The Trans-en-Provence Landing
A man building a shed in his garden in Provence said a craft landed nearby, and scientists later found the plants there had changed.
What was reported
On the afternoon of 8 January 1981, Renato Nicolaï, 52, was working in his garden at Trans-en-Provence when he heard a whistling sound and saw a grey object, shaped like two saucers placed together, land on a terrace below. A moment later, it rose and flew away, leaving circular marks on the ground.
The gendarmerie took soil and plant samples the next day. France's official office for studying unidentified aerial phenomena, then called GEPAN, investigated.
Explanations offered
GEPAN's laboratory analysis reported that the soil had been compressed and heated, and that alfalfa plants near the marks showed chemical changes that decreased with distance. GEPAN listed the case as unexplained. Sceptics argue that the marks could have come from a vehicle and that the plant results were open to other interpretations.
- When
- 8 January 1981
- Where
- Trans-en-Provence, Var, France
- Witnesses
- Renato Nicolaï
- Status
- Unexplained
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