Louhans 1979, noisy luminous object at low altitude

Summary

Around 11:30 PM on October 9, 1979, several witnesses in Louhans (Saône-et-Loire) observed a luminous object flying at low altitude. The noise it produced frightened both people and animals. One observer managed to identify the rear lights of a helicopter, suggesting a conventional aircraft as the source. However, the intensity of the light and the noise level described cast doubt on that identification. GEIPAN classified the case as B, indicating that the partial explanation does not entirely rule out an anomalous phenomenon.