Eupen Nov. 29, 1989 ▶ Belgium flap ▶ Home ☰

The Belgium flap:

On November 29, 1989, in the Eupen region:

About 06:45 p.m. from Baelen, Mr. E. L.:

SOBEPS gave the following information:

At approximately 06:45 p.m., Mr. L. went into his garden in Baelen to get firewood, and then noticed a big bright spot was slowly approaching from the Southwest.

Gradually, he managed to discern three distinct lights, placed on a large triangular plate.

The object approached to about 200 meters away. When it was at this distance, it rotated on its longitudinal axis while initiating a soft turn to the north-northwest. It tilted so that the witness saw its underside more distinctly. It was an isosceles triangle whose base was narrow, and the lights were located very close to the corners.

The witness also discerned a small dome between the two rear lights, and at the top of that dome, there was a red light which did not blink.

The width of the base of the triangle was estimated to be 10 meters.

The witness heard a repetitive noise, like that of a sewing machine, but weaker, and only when the object was the closest to him.

SOBEPS published a sketch showing the object like this:

To this sketch I added the red color, and the darkness of the sky. However, it is not clear whether the shape of the craft was lighter or darker than the background of the sky, which was definitely theoretically dark at that time - although public lighting may have played a role.

Source:

"Vague d'OVNIS sur la Belgique - Un Dossier Exceptionnel", book, SOBEPS publishers, Belgium, page 30, 1991.

In their second book, SOBEPS noted for this sighting that since when it arrived at 200 meters from the witness the object pivoted on its axis, there must have been a complete stop of the craft.

SOBEPS also published a sketch showing the witness and the UFO. It looks like this:

Source:

"Vague d'OVNIS sur la Belgique - Une Enigme Non Résolue", book, SOBEPS publishers, Belgium, page 140,174. 1994.

Another report, in the Flying Saucer Review, indicated for this observation:

At about 06:45 p.m., a witness whose name is given - but I will only give the initial E. L. - was at Baelen, about 2 kilometers from Kortenbach, and he saw, at a distance of about 200 meters from him, a triangular object “emitting a faint sound like that of a sewing machine.”

It seemed to come from the direction of Dolhain and was apparently going towards Baelen.

Then, it veered again left towards the North, or the North-North-East.

As it changed course, the witness notices what looked like a “cupola” on its underside.

Source:

"The UFO 'Wave' of November/December 1989 Over Eastern Belgium", article by Joël Mesnard and the editorial committee of LDLN, translated into English by Gordon Creighton, in the ufology magazine Flying Saucer Review (FSR), U-K., Volume 35, Issue 2, 1990.

There is a summary for this observation, published on the web by the Belgian ufologist Godelieve Van Overmeire in her catalog circa 1999, now gone, but much copied by UFO websites and forums. This summary is as follows:

1989, November 29

BELGIUM, Baelen

At about 06:45 p.m. the witness is in his garden in search of firewood. He notes a big bright spot that slowly approached from the southwest. He gradually came to identify three separate fires placed on a large triangular plate. The flying object approaches up to 200 m of the witness. At this point it rotates about its longitudinal axis by initiating a soft turn towards the NNW. It tilts so that the witness sees the underside even more clearly. This is an isosceles triangle with narrow base and lights are located very near the corners. The witness discerns a small dome between the two rear lights. At the top of the dome a non-flashing red light is set. The width of the base is estimated to be 10 meters. The witness heard a repetitive noise like that of a sewing machine, but weaker and only when the object is the closest to him. (VOB 1 - SOBEPS - 1991, p. 30)

Source example:

http://www.forum-ovni-ufologie.com/t8884-en-1989-les-temoignages-de-cette-annee

Renaud Leclet, claiming that these UFO sightings in Eupen actually were caused helicopters or included helicopters misinterpretations, wrote about this case in an article published in 2008:

Between 06:30 p.m. and 06:45 p.m., the observations in Jalhay and Baelen can also be explained by a helicopter with its headlights on. The witness in Baelen also distinguished a small red light on top of the dome of the machine, red light (rotating beacon) which is on the top of the tail rotor or cockpit depending on the type of craft. The witness also heard a noise that resembles the sound of a sewing machine, this noise confirming that it could be a helicopter.

Source:

"La vague OVNI Belge de 1989 à 1992 - Une hypothèse oubliée", by Renaud Leclet, published by the CNEGU ufology group in 2008.

Note on the helicopter explanation by Renaud Leclet:

We get to see his mistakes and ommited information on this case:

The red light is on a cupolla, true, but the cupola is under the object, on its underside, between the two rear lights, not a position that a helicopter would be “on top of the tail rotor or cockpit” as was believed by Renaud Leclet. Is this a lack of understanding of the report?
The report clearly states that the red light does not blink, but Renaud Leclet makes of it an anti-collision light, thus by definition a “rotating beacon” or flashing light.
The sound like a sewing machine is called “weaker” than that of a sewing machine, Renaud Leclet seems to have thought useful to remove this detail. It is said that the witness heard this sound “only when the object is the closest to him.” If we want this sound to be a description of a helicopter sound, fine, but was it really necessary to omit these details?
It is said that the base, the shorter side of the triangle, was estimated to be ten meters wide, which excludes any helicopter. Rather than to challenge this estimate, Renaud Leclet simply silences it.
The form is given, before it titled, as: “a large plate.” This is not very “helicopter-looking”, a helicopter certainly does not look like “a large plate.” Renaud Leclet omitted this detail also.

When Renaud Leclet addresses such observation reports with a red light actually at the underside of the UFO, he obviously also interprets it as an helicopter anti-collision light, or an “infrared sensor” (impossible as these detect infrared and don't project red light) or “laser”. There was therefore no need for him to put the red light above rather than below the craft.

The lights on helicopters in principle obey regulations. For example, there should be a green light on the right side and a red light on the left side. This is not the case here, but it is perfectly possible that a green light was just masked by being on the other side, the side the witness had perharps not seen. There should in principle be a “flashing light” - in fact a rotary becaon - either red or white-blue, but the regulations allow all kinds of settings.

Of course, it could be argued ad nauseam pro or con the idea that it was a helicopter, and if this observation was an isolated observation, and if no one had checked, I think would consider an helicopter explanation unreluctantly.

But then again: Col. de Brouwer, the official in the Belgian Air Force who addressed the issue of these UFOs at the time, made the necessary checks, and repeatedly said since then that there was no aircraft whatsoever to solve the puzzle by any helicopter or plane explanation.

Luminosity of the sky during this sighting:

	06:30 p.m.
	06:40 p.m.
	06:50 p.m.

Localization:

Baelen is at about 5 kilometers in the West of the center of the city of Eupen.

Document history.

Version:	Created/changed by:	Date:	Description:
0.1	Patrick Gross	September 6, 2013	Creation.
1.0	Patrick Gross	September 6, 2013	First publication.

This page was last updated on September 6, 2013.