A farmer reports a craft landing near Trans-en-Provence, and France's GEPAN analyzes the marks
January 8, 1981 · Trans-en-Provence, Var · Sighting · Secondary sources only
On the afternoon of 8 January 1981, farmer Renato Nicolai said an object like two inverted saucers, the color of lead, landed near him with a faint whistle and left almost at once. The gendarmerie took samples within 24 hours, and France's GEPAN, part of the space agency, had them analyzed in government laboratories. Its report found a ring-shaped trace about 2.4 m across, heated but below 600 C, and biologist Michel Bounias reported effects on plants that fell off with distance.
Why it matters (4/5)
The most thoroughly investigated physical-trace case by a government body, France's GEPAN.
Caveats
Nicolai was the only witness. The analysis itself notes missing soil data and an uncertain cause for the trace, and it is summarized here from a private case page rather than the GEPAN report. French scientists have criticized GEPAN's trace work.
Sources
- Trans-en-Provence, France, physical trace case, January 8, 1981 (The Black Vault), context