POINTEL (61) 29.04.2025

On 29 April 2025 at about 23:00, a witness in a garden in Pointel (61) watched a dark, lens-shaped form with 2 green lights at its ends for 3 minutes. It appeared low, moving at constant speed without audible sound, then seemed to stop and change course. The unusual shape, fluorescent green lights and apparent stop puzzled the witness; reactions from a cat, goats and cows added to the strangeness. GEIPAN judged the evidential support good despite a single witness and no usable photograph or video. The conditions and UAP characteristics were clearly and precisely described (see the investigation report). GEIPAN defines evidential support as the amount of information collected for an account that is considered reliable and objectively established. Radar records from the French Air and Space Force's Air Operations Planning, Command and Air Defence Centre, CAPCODA, established a match with 2 military aircraft flying in formation and equipped with fluorescent-green formation lights, commonly called slime lights. GEIPAN explained the unusual features as follows: - The witness's illustration matched the dark, lens-like profile of these large military aircraft seen side-on at night and low altitude. - The green light could come from formation lights, whose presence the military confirmed, and/or the green starboard navigation light facing the witness throughout. - The nearest aircraft distance was 3 km. GEIPAN described the aircraft as relatively quiet by design and said a light southwest wind carried sound away. A headset worn during a call with a female friend might also have muffled outside sound. - The witness was on the phone throughout the first part, probably raising their voice and running to keep the phenomenon in view as foliage and the house repeatedly hid it. GEIPAN suggested that this unusual nighttime activity and excitement could have frightened the animals. - The apparent extremely abrupt acceleration corresponded to an aircraft changing sharply from receding northeastward to approaching from the southeast, as shown on the military map. - A turn, viewing angle and distance can create a momentary impression of stopping, especially for an approaching aircraft, an effect the source describes as familiar in aviation. GEIPAN classified the case A: military aircraft.