HOME›INCIDENTS›FAA-023
UNCLASSIFIED
FAA-023 · 1956-02-19

Orly Airport — Dual Radar-Visual Contact, France

FAA◎ Orly Airport, Paris, France◌ Europe#1956◈ Disc / Saucer↑ 5,000–10,000 ft⏱ Several hours
EVIDENCE GALLERY

Visual reconstruction and recovered media extracted from the incident dossier. This case includes still evidence and analytical reconstruction.

Representative official gallery image traced to an official public-source archive

MEDIA STATUS
Official gallery media is shown as representative archive context for this case.
SOURCE TYPE
Witness testimony, radar language, and dossier reconstruction.
VIEW MODE
Still view highlights silhouette, environment, and encounter geometry.
AT A GLANCE

Control tower operators at Orly Airport tracked multiple unidentified targets on radar over a period of several hours. Air France crews reported visual contacts confirming the radar returns. NATO radar stations provided corroborating track data. The French Air Ministry and the US Air Attaché in Paris jointly investigated. The case is preserved in USAF Project Blue Book files submitted through the US Embassy in Paris.

PRIMARY WITNESSES
Orly control tower operators; Air France crew; NATO radar stations
EVIDENCE PROFILE
VISUAL RECONSTRUCTIONDISC / SAUCER
FILE ID
FAA-023
DATE
1956-02-19
AGENCY
FAA
REGION
Europe
SHAPE
Disc / Saucer
ALTITUDE
5,000–10,000 ft
OBSERVED BEHAVIORS
Rapid AccelerationStationary HoverInstant Disappearance
DECLASSIFIED DETAILS

On February 19, 1956, radar operators at Paris Orly Airport control tower detected multiple unidentified targets moving at high speed and then hovering stationary over the Paris basin. The targets were sharp, solid radar returns inconsistent with weather echoes. Air France crews aloft reported visual contacts corresponding to the radar returns — bright luminous objects performing rapid maneuvers. A commercial airliner crew filed a formal report. The objects were tracked for several hours, during which they demonstrated rapid acceleration from hover to high speed and instant disappearance from radar. NATO radar stations in the region provided corroborating track data. The French Air Ministry formally investigated and shared findings with the US Embassy in Paris. The US Air Attaché filed a report to the USAF and the case was logged in Project Blue Book records. The combination of dual-radar confirmation (Orly tower + NATO stations) and independent visual corroboration from commercial flight crews makes this one of the most thoroughly documented radar-visual UAP incidents in European official records of the 1950s.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS
  • ›Simultaneous radar tracks from Orly tower and NATO stations — dual radar confirmation
  • ›Air France crew visual contacts matched radar returns — independent corroboration
  • ›French Air Ministry formally investigated and shared findings with US Embassy Paris
  • ›US Air Attaché filed formal report to USAF — case logged in Project Blue Book
  • ›Objects tracked for several hours: hovering, rapid acceleration, instant radar disappearance
  • ›One of the most comprehensively documented radar-visual UAP cases in 1950s European records
ORIGINAL SOURCE

This incident is indexed as file FAA-023inside Now Declassified's research layer. The nearest official source trail for this agency points to NARA RG 615 / FAA, where archive records, imagery, or supporting context are published for public review.

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EVIDENCE STRENGTH
PARTIAL
Video Record
0
Still Imagery
0
Witness Credibility
14
Sensor Corroboration
20
Physical Evidence
0
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ARCHIVE EXPORT
RESEARCH GUIDES
›How AARO Publishes UAP Cases›NARA Record Group 615ALL GUIDES →
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RESEARCHER DISCUSSION

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