Paper hot-air balloon mistaken for a UFO in Honfleur

Summary

On August 19, 1980, a group of young people in Honfleur watched a pale, luminous object with a bright rounded top sway slowly at light-aircraft altitude, heading north to south. Suddenly it caught fire and dropped sharply. The witnesses believed it had crashed nearby but could not pinpoint the location. The Gendarmerie found remains stuck in a tree: a homemade hot-air balloon made of tissue paper and wire. Its builder was never identified.