Trans-en-Provence Physical Trace Case
French farmer Renato Nicolaï reported observing a small disc-shaped object briefly land in his garden. The French national space agency CNES, through its UAP study group GEPAN, conducted formal soil and plant analysis at the site.
The Cometa Report, 1999. Confidential report by the French Institute of High Studies for National Defence (IHEDN) on UFO phenomena. Not the Trans-en-Provence case file itself, but the closest analog: a formal French-government-adjacent scientific study that includes Trans-en-Provence in its exemplar case set.
Provenance metadataFields marked “not disclosed” are transparent gaps in the release, not omissions on our end.
- Coordinates
- Not disclosed in this release
- Altitude
- Not disclosed in this release
- Sensor detail
- Not disclosed in this release
- Encounter duration
- Not disclosed in this release
- Witness count
- Not disclosed in this release
- Operational context
- Not disclosed in this release
- Weather / visibility
- Not disclosed in this release
- Chain of custody
- Not disclosed in this release
- Classification
- Not disclosed in this release
Official description
GEPAN (Groupe d'Études des Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non identifiés), the official French government UAP investigation unit operating under CNES, published a detailed scientific report in 1983 documenting compressed soil, thermal traces, and biochemical changes in vegetation at the reported landing site.
Editor's context
Often cited as one of the best-documented physical-trace cases on record. The biochemical analyses (showing alterations to chlorophyll and other plant compounds) were conducted by independent French laboratories. GEPAN's final classification was unable to determine origin. The case remains one of the few with formal European-government scientific investigation.
In the margins
Transcribed redactions, stamps, and handwritten markings, the paratext of the file. Often the most human part of a declassified document, and worth reading on its own.
- Stampp. coverGEPAN, CNES TOULOUSE, RAPPORT TECHNIQUE Nº 16, 1983
- StampCENTRE NATIONAL D'ÉTUDES SPATIALES
- AnnotationWitness: Renato Nicolaï, retired contractor. Site: terrace garden, Trans-en-Provence, Var département, southeastern France.
- AnnotationPhysical evidence: circular ground impression approximately 2.2m diameter with concentric ring of darker compressed soil. Plant samples (Medicago sativa / alfalfa) collected from a 30m radius.
- AnnotationIndependent biochemistry analyses by Dr. Michel Bounias (INRA Avignon) found chlorophyll content in plants near the impression reduced by 30-50% relative to controls.
- AnnotationGEIPAN final classification: 'D', sufficient information collected, observation cannot be explained despite scientific analysis.
Cite the primary source
Citations center the originating government agency and link to the official record. This archive is listed as the access point, not the author.
U.S. Government. "Trans-en-Provence Physical Trace Case." Released via PURSUE program, 1983-03-15. https://www.cnes-geipan.fr/. Accessed 2026-08-12 via Social Media for Aliens archive, https://socialmediaforaliens.com/files/trans-en-provence-1981.
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