GEIPAN Case 2010-01-02498 — TAVERNY (95) 04.01.2010

Brief

At approximately 19h45 on 4 January 2010, a single witness walking his dog in a small wood near the Taverny (Val-d'Oise, 95150) police station observed a large triangular object moving east to west at constant altitude and constant velocity, silently, in roughly 10–15 seconds. The object displayed three low-intensity pale orange circular lights, one at each apex, had a matte dark-gray surface the witness compared to carbon-fiber bodywork, and appeared at minimum equivalent in size to an Airbus A320. The witness, a self-described aviation enthusiast, explicitly excluded all known aircraft types including the F-117. GEIPAN, the UAP investigation unit of France's national space agency CNES, collected the testimony via its standard witness questionnaire; the case was classified D1 (unexplained).

Metadata

Agency

GEIPAN / CNES

Release

2007-03-22

Type

PDF • .pdf

Length

28 pages

Classification

D1 (GEIPAN classification — unexplained)

Programs

GEIPAN, GEPAN, SEPRA

Tags

triangular UAP, delta-wing shape, matte dark-gray surface, pale orange circular lights, silent, constant velocity and altitude, Taverny Val-d'Oise France, 2010, GEIPAN case 2010-01-02498, near Roissy-CDG approach corridor

Key points

• Observation occurred at approximately 19h45 local civil time on 4 January 2010, in a small wood adjacent to the new Taverny police station, roughly 200 metres from the witness's home.p.2
• The object was triangular, dark matte gray — described as resembling matte carbon-fiber used on sports cars — with three pale orange circular lights of low intensity, one at each apex (one forward, two aft).p.2
• Meteorological conditions at time of sighting: clear night sky, near-zero temperature, no clouds, wind nearly calm — optimal visual conditions.p.8
• The witness identified himself as an aviation enthusiast whose vision is verified annually; he wore non-tinted anti-reflective prescription glasses during the observation and explicitly ruled out all known aircraft, including the F-117 stealth aircraft.p.9
• Estimated minimum distance to the object: approximately 500 metres; observation duration: 10–15 seconds; estimated altitude: between 2,000 and 3,000 feet.p.16
• Trajectory was strictly horizontal east-to-west at constant altitude and constant velocity; no acceleration or directional change was noted.p.17
• Object outline described as very sharp (opaque, not transparent), delta-wing in shape; apparent size estimated as at least equivalent to an Airbus A320.p.18
• Leading edge of the object appeared to carry a slightly metallic sheen that visually outlined the form against the night sky.p.20
• No instrument or sensor data was available; no radar or magnetic detectors were in operation at the witness location; the witness carried no recording equipment.p.10
• The witness reported an unusual ocular warmth sensation persisting for approximately 24 hours after the sighting, the only reported physiological effect.p.24

Verbatim

• je distinguais très bien cette forme malgré sa couleur mate , un peu comme des éléments carbone mat que l'on utilise sur les voitures de sport

  p.2

• Cette forme triangulaire, possédait trois spots circulaires, un à chaque extrémité, soit un à l'avant et deux à l'arrière, ils étaient d'une lueur très pâle orangée

  p.2

• je suis fana d'aviation et cet objet n'a rien à voir avec un avion , même pas avec un F117

  p.9

• Déplacement horizontal d'est en ouest à une vitesse constante et altitude constante

  p.17

• Forme gris foncé mat trois cercles lumineux orangés pâle ( faible luminosité ) un à chaque angle

  p.19

• Il m'a semblé qu'elle était au moins équivalente à celle d'un Airbus A320, si j'ai bien estimé la distance et la vitesse.

  p.21

• J'avais les yeux qui me donnaient une sensation de chaleur pendant 24 h

  p.24

• L'existence du GEIPAN laisse à penser que ces phénomènes sont suffisamment nombreux pour justifier une étude approfondie.

  p.12

Most interesting

• The witness had just watched a fully-lit Airbus A330 on final approach to Roissy-CDG seconds before the sighting, giving him a direct size and speed reference in the same airspace.
• The object's estimated velocity was approximately three times that of the A330 in approach — placing it in the 400–600 km/h range — yet it produced no audible sound in a quiet urban environment.
• The GEIPAN questionnaire is designed to be filled by the witness independently before reading the question list, to minimize contamination of free recall; the narrative on page 2 was written prior to the structured questions.
• Despite being a 52-year-old aviation hobbyist who takes flying lessons, the witness could not map the object to any known platform, including the angular, low-observable F-117.
• The single witness requested discretion only from the press, authorizing GEIPAN to use the date, location, and case details freely — an unusually open disclosure stance.
• The leading-edge metallic sheen the witness noted is consistent with composite-material edge reflectivity rather than active lighting, suggesting the form was passively visible against the dark sky.
• GEIPAN's D1 classification (unexplained) is the highest-strangeness tier in the agency's four-level taxonomy; it is assigned only when no prosaic explanation can be identified after full investigation.
• The case file header lists an agency release date of 2007-03-22, predating the 2010 incident — indicating the date reflects GEIPAN's general public-access policy start date, not case-specific declassification.