(DPT) MOSELLE (57) 15.10.2014

On the night of 15 October 2014, 2 separate witnesses in different vehicles saw steady red and green lights surrounding a dark round shape about 100 m above the ground, estimated at 7–10 m across, moving in a straight line. The first sighting was near Vescheim (57) at about 22:35 local time; the second, between Vescheim and Vilsberg (57), at about 23:45. Each lasted about 1 minute. The summary also describes stationary or rapidly moving lights in nearby municipalities. The original investigation found no plausible hypothesis. High strangeness and strong substantiation from 2 detailed accounts led to Category D (see 2016 investigation report). GEIPAN notes that unexplained cases can advance scientific understanding if their unexplained status persists under review. New software and accumulated experience can lead to new findings or reclassification. This Moselle case was therefore reexamined. Information obtained in 2020 allowed reconsideration of a previously studied hypothesis without undermining the evidence (see supplementary investigation). On 22 October 2020 at 19:11 local time, an investigator happened to see an aircraft “enveloped in a green halo.” Internet inquiries and confirmation from the National Air Operations Center (CNOA) identified an NH90 combat helicopter, a type that can carry green LED-lit rotors. The 2014 witnesses now seemed much more likely to have seen a military helicopter maneuvering very low during a night mission. Their description suggested an NH90 from the nearby 1er HRC military camp at Phalsbourg, which the source says had recently received 4 such aircraft, some with green LED rotors. The matching descriptions and possible local presence of this type made the hypothesis highly probable. Substantiation remained strong, though a revised assessment scale changed its score from 0.8 to 0.7. GEIPAN reclassified the case B as probable NH90 combat helicopter sightings.