Sighting in Munster, November 13, 2015

Around 10:15 pm, two people were driving when they noticed a triangular object passing at low altitude. Three round, steady white lights marked out its shape, and two red lights were visible at its centre. The object moved away smoothly and without any noise through a cloudy sky. The witness, who had served in the army, did not recognise it as any aeroplane or helicopter. Only one account was collected.

GEIPAN asked the military air traffic control (CNOA) for the air traffic recorded in the area at that time. The radar recording shows an identified aircraft on a hospital mission flying at low altitude, whose path, location and time of passing overhead match the testimony. This low, irregular trajectory is typical of a helicopter. The radar cannot confirm a hover as low as the height the witness estimated (15 m), but it is consistent with it, and distance estimates of lights at night are highly subjective.

A triangle of steady lights, with a white one at each corner and two red ones in the middle, is consistent with a helicopter. The missing red and green navigation lights and white flashing lights were probably hidden by white headlights switched on for landing, and an aircraft may use lights beyond those required by regulations. The lack of noise may be explained by the car window being only slightly open and the engine running, but also by the fact that a striking visual sighting often masks the sounds that go with it. GEIPAN classified the case as A: a helicopter.