GEIPAN Case 1993-11-01338 — SAINT-SAUVEUR-DE-MONTAGUT (07) 26.11.1993

Brief

On 26 November 1993, between 07:15 and 08:15, a single witness in Saint-Sauveur-de-Montagut (Ardèche) observed a round, yellow luminous sphere approximately 500 metres distant and 200 metres high that remained stationary for roughly one hour before departing rapidly to the south and leaving a black trace. The gendarmerie investigation ruled out weather balloons, stratospheric balloon launches, military exercises, and civil aviation; Météo-France confirmed clear skies with a light northerly wind. A short film made by the witness was retained as potential evidence but is not part of this dossier. No physical traces were recovered at the site, and the phenomenon was formally classed as unidentified.

Metadata

Agency

GEIPAN / CNES

Release

2007-03-22

Type

PDF • .pdf

Length

6 pages

Classification

UNCLASSIFIED (GEIPAN Category D)

Programs

SEPRA, GEIPAN, CNES

Tags

yellow sphere, stationary, luminous, black wake trace, visual, France, Ardèche, 1993, GEIPAN Category D, SEPRA

Key points

• The object was described as a single, roughly round, luminous yellow sphere with visible light flashes at different points on its surface and no audible noise.p.2
• The witness estimated the object at 500 metres from her home and 200 metres altitude, where it remained stationary for approximately one hour.p.2
• After the stationary phase, the object moved rapidly south, leaving a black trace; no change of form or colour occurred during the departure.p.2
• Météo-France confirmed clear skies, 5–6°C, and a light north wind of approximately 2 m/s; no balloon sonde was launched that day.p.3
• Regional military air command confirmed no significant exercises over the department on 26 November 1993; civil aviation reported no aerial activity.p.3
• CNES confirmed no stratospheric balloon launches from its 27-department zone during that period.p.3
• Physical inspection of the object's estimated station point and its departure point found no traces or anomalies on the ground.p.3
• The investigation concluded the 07:15–08:15 observation window and the object's prolonged immobility were inconsistent with weather balloon behavior.p.4
• The form and colour of the object were insufficient to identify the nature of the luminous phenomenon.p.4
• Technical appendix records the viewing angle at 400 milliradians and a 30-degree departure arc from the station point to the disappearance point.p.6

Verbatim

• Il s'agit d'une seule boule 8 peu pres ronde, lumineuse de couleur jaune, sur laquelle sont visibles en divers endroits des éclata de lumiére.

  p.2

• Cet objet distant du point d'observation de 500 metres reste innobile une heure environ A une hauteur Cvaluée 8 200 métres par le t4moin, puis se déglace vers le sud une vitesse assez rapide.

  p.2

• Il n ' y a pas de changement de forme ou de couleur dans le déplacement mais une trace noire est visible dans le sillage de l'objet.

  p.2

• Des recherches effectuées il ressort qu'il n'y a pas eu de lancement de ballons stratosphériques durant cette période.

  p.3

• De I'enquCte effectude i l ressort que l'heure d'observation : entre 07H15 et 08H15, ne correspond pas aux heures de lancement d'un ballon sonde.

  p.4

• La forme de l'objet et sa couleur ne permettent pas d'identifier la nature de ce phdnom&ne lumineux.

  p.4

Most interesting

• The witness filmed the phenomenon on a home video camera; the film was retained by her and flagged as available for competent services, but is absent from this dossier.
• GEIPAN Category D is the highest-unexplainability tier in the French classification system — cases that remain unidentified after full investigation.
• A telecommunications pylon lying in the direct line of sight between the witness's home and the object was physically inspected and confirmed to carry no illuminated equipment, ruling out a ground-based light source.
• The gendarmerie hiked to the ruins below the object's estimated station point via a foot trail and found no physical traces.
• The procès-verbal was completed on 21 December 1993, nearly four weeks after the incident, reflecting the breadth of the inter-agency verification chain: SEPRA, Météo-France, military air command, civil aviation, and CNES.
• The 30-degree departure arc combined with the 400-milliradian elevation angle provides enough geometry for a rough position triangulation even without a second observation point.