Sighting in Rémuzat, July 5, 2012

At about 10:22 p.m., the witness and their spouse were in their living room when they heard a jet aircraft go by. The witness went outside and was surprised to see two white lights in the sky, followed at some distance by three "fighter" aircraft flying at low altitude. The objects were then lost from view, hidden by the landscape.

Other people also reported the aircraft passing, and one of them gave a statement to the gendarmerie. GEIPAN rated the testimony as very good quality: it was concise, precise, neutral and written very soon after the event. It was also consistent, because the second account made it possible to examine an explanation.

The investigation considered only one hypothesis: confusion with the rear position lights of fighter aircraft. Poor observation conditions may have contributed, as may repeated passes by the same aircraft, the first two of which may not yet have switched on their landing lights. The witness had not seen these aircraft during their initial approach, which was what made the sighting seem strange at first. GEIPAN classified the case as B, probable confusion with the navigation lights of fighter aircraft.