Training aircraft mistaken for luminous triangle in Dompaire

Summary

On the night of March 30–31, 2007, near Dompaire, four young people repeatedly observed white and red lights forming a metallic triangle in a stormy sky. The object appeared to approach their vehicle at 15–20 metres altitude, and the observation lasted from 20:00 to 02:00, leaving them deeply shaken.

The investigation revealed that Hello AG conducted training exercises that night with an MD 90 (DC9) at Epinal-Mirecourt airport, performing around thirty touch-and-go manoeuvres between 19:47 and 21:16. A cargo aircraft also landed at 01:58. The witnesses were located beneath the DC9's flight path in an area unaccustomed to air traffic. It was concluded with certainty that they had observed the training aircraft's lights.