[AERO] DE BEDOUS (64) VERS PAU (64) 14.12.2022

The main witness, T1, was the pilot in command of a civil protection helicopter on a mountain training flight with the onboard mechanic-operator, T3. Both had night-vision binoculars, and the session was scheduled to last 45 minutes to 1 hour. At about 18:35, after passing over Oloron-Sainte-Marie (64), the helicopter was flying at approximately 2,000 ft towards Pau Airport. The pilot noticed a luminous trail moving horizontally on an east–west axis, apparently slightly above the helicopter's altitude and north of Pau. At its head was a large, slightly blurred oblong shape that the pilot judged larger than an airliner. The attached luminous trail was approximately twice as long as the shape, and the phenomenon moved remarkably fast. Through the night-vision binoculars, the pilot saw a white trail and a dark shape. The source explains that these binoculars render objects in shades of green ranging from greenish white to almost black. T1 followed the shape and trail with his eyes while calling T3's attention to them. They then 'evaporated' west of Pau Airport after approximately 4 seconds. Looking northwest, T1 next saw a luminous trail appear to the south and move on a north–south axis between Orthez and Lacq. He estimated it to be approximately 1,000–2,000 ft above his own altitude, travelling level at very high speed. It disappeared behind him to his left, towards the mountain range, after approximately 2 seconds. About 30 seconds later, the same phenomenon recurred on exactly the same axis and at the same height, again disappearing behind him to his left. T1 then concentrated on the helicopter's left side. About 1 minute later, he saw the same phenomenon again, and this time T3 also saw it. The mechanic described a luminous trail with a more rounded shape at its head, gradually stretching out. Its light resembled a kind of combustion; he saw no dark mass ahead of the trail. It moved horizontally above the horizon west of the helicopter, at very high speed, but slower than a shooting star. The witness contacted Pau control tower to ask about fast-moving aircraft in the area. The tower knew of no military air activity there and detected no aircraft on radar. Moments later, the controller, T2, reported having just seen a luminous trail with the naked eye that quickly vanished west of the tower's sector. T2 described a steady point of light moving horizontally to the southwest on a north–south axis, visible for 2–3 seconds before gradually fading. Neither T1 nor T3 saw that event. Their own observations spanned approximately 3–4 minutes in total. Although no photographs or videos were taken, GEIPAN judged the evidential support very good: there were 3 complete accounts, particularly T1's, and an investigation by the air transport gendarmerie. In general, GEIPAN found the accounts excellent, complete and written fairly soon after the observations—approximately 3 weeks to 1 month later, depending on the witness. Under GEIPAN's criteria, evidential support means the amount of information collected for an account that is considered reliable and objectively established. GEIPAN examined 2 hypotheses (see the investigation report). It could not pursue the aircraft hypothesis because the account reached it too late. The gendarmerie nevertheless investigated that possibility, contacting the National Air Operations Centre (CNOA), and reported that the radar-track analyses did not match the reported observation. The preferred hypothesis was 2 consecutive observations of an initial grazing meteor of the fireball type, followed by observations of 3 further grazing shooting stars from the Geminid shower. GEIPAN based this on the following: - Individual sightings were very short, lasting 2–5 seconds. - Witnesses' impressions of combustion, ejected material and crackling sparks were typical of meteors. - The paths were straight. GEIPAN explained their apparent horizontal orientation as a perspective effect, perpendicular to the viewing axis. It considered the first path typical of a grazing fireball and the next 3 consistent with the Geminid radiant low on the northeastern horizon. - The sighting occurred a few hours after the peak of the Geminids, described as one of the year's major meteor showers, with a theoretical maximum hourly rate of 120–150 meteors. - Calculations for the first UAP gave approximately 20 km/s, within the lower part of the stated fireball speed range of 11–70 km/s. GEIPAN considered this consistent with T1's impression that it was relatively slow compared with the shooting stars he usually saw. - The oblong shape followed by a luminous trail was typical of a meteor, although T1 described a dark shape through binoculars; the French leaves this qualification unfinished. GEIPAN searched unsuccessfully for these meteors in the automated video systems FRIPON and BOAM and in the International Meteor Organization's visual-report database, which it routinely uses. It suggested that the early hour, between nautical and astronomical twilight before full darkness, and the meteors' faintness, for which the witness supplied no details, might explain the lack of camera detections: they may not have reached the FRIPON and BOAM detection thresholds. GEIPAN classified the case B: probable atmospheric entry of meteors. FRIPON stands for Fireball Recovery and InterPlanetary Observation Network; BOAM stands for Base des Observateurs Amateurs de Météores.