SAINT-JEAN-DE-MARUEJOLS-ET-AVEJAN (30) 14.04.2015

On 14 April 2015 at about 21:50, a witness watched 2 flashing white points moving fairly quickly toward the southwest for 1 minute. In the final viewing direction, west, the civil flight record from “Flighradar” showed 3 aircraft about 80 km away at the reported time. Two were very close together but at different altitudes, potentially making them appear one above the other. At that distance, their elevation from the witness's viewpoint was about 10°, equivalent to 20 lunar diameters. GEIPAN notes that aircraft condensation trails can still be clearly visible at this distance around sunset, although their strobe lights may not be. However, the witness described movement from south to west at an apparent speed greater than that of airliners at altitudes of 10–12 km. GEIPAN considers it more likely that he saw 2 military aircraft about 4–8 km away. The area is frequently used for maneuvers, and Tuesday is a relatively likely day for such activity. Météociel records for Nîmes indicated very clear weather and a light south to southwest wind; the source refers to the weather data. The absence of audible sound is compatible with an aircraft more than 4 km away. Perceived noise depends on aircraft type, engine operating conditions, relative wind and the witness's ambient sound environment. The video recorded at the end of the observation clearly shows 2 lights flashing once per second, characteristic of strobes; the source refers to this video. The witness did not see green or red navigation lights. GEIPAN explains that these are not necessarily switched on during military operations and, beyond a certain distance, their low brightness makes them difficult to distinguish beside powerful strobes. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable observation of 2 aircraft.