◆ CASE FILEThe facts, corroborated
The Rotating Beam at Pranles
On the night of 21 July 1979 a scientist and his wife at Pranles in the Ardèche watched a stationary yellow-orange light above a ridge sweep the countryside with a turning blue beam for some 45 minutes. Their neighbours saw it too. GEIPAN re-examined the case in 2019 and still could not explain it. This is the record of what was reported, not a verdict on what hung beyond the ridge.
◆ THE SHORT VERSION
- The Rotating Beam at Pranles is a reported UAP case in Pranles, Ardèche, France, 21 July 1979.
- A scientist whose field was light and colour reported a stationary yellow-orange light above a ridge that swept the countryside with a blue beam turning every 25 seconds for some 45 minutes.
- His neighbours independently saw a light in the same direction that night while closing their shutters.
- He was about to photograph it when, by his account, the light flared and went out.
- Re-examining the case in 2019, GEIPAN rated a searchlight helicopter at only 30 percent and kept the case in class D.
- For this case Fractured Realities holds 1 distinct source and 1 corroborating primary document.
- The archive grades it L0 · SINGLE ACCOUNT — the archive holds one account of it, from a single source.
Counts are resolved totals of what sources say, computed 2026-10-03; the reported details above are claims in the record, not findings. A record of reports, not a verdict on what happened.
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EVENT DATE
21 July 1979
LOCATION
Pranles, Ardèche · France
COORDS
44.77°N 4.57°E
INDEPENDENCE
L0 · SINGLE ACCOUNT
SOURCES
1 distinct
CLAIMANTS
0
STATUS
Known from released government records
NUMBERS COMPUTED 2026-10-03 · RESOLVED COUNTS, NOT A VERDICT
