Rapidly descending luminous phenomenon witnessed by pilots and civilians in Occitania

Summary

Around 9:00 a.m. on 17 March 1997, multiple observers across the Occitanie region reported a luminous phenomenon descending at high speed. Witnesses included a TAT flight crew and a pilot training in a Mirage 2000. The object was sighted simultaneously from two towns in the Pyrénées-Orientales, lending consistency to the reports. All accounts agreed on its great brightness and speed. GEIPAN investigators considered the most likely explanation to be an atmospheric entry of a celestial body, such as a meteorite or a satellite re-entry.