Light over Levens, Provence Alpes Cote d'azur · France
A conventional explanation is favored by the record but was never formally confirmed.
The report, as filed
Le 3 juillet 1996 juste avant minuit, un témoin qui regardait le ciel observe le passage bref (15 s) et à grande vitesse d'un point brillant dans le ciel. Aucune autre information n'est disponible mais la description permet de privilégier l'hypothèse d'une rentrée atmosphérique de faible ampleur. [GEIPAN classification B — Phénomène identifié non indiqué]
Held as-reported from GEIPAN, Centre national d'études spatiales (record GEIPAN 1996-07-01425). 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 1996-06-30 → 1996-07-17