The article below was published in the daily newspaper Le Berry Républicain, Bourges, France, page 8, on October 21, 1954.
See the case file.
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Vienne, October 20. -- A "Stratojet" plane, which flies over the Rhône Valley daily at an altitude of about 10,000 meters, was mistaken yesterday by some people for a flying saucer.
The president and instructor of the Vienne Aero Club reassured the overly imaginative witnesses, but a strange phenomenon occurred after the passage of the powerful jet plane. Indeed, in the sky, formations resembling parachutes appeared, animated by peculiar movements and having the appearance of light veils, which soon descended to the ground.
The witnesses of the phenomenon seized this material, which was very soft to the touch and had a consistency somewhat similar to rubber. Upon reaching the ground, it quickly evaporated, probably due to the temperature.
One of the witnesses placed some of the substance in a box and had it photographed immediately. A few hours later, what remained in the box, despite it being airtight, had completely evaporated.
This phenomenon, caused by the condensation in the rarefied and cold atmosphere of certain elements from the "Stratojet" fuel, can produce white or iridescent formations moving at high speed at great altitude, leading to more or less fanciful interpretations.
This observation, made above the Vienne aerodrome, is identical to one previously reported by a resident of Oloron.
