ALSACAT-2002-05-00-BARTHENHEIM-1
Following publication by the Swiss ufology group GREPI about an observation on the A35 highway between Mulhouse and Basel, in our region, I and another local ufologist, colleague of mine, also passed a call to witnesses in the newspaper L'Alsace, published on July 10, 2002. This brought back to us a lot of sighting reports in this area, none temporally matching the one that prompted our call for for witnesses.
Among this series, I received by email on July 11, 2002, the report of someone anonymous who has read the calls for witnesses and wanted to inform us seeing an object that strongly resembled the one described, three lights arranged in a triangle, making a slow flight over the A35 motorway.
The observation was dated "three months ago", thus in May 2002.
This person was returning from a business meeting, at 9 p.n. or 09:30 p.m.
Shortly after entering the motorway at Bartenheim, the witness saw "this thing; which seemed motionless. I clearly distinguished the three lights in a triangle, but I do not remember more details."
The person was sorry not to be able to give a more detailed testimony.
| Date: | May 2000 |
|---|---|
| Time: | ~09:00, 09:30 p.m. |
| Duration: | ? |
| First known report date: | July 11, 2002 |
| Reporting delay: | 3 months. |
| Department: | Haut-Rhin |
|---|---|
| City: | Bartenheim |
| Place: | From the car driving on the A35 highway shortly after the Bartenheim crossing, UFO in the sky. |
| Latitude: | 47.644 |
| Longitude: | 7.495 |
| Uncertainty radius: | 2 km |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | 1 |
|---|---|
| Number of known witnesses: | 1 |
| Number of named witnesses: | 0 |
| Witness(es) ages: | Adult. |
| Witness(es) types: | ? |
| Reporting channel: | ? |
|---|---|
| Type of location: | From a car driving on highway in line with airport landing strip UFO in the sky. |
| Visibility conditions: | Night |
| UFO observed: | Yes |
| UFO arrival observed: | Yes |
| UFO departure observed: | Yes |
| Entities: | No |
| Photographs: | No. |
| Sketch(s) by witness(es): | No. |
| Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): | No. |
| Witness(es) feelings: | Puzzled. |
| Witnesses interpretation: | ? |
| Hynek: | NL |
|---|---|
| ALSACAT: | Insufficient information, probable plane. |
[Ref. pgs1:] REPORT I RECEIVED BY EMAIL:
From: [X]@infonie.fr
Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2002 1:41 PM
Subject: testimony
Following the testimony of a resident of the Mulhouse region (published in a local newspaper a few days ago), I [female] want you to know I saw an object that is very similar to that described (three lights in a triangular formation, very slow flight) above the A35, three months ago, as I was returning from a business meeting at 9 p.m. - 09:30 p.m. Shortly after I entered the highway at Bartenheim, I actually saw this craft, which seemed to be hovering. I clearly distinguished the three lights in a triangle, but I do not remember details. I'm sorry not to be able to bring you more specific testimony, but I give you my email address anyway: [X] @ infonie.fr
At the time, I did not have the "Your reports" section of my own website, and I published this report on the website of the Fédération Française d'Ufologie (French Federation of Ufology, FFU), in the "Sighting reports" section, both in English and French:
|
| Date: | Estimated May 2002 |
|---|---|
| Time: | Estimated around 9:00 or 9:30pm |
| Duration: | ? |
| Department: | Haut-Rhin, Alsace |
| Location: | After Bartenheim entrance of motorway A35 |
| Number of witness: | 1 |
| Number of objects: | 3 lights |
| Shape of object: | None seen |
| Other objects: | None described |
| Sound: | ? |
| Color: | ? |
| Flashes, rays: | ? |
| Color of flashes, rays: | ? |
| Contrail, exhaust, ejection: | ? |
| Color of contrail, exhaust, ejection: | ? |
| Moon visible: | ? |
| Clouds: | ? |
| Rain: | ? |
| Wind: | ? |
"Following the testimony of an inhabitant of the Mulhouse area (appeared in a regional daily newspaper a few days ago), I make a point in announcing to you that I have seen an object which strongly resembles the one described (three lights laid out in triangle, very slow flight) iver the A35 motorway, three months ago, while returning from a workshop at about 9:00pm - 9:30pm. Little after I engaged on the motorway at the level of Bartenheim, I actually saw this machine, which appeared hovering to me. I clearly distinguished the three lights in triangle, but I do not remember of any more details. I am sorry to be unable to give more specifics to you, but I leave you nevertheless my eMail: [Retained by FFU]"
The publication of a sighting report does not mean that the FFU Committee is clueless about it. At this time, investigations are lead and we do not wish to disturb the investigation process with any premature explanation.
[Ref. uwb1:] "UFOWEB" WEBSITE:
UPDATED ON 08/05/02
2002/028: Observation in May 2002 department 68.
Source Fédération Française d'Ufologie
Date: Estimated during May 2002
Time: About 09:00 p.m. 09:30 p.m.
Duration of observation: ?
Department: Haut-Rhin
Place of observation: Highway A35, shortly after the entry on the highway at the level of Barthenheim.
Number of witnesses: 1
Number of objects: Three lights
Shape of objects: Not seen
Other shapes: None indicated
Report: "Following the testimony of a resident of the Mulhouse region (published in a local newspaper a few days ago), I [female] want you to know I saw an object that is very similar to that described (three lights in a triangular formation, very slow flight) above the A35, three months ago, as I was returning from a business meeting at 9 p.m. - 09:30 p.m. Shortly after I entered the highway at Bartenheim, I actually saw this craft, which seemed to be hovering. I clearly distinguished the three lights in a triangle, but I do not remember details. I'm sorry not to be able to bring you more specific testimony."
Call to witnesses: thanks to the web users to report to us all the unusual observations that occurred in that department during this period. Thanks!
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN - "BASE OVNI FRANCE":
General features
| Num Base: | 1283 |
| Department: | Haut Rhin (68) |
| Place of observation: | Bartenheim |
| Latitude: | 47.633 |
| Longitude: | +7.466 |
| Date of observation: | May 2002 |
| Hour: | 09:00 p.m. |
| Duration (HH:MM:SS): | N.C. |
| Weather: | No weather indication |
| Type of observation: | Visual: Distant |
| Nbr of witness(es): | 1 |
| Official investigation: | No |
Features of the object
| Nbr of object: | 1 |
| Type of object: | Triangle |
| Size: | Not specified |
| Color: | not defined |
| Luminosity: | Not specified |
| Visual characteristics: | Numerous lights |
| Speed: | Motionless |
| Movement/Displacement: | Not specified |
| Object on the ground: | No |
| Instantaneous disappearance: | No |
Observation
A witness on the A35 observed three lights in a triangular formation, flying very slowly over the highway. The witness had just entered the highway and drove towards Mulhouse. The object seemed to hover.
Sources
Fédération française d'ufologie ** http://f.f.u.free.fr
[Ref. spa1:] UFOLOGY GROUP "SPICA":
| City | Date and hour of observation | General shape Identification |
General color Hypothesis |
Conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BARTENHEIM | May 2002 at 21h00 | Triangular Unidentified |
Information not communicated None |
Unsolved -lack of info |
|
Through the regional newspaper L'Alsace for July 10, 2002, a local member like me of the Fédération Française d'Ufologie (French Federation of Ufology, FFU) had a call to witness published about a sighting report in our area, the Haut-Rhin department:
|
Following this call to witnesses, the secretariat of the FFU had received a dozen phone calls, all without direct connection with the observation that motivated our call to witnesses.
We also received reports by email, such as this one.
I know the place very well, having traveled at least a hundred times there for decades, by day and night, and having checked the location for several UFO investigations. Here is the landscape seen in daytime:
|
The situation is as shown on this satellite image:
|
The witness was on the A35 shortly after the Bartenheim ring road, thus about the red dot on the A35.
The blue dot indicates the "Euroairport" of Basel - Mulhouse, an international airport, with its runway almost perfectly in line with the highway.
There, airliners in landing approach are seen very often. The fly low above the highway, they are visible straight ahead, with their landing lights and their navigation lights on. They seem to hover, but this is an illusion. They are generally lost from sight when they go down apparently behind the treetops on the left of the highway.
Obviously, most people realize sooner or later that these are landing airliners; but not always, and the place is a "hot spot" for false UFOs that are only very close airliners. As there was a call for witnesses, the person who did not recognize a plane had thought it was a UFO.
Note that the witness says at no time "I know that planes fly there," or "it was not a plane because of this and that..."
This is at least what I see as the most likely scenario. I absolutely cannot "scientifically prove" that it was not an alien spacecraft. But I strongly doubt it was.
Insufficient information, probable plane.
* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.
| Main author: | Patrick Gross |
|---|---|
| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editeur: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Create/changed by: | Date: | Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | December 17, 2014 | Creation, [pgs1], [uwb1], [lcn1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | December 17, 2014 | First published. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | May 11, 2015 | Addition [spa1]. |
