Red lights in Vosges, France

During the night of March 30 to 31, 2007, between 8 PM and 2 AM near Dompaire (88), 4 young witnesses repeatedly observe white and red lights in the stormy and black sky. They form a triangle of metallic color that moves back and forth at variable speed before passing about 15 to 20 meters above their vehicle. This observation ends around 2 AM. The witnesses remain strongly impressed by this observation. During the investigation, an analysis of air traffic in the sector indicates the landing of a cargo plane at Epinal at 1:58 AM and confirms a crew training session of an MD 90 (DC9) from the Swiss company Hello AG during the hours of the witnesses' observation: the plane, coming from Zurich, performed 30 "touch and go" maneuvers around the Epinal runway in the afternoon after detecting a technical problem, then resumed these same rotations between 7:47 PM and 9:16 PM; the takeoff for a final departure to Zurich occurred at 9:45 PM. This type of training is regular on runways with little traffic, and the company Hello AG is a regular user of the Epinal runway. It is probable that in the state of mind the witnesses were in, the luminous point observed around 2 AM was confused with a streetlight or car light, as was several times the case during their travels, as they themselves explain. There is no doubt that the observation made by the group of friends is that of the DC9 from the company Hello AG in training exercises: the witnesses were always under the trajectory of the observed plane in unusual conditions around the Epinal-Mirecourt airport.