four accessories under the device. He compares them to masonry pails in diameter and length. But he acknowledges that his description is imperfect and approximate, since the observation has been very brief because of the speed of the object and its most instantaneous disappearance. He has not heard any particular engine noise in the silence of the countryside. He has felt no heat, no vibration. He has felt no disturbance either during the observation or afterwards. He has only been very impressed by this unusual sight. He makes the drawing shown in Figure 6 representing the device.

Worried and amazed, he goes inside his house and tells his wife about the sighting. Skeptical and distrustful she recommends to him not to stay home to avoid having another encounter. The next morning they go together to the place where Mr. Nicolai has noticed some clearly visible traces which they are sure were not there the day before. Observing the material character of the sighting they think it useful to call the local Gendarmerie immediately for reassurance.

5. GEPAN's Reconstruction of the Phenomenon

Given the fact that this is a single-witness case (no additional witness was uncovered at a later date) the GEPAN investigation on February 17, 1981 centered on the gathering of additional samples, especially vegetal samples. The witness was heard as well as his wife, and a brief reconstruction of the sequence of events was conducted at the site.

Trajectory. The witness states he began to perceive the phenomenon in the sky above the trees at the back end of the large platform, more precisely between two tall conifers that tower above the wood. Mr. Nicolai states that the motion was fast and continuous, without sudden changes in speed, and that there was no stop until the time when contact was established with the ground (Figure 7 and Figure 8). When asked to locate the impact area Mr. Nicolai points to the spot where the traces are still visible. The departure trajectory is described by the witness as similar to the path of arrival. However, some additional details will be given below (see "departure").

Duration. According to our reconstruction the arrival phase of the phenomenon was quite brief, of the order of a few seconds. Then the witness leaves his work and moves to the cabin wall. The phenomenon is at ground level on the terrace. The witness watches for a few seconds. Suddenly the phenomenon rises, flies over the wood and goes away towards the East at a high rate of speed, rising in altitude according to its decrease in apparent diameter.

Fig. 6. Drawing of the "device" for a private research group (drawing by Letémoin)