UFO in Vendee classified as PAN A

Summary

On February 8, 1976, around 2:05 AM, a driver and his passengers observed a luminous mass in the sky near Luçon, in the French region of Vendée. They described the object as two stacked saucer-like shapes, each about 20 meters in diameter. The object initially hovered at tree height before slowly ascending without making any noise. The witnesses stopped their car near Beugne-L'Abbé to observe it for 2 to 3 minutes, and later continued their journey toward Les Sables-d'Olonne, where they could still visually track the object until it disappeared to the west. No physical traces were found, and there were no other reports or electrical disturbances in the area.

Despite the consistency of the testimony and the detailed description, investigators from the GEIPAN concluded that the observed phenomenon was actually the Moon. The witnesses failed to recognize it due to factors such as fear, fatigue, and a belief in UFO phenomena. Although the witnesses' honesty was never questioned, their interpretation of the event was considered influenced by their emotional state. Therefore, the case was classified as PAN A, meaning an observation attributed to a misinterpretation of a known astronomical phenomenon.