SUNDHOFFEN (68) 19.05.2020

After a day during which his family heard gunfire near home, a witness went into fields with binoculars around 21:00 to look around. He suddenly saw what he described as a cloud literally exploding, resembling a small, translucent Hiroshima-like mushroom cloud made visible by the affected cloud. He ran to fetch his brother. They continued hearing regular shots and saw clouds splitting rapidly into 3 horizontal, very geometric layers, somewhat like lenticular clouds but perfectly geometric. His brother saw a projectile rise into the sky. The witness described further unusual cloud shapes and colours and a developing storm. Both brothers then reported an unknown craft hovering and moving within the clouds. He estimated the sighting at 30 minutes; the source summary notes that the phenomena frightened him. GEIPAN finds little doubt about its explanation: several linked but explainable elements (see the investigation report). The witnesses’ cooperation and investigation established the following: - Gunfire was heard throughout the day and between 21:00 and 22:00. This bullet gives 19 February 2020, whereas the case title and the exercise information below give 19 May 2020; the source discrepancy remains unresolved. - Firing was scheduled on 19 May for a night military exercise. - The witnesses thought the detonations unlike usual shots, but evening and night sound perception differs from daytime because ambient noise changes. - Crop-protection shots, particularly against pigeons, also occurred that evening. - Conditions favoured layered lenticular clouds, which spread and disappeared as night fell. Sunset enhanced the contrasts described by both witnesses. - Through imperfectly adjusted binoculars, they saw a dark mass making various jerky movements and resembling a large fan, compatible with a paramotor ultralight flying in the evening. - The large-fan description strongly fits a paramotor; the source notes its parachute-like wing among the components enabling aerial acrobatics. GEIPAN classifies the case B: principally an aircraft misidentification, but in fact several misidentifications involving day and night firing exercises, shots to drive animals such as pigeons or wild boar away from crops, forming lenticular clouds, and paramotor ultralights. The paramotor hypothesis is considered highly probable.