Unspecified over Saint-Quentin, Picardie · France
A conventional explanation is favored by the record but was never formally confirmed.
The report, as filed
Le 26 avril 1981 vers 22h, plusieurs témoins observent un étrange phénomène lumineux dans le ciel. Une boule lumineuse rouge accompagnée de quelques flammèches se déplace d'Est en Ouest. Le phénomène a duré quelques secondes avant de changer de forme pour ressembler à un filet de lumière et disparaître brusquement. Ces personnes ont probablement été témoins d'une rentrée atmosphérique. [GEIPAN classification B — Phénomène identifié non indiqué]
Held as-reported from GEIPAN, Centre national d'études spatiales (record GEIPAN 1981-04-00866). Witness text is preserved verbatim, including its spelling; nothing is edited beyond formatting.
Ask for the records
What would the paper say?
France's official UAP office publishes its case base proactively — check its open catalog before filing. Through Aletheca, the house instrument, anyone can commission the request — filed, chased, and published in the open, refusals included. The draft goes over already written: the records sought, and the date window they would live in.
Routed to: GEIPAN / CNES (France) · records window 1981-04-23 → 1981-05-10
From the same sky