The Point behind the Mirage Patrol

On 15 October 2004 the leader of a Mirage patrol was alerted by one of his team. The wingman reported being "suivi" (followed) by an aircraft at his five o'clock, behind him and to the right. The leader got eyes on it too. It was a point, and it disappeared after 15 to 20 seconds. He concluded that a fighter-type aircraft had passed. The controllers on the ground had spotted no trace of any such aircraft. GEIPAN's summary puts it plainly: the patrol was briefly "suivie" by unknown traffic.

What is on the record

The source is GEIPAN's file, which it heads "[AERO MIL] NANCY (54)" to mark a military aviation case. It is very brief: a four-sentence description and a single testimony sheet, with no documents attached. The sheet adds only a little. It gives the local time as 8.00, describes a single point moving fast and leaves the witness's gender blank. GEIPAN's text speaks of "une patrouille de mirage 4", which could mean a Mirage IV patrol or a patrol of four Mirages. The file does not say which. Beyond the name Nancy in the title it does not say where the patrol was flying.

The file tests no explanation and rejects none. The leader's own reading was a passing fighter, and the absence of any trace on the ground is what keeps it open. GEIPAN writes that "l'évènement reste inexpliqué" (the event remains unexplained) and classes it D: investigated and not explained, strange to very strange with medium to strong consistency.

Why it sits where it does

L4 · OFFICIAL RECORD. A released government record identifies who saw it: the leader and a wingman of a military Mirage patrol, both in flight at the time. GEIPAN names neither the pilots nor their unit. No independent testimony sits beside that record, and the controllers on the ground found no trace to back it. The tier measures sourcing, not the quality of the investigation. What followed the patrol is not resolved here.