A plane mistaken for a bright object

Summary

On August 17, 2015, a witness in Mauguio (France) observed for one minute a very bright object resembling a blimp. It was moving at a constant speed at high altitude and gradually disappeared toward the south. The witness recorded the phenomenon with his phone but remained puzzled by the object's appearance. The recording actually showed a commercial airplane in cruise flight. Due to stable atmospheric conditions, no condensation trail formed, and sunlight diffusion effects made parts of the plane—especially the wings—appear to vanish, giving it a blimp-like look.

Although the witness could not identify the plane, the GEIPAN investigators could not access flight records quickly enough to confirm its identity. As a result, the case was classified as B, meaning a likely misidentification with a plane. Such phenomena, while unusual, are explainable by optical effects and specific atmospheric conditions.