UFO sighted at sea near Spain

Summary

A sailor observed a luminous oval object with red and green-blue lights on July 3, 1990. The witness, at the helm of his sailboat, described movements for about 30 seconds without any noise or disturbances on the vessel. Initially classified as case D (unidentified), the GEIPAN re-examined the data and concluded it was likely an aircraft landing at night. The lights matched typical navigation and landing lights of aircraft.

The aerial explanation seems consistent, though there are no air traffic records to confirm it. The absence of anti-collision lights could be explained by weather conditions like fog or heavy rain. Additionally, the boat's engine noise may have masked the aircraft's sound. Despite the low data consistency, the probability of an aircraft is high. Therefore, GEIPAN classified it as case A: very likely observation of an aircraft.