A mysterious UFO in France in 1981. Trans-en-Provence case

A mysterious UFO in France in 1981. Trans-en-Provence case

The mysterious case of an unidentified flying object in France has been haunting ufologists for decades. In 1981, a resident of a French town witnessed a strange car moving in the air, the origin of which still remains a mystery. This event has also been called one of the most famous UFO cases in France.

An unusual event occurred in early January near the city of Trans-en-Provence, near the estate of Renato Nicolai, who was 55 years old at the time. He was the only witness, and although this may sound almost like science fiction, the authorities confirmed that this person was sane at the time of the event and that it was not a figment of his imagination.

On the day that Renato will remember for the rest of his life, he was working on his plot in the yard and was suddenly struck by a strange sound coming from the sky. When he turned in the direction of the sound, he noticed a strange disc-shaped flying machine that briefly landed in a field before disappearing into the sky again. When the device began to take off, there were four holes in its bottom, from which, however, there was no smoke or flame. He kicked up some dust when he got off the ground.

A rough sketch of the object made by an eyewitness (Hynek archive)

A rough sketch of the object made by an eyewitness (Hynek archive)

Renato had never seen such a flying object in his life. He described it as 2 saucers held together, gray in color. Its height was about 5 feet (1.5 m), he said.  Renato was about 30 meters away. Then he came up and saw a round footprint with a diameter of about two meters. The entire observation lasted 30-40 seconds.

UFO in Trans-en-Provence (drawing by an eyewitness)

UFO in Trans-en-Provence (drawing by an eyewitness)

Below, when the object took off, I saw round protrusions-probably landing devices or supports. There were also two circles, similar to the outlines of folding hatches. Two supports or two landing devices protruded 20 centimeters from the body

Here's what Renato Nicolaï said:

Footprints at the landing site after 40 days

Footprints at the landing site after 40 days

In the evening, when his wife returned home, He told her about what I had seen. His wife thought he was joking. In the morning, in the daylight, He showed her round footprint. The wife called a neighbor (tax inspector Mr. Morin), who came with his wife. I also showed them the tracks, and they advised me to call the gendarmerie. The police from the nearby town of Draguignan promptly interviewed an eyewitness and collected samples from the landing site. They were studied by several government laboratories, making the incident the most studied UFO landing in the world.

Forty days later, the landing track in the form of a ring with an inner diameter of 2.25 m and an outer diameter of 2.5 m was still visible. According to calculations (made by scientists later), the UFO weighed from 4 to 5 tons, and the earth was warmed up to 300-600°C. In a number of places around the circumference, there were some traces or prints. Inside the ring, the earth was tightly crushed, forming a crust about 0.5 cm thick. It was dominated by calcium and traces of dried vegetation were found. Examination under a microscope showed that this crust was the result of friction, similar to grinding with sandpaper. On the micrograph, you can see a piece of crushed and dented silicon with obvious fracture lines. The soil at this place was subjected to strong mechanical pressure. 

The "black spots" on the furrowed areas consisted of iron and iron oxide, which bonded to the rock and formed a layer less than a micron thick. Experts came to the conclusion that the traces fully confirm the testimony of an eyewitness. The researchers handed over samples of soil and vegetation to the University of Toulouse, the University of Metz, the National Institute of Agronomic Research, and other institutions. Scientists found out that the plants underwent biochemical changes, and the more the plants were located closer to the center of the planting trace, and 30-50% of chlorophyll was destroyed in the alfalfa leaves.

The effect on vegetation can be compared to the effect produced on the leaves of plants by radioactive irradiation, - The data show that a significant dose of gamma radiation (10 to the sixth degree of rad) could produce similar changes. But should we accept the ionizing radiation hypothesis? It is clear that they should not — there is no significant level of residual radiation in plants. Could such an impact have been caused by electromagnetic radiation? It is not excluded.

Jean — Jacques Velasco noted in 1987.

Biochemist Michel Bunias (National Institute of Agronomic Research) said that the alfalfa at the planting site was "as if artificially aged", and this phenomenon "does not resemble anything known on our planet". The possibility of the influence of chemical waste, cement powder, or some other substances polluting the surface on the plants was categorically excluded by him. A repeated study of samples in 1988, undertaken in America on the initiative of Jacques Vallee, confirmed the conclusions of French specialists.

A mysterious UFO in France in 1981. Trans-en-Provence case

The object, in order to land, flew almost right next to a two-meter wall, and at one of the points of the trajectory the distance between the wall and the body did not exceed 20 centimeters, one of the scientists noted. — In order to control an object about 2.8 meters in diameter, having a large mass, and flying at high speed, it requires simply amazing flight skills. I think that this UFO came to us from outer space.This is the first case involving a UFO that can be recognized from a scientific point of view - We need to take seriously the hypothesis that this is a spacecraft that cannot be of earthly origin.

confirmed Professor Jean-Pierre Petit.

In 2012, already 84-year-old Renato Nicolai said in an interview with the newspaper "Var-Matin" that what happened remains a mystery to him. However, as well as for everyone who took part in the investigation of the incident.


About author:

Ufologist, PhD, blogger, I go on my own expeditions for UFOs. I use scientific methods to investigate the UAP phenomenon

Serg Toporkov

Ufologist, Ph.D., blogger, I go on my own expeditions for UFOs. I use scientific methods to investigate the UAP phenomenon. Write to me


Related tags:

Trans-en-Provence case  flying saucer  ufo  ufo sighting  1981  France  Renato Nicolai  unidentified flying object


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