French GEPAN Early Programme Encounter 1974

On November 26, 1974, multiple witnesses near the village of Lioux in Vaucluse, Provence observed a metallic disc land in an agricultural field. The craft left visible traces — compressed soil in a circular pattern and affected plant growth in the landing zone. The Gendarmerie Nationale investigated, photographing the landing site and interviewing witnesses. The case was included in the evidence base that contributed to France establishing GEPAN (Groupe d'Étude des Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non-Identifiés) under the CNES space agency in 1977 — the world's first ongoing official government UAP investigation program with scientific methodology. GEPAN later retrospectively analyzed the physical evidence from the Lioux case. The French government's decision to establish GEPAN was directly influenced by the accumulation of credible cases with physical evidence, of which Lioux was a representative example.