UFO observed in France in 1978

Summary

In January 1978, a couple in Saint-Ciers-d'Abzac (Gironde) observed a reddish object in the sky. The phenomenon, which lasted about five minutes, was described as an oval-shaped disc that hovered before accelerating and disappearing. The gendarmerie investigated the case, and later the GEPAN (now GEIPAN) initially classified it as unexplained, but a responsible officer reviewed the report and categorized it as "A", meaning an observation attributed to a misidentification with the planet Mars. The witnesses, three in total, were never questioned regarding their credibility, and the description of the object matched characteristics of Mars, which was near the indicated line of sight. This case is a classic example of how sightings are analyzed by the GEIPAN.