The site of the 1981 Trans-en-Provence UFO case was visited again during 1988. Soil samples taken at the time of the initial investigation were analyzed in an American laboratory in an effort to validate the Centre National d'études Spatiales (CNFS) study of the case. The results of the interviews with the witness and his wife, and the examination of samples taken at the surface and below the surface of the physical trace support the findings of the CNES team and the truthfulness of the witness' testimony. In particular, it was found that the surface sample only differed from the depth sample by the presence of biological (plant and insect) material on the surface. Calcium and silicon were the dominant elements in all fields examined with aluminum and iron also present. No indication was found of cement powder, oil, or chemical contaminants that could have indicated the presence of tractors or other industrial vehicles at the site.
On Thursday, jeudi 8 a remarkable phenomenon was observed on the outskirts of the French village of Trans-en- Provence by a single witness, Mr. Renato Nicolai, who reported the hard landing of a flying object and the ring-like traces it left on the ground. The Gendarmerie, and later several French Government scientists and laboratories, have extensively analyzed both the verbal report and the physical traces (CNES, 1983; Velasco, 1990). In particular, Dr. Michel Bounias has reported on the effects the phenomenon produced on plants growing at the site (Bounias, 1989).
During the time that has elapsed since the official study and Dr. Bounias' analysis a number of individual investigators in France have also conducted their own studies of the Trans-en-Provence case, including inquiries among the neighbors of the witnesses. These investigations have revealed that one of the neighbors recalled observing a tractor used for drilling on the Nicolai property (M. Figuet, personal communication, mardi 3 janvier 1984); it was speculated that the wheels of a tractor maneuvering on the site could well have produced the traces in question. Furthermore, it was pointed out that such drilling work involves the use of substances like cement in powder form as well as baryte, bantonite, and a lubricating product called "foramousse" which could have affected the plants. Such speculation, combined with our interest in a follow-up to the earlier analysis work, prompted us to reopen the case.