primarily of charts with minimal captioning.

Metadata

Agency

GEIPAN / CNES

Release

2007-03-22

Type

PDF • .pdf

Length

2 pages

Classification

UNCLASSIFIED

Programs

GEIPAN, SEPRA, GEPAN

Tags

rectangular, dark, silent, low altitude, nocturnal, west-to-east transit, France, 2022, GEIPAN classification D

Key points

• The document explicitly identifies itself as a supplement to the main investigation report, framing its purpose as terrain context for the witness's observation axes.p.1
• Three observation axes are documented: the initial and median axes are presented on page 1; the final axis appears on page 2.p.1
• The document runs to exactly two pages, as confirmed by the '2/2' pagination marker on the final page.p.2
• The source file is identified as 'MONTLUEL (01) 14.05.2022 profils de dénivelés.docx', indicating the annex was prepared as a Word document and archived to PDF for the case file.p.2

Verbatim

• Profils de dénivelé selon les axes d'observation du témoin en complément du compte rendu d'enquête du cas d'observation.

  p.1

• Axe initial Axe médian

  p.1

• Axe final

  p.2

Most interesting

• GEIPAN classification D is the highest-interest outcome: the phenomenon could not be identified even after full investigation, distinguishing it from cases resolved as aircraft, satellites, or atmospheric effects.
• The witness reported the object at approximately 20x40 mm at arm's length — a standard angular-size reference GEIPAN uses to bracket plausible distances and, combined with terrain elevation data, estimate physical dimensions.
• The 03:10 observation window minimizes misidentification with commercial air traffic, which is negligible at that hour over a small Ain commune.
• Terrain elevation profiling is standard GEIPAN investigative methodology: by mapping relief along observation axes, analysts can rule out ground-based light sources and assess whether any terrestrial structure could account for the reported sighting geometry.
• The reported silence and absence of lights, combined with an 8-second transit, were apparently sufficient for GEIPAN investigators to exclude conventional aircraft — a threshold that drove the D classification.