The article below was published in the daily newspaper Le Midi Libre, France, on February 23, 1978.
Carcassonne. -- A warhead of fire which crosses the Carcassonne sky before crashing on the southern slope of the Montagne Noire, Tuesday around 8 p.m. It doesn't take much for us to start talking about "unidentified flying objects" again.
This time, however, the "UFO of the Pic de Nore" caused a lot of noise. Many witnesses from Carcassonne and several villages in the Montagne Noire saw the fiery warhead, orange at the front and equipped with a very intense green light at the back. The trajectory from East to West of approximately 30 degrees relative to the earth, had been followed for hours: the first witnesses were able to see the UFO pass in the Lyon sky. Since then, from town to town, the glow has been followed by eyes.
Around 8 p.m., around ten witnesses, including a pilot from the Carcassonne Aeronautical Training Center, saw the warhead crash, in a blinding glow, on the side of the Pic de Nore. A witness also specifies "in a noise like thunder." He is the only one to give this element.
Immediately, the pilot took off from the Carcassonne aerodrome to fly over the supposed impact zone. He didn't notice anything unusual but it was already getting dark.
The gendarmerie services organized intense searches on the ground throughout the day yesterday. Due to the thick fog covering the area, the helicopter could not be used. It should go into action this morning.
The official services are wondering about the origin and nature of this phenomenon with all the more interest since no plane is missing. It could therefore be a meteorite or an artificial satellite... without forgetting the possibility of a terrestrial vehicle.
Pending the conclusions of an investigation which promises to be difficult, the UFO file has just been enriched with a new chapter. And this in a region already richly endowed on this new plan!