SOLLIES-PONT (83) 11.06.2020

On the evening of 11 June 2020, 2 children (T1 and T2) playing on a trampoline were startled by a loud, pulsing sound. They then saw a large round black object with flashing red lights and white lights directed at the ground. It quickly disappeared. The mother of one girl (T3) also heard the sound but did not see the object. T1 and T3 gave statements to the Gendarmerie the next day; T2 declined. GEIPAN assesses both strangeness and evidential strength as moderate: several witnesses, but only 1 visual witness interviewed by the Gendarmerie, an imprecise description and no photograph or video. It considers an aircraft, specifically a military helicopter, probable (see the investigation report). The loud sound resembled a helicopter. The Gendarmerie confirmed several helicopters flying in the area at the time, though their flight plans could not be consulted. At twilight, a helicopter’s exact shape may be indistinct, explaining the children’s “large black mass”; military helicopters also commonly have dark colouring that reduces visibility. The red flashes along the outline might have been red navigation lights visually merging with nearby white anti-collision lights because of their proximity or viewing distance. Alternatively, they might have been flashing red beacons, generally used at low altitude, on landing approach or on the runway. The path exposed only the object’s left side to T1 and T2, where steady red navigation lights are located when viewed from behind. This might explain the absence of green lights from the right side. However, the children described “lots” of red lights and drew 7, an excessive number compared with typical helicopter navigation and anti-collision lighting. The reported 2 white lights shining on the ground fit helicopter searchlights, although helicopters generally carry only 1. A 2-second pause above the witnesses is another cited feature. Conditions were poor: trees, houses and hills obstructed the view, it was dark, and the sighting lasted only a few seconds. GEIPAN considers failure to recognise a familiar object understandable, particularly during an unusual close, low helicopter pass, and more so if the children had never previously observed helicopters. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable misidentification of a military helicopter. Under GEIPAN’s criteria, evidential strength means the quantity of reliable information collected for an account.