SAINT-PIERRE (974) 25.02.2025

On 25 Feb. 2025 at 7:40 p.m., the witness and his daughter observed a luminous phenomenon in a clear night sky from the terrace of a building in Saint-Pierre (974), in a north-west direction. The observation concerned a group of 5 to 6 white luminous points, located in a restricted area of the sky, with an intensity comparable to that of the brightest stars. These points flashed in an apparently random manner. The group followed a changing path, moving successively to the right, then downward, and finally to the left, at a moderate but clearly perceptible speed. The use of binoculars did not allow for any additional information: the luminous points appeared slightly enlarged, without discernible structure between them, suggesting a distant origin rather than a near phenomenon. No noise was reported during the observation. As the witness was about to record the event, all points disappeared abruptly, with the exception of one which continued to flash. As video recording began, this final light stopped moving, flashed 4 times at regular intervals and disappeared for good. The analysis led the witness to look for similar cases on the GEIPAN site. He consulted a report of 23 July 2024, but found no record corresponding specifically to his observation. He decided to report it and supplied precise location and viewing-direction data so that the presence of known objects at the event’s time and place could be checked. The evidential quality of the case is good with 2 witnesses (although only one completed a GEIPAN questionnaire), clear indications and a video. The weather conditions at Pierrefonds de Saint-Pierre airport were good during the observation, with a calm wind (about 14 km/h from the northwest at 19:00, subsequently weakening and turning northerly) and a completely clear sky (see Appendix 1). After checking on night aeronautical activities, the 2nd RPIMA (2nd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment) confirmed that it had carried out night parachute drops between 19:00 and 20:00, with 3 groups descending under canopies, for a total of 10 soldiers: “On 25 February we made night jumps from a Pilatus onto the regiment’s sports field. There were 3 aircraft [as stated in the source] between 19:00 and 20:00: the first carried 4 jumpers, the second 3, and the third 3. The jumpers are operational free-fall parachutists with GPS and night-vision goggles. They switch their strobes (flashing lights) on in the aircraft and off on the ground.” The Pilatus is not equipped with an ADS-B* transponder, so it is not visible on the tracking tools of aircraft equipped with ADS-B. The jumps were made over Saint-Pierre (so in the direction of the witness's observation, northward orientation) and towards the 2nd RPIMA stadium, located northwest of the witness's position and near the Pierrefonds airport, hence the leftward shift at the end of the observation. The disappearance of lights can be explained by the loss of visibility behind elements of the landscape or a different orientation of parachutists. The concordance between observation and parachute activity during the same time slot, for several “jumpers” composing the flashing "cluster" described by the witness and also seen by his daughter, leads to classifying this phenomenon as identified. The GEIPAN classifies the case as "A": observation of paratroopers. *Evidential quality: under GEIPAN’s criteria, this is the amount of information collected for an account that is considered reliable and objectively established. *ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast): surveillance system for air traffic control.