Cylindrical object over Allauch reclassified as a beach ball

Summary

In July 1994, two friends in Allauch, near Marseille, watched in daylight a cylindrical object with flickering lights drift silently in circles, swaying like a leaf. Initially classified D, the case was re-examined years later by GEIPAN. The object's movement matched recorded wind direction, and its cylindrical shape with two luminous appendages was consistent with a decorative beach ball whose shiny materials would produce intermittent sun reflections. The lack of other witnesses in a populated area suggested low strangeness. GEIPAN reclassified the case as B, attributing it to a wind-carried beach ball.