PILOT OF MIRAGE IV (IN MARCH 7, 1977)
The progress of this incident was
reconstituted from the radio exchanges among the pilot and the
controller which, according to the procedure current in all the
mission controls, are systematically recorded and kept for a
while.
The incident occurred on March 7, 1977 at about local 21 o'clock, in
the fault of Dijon, while the Mirage IV is back, connected autopilot,
towards Luxeuil after a night mission. At the height of 9 600 m,
evolving at the speed of " Mach 0,9 ", the conditions of flight are
very good. The pilot and his navigator observe at " 3 o'clock " (code
schedule) of their plane a very brilliant light, at the same height,
coming to cap collision towards them and getting very fast closer.
The pilot interrogates the military radar tracking station of
Contrexéville to ask if they have a radar contact on the plane
coming towards them (he thinks that it is an interceptor of air
defence who, as it is practised usually, tries to intercept their
plane to identify it then by means of its lighthouse of
identification). The radar controller, who has no corresponding radar
contact on its scope, answers negatively and asks to the pilots to
verify their oxygen. This demand on behalf of the controller is a
procedure of classic help; it shows well that this one is so
surprised by the question of the crew as he thinks of a boredom of
oxygen susceptible to generate an hallucination. The light
maintaining his cap towards the Mirage IV, the pilot begins a bend to
the right that it is obliged to squeeze more and more (3 - 4 g) to
try to keep the visual contact on " the aggressor " and to prevent it
from taking place back sector. In spite of this operation, the light
settles down behind the Mirage IV at a distance estimated of 1500 m;
at this moment the pilot knocks down his bend to find a visual
contact and he sees the light going away very quickly at " 11 o'clock
"; he resumes the cap on Luxeuil. But 45 seconds later, feeling
"observed ", according to his own terms, he says to the navigator: "
you go to see, it is going to return ". And effectively, an identical
light appears at " 3 o'clock ". The pilot opens then a very tight
bend (6,5 g) to kick away his device of what he considers henceforth
as a real threat. The light follows the evolution of the Mirage IV to
take place back sector at a distance estimated of 2000 m; the pilot
overturns, as first, and the light sees again disappearing in the
same conditions. The controller always has no radar check. Here is
for the facts. Two points deserve to be underlined :
- Only a combat aircraft would have been able to have a behavior
comparable to that of both lights (speed, maneuvrability). In that
case, the controller would have had a radar contact on this plane,
especially at this height, contact that he would have all the better
shown than there was no other traffic near the Mirage IV.
- Considering the visible evolutions of both lights, that they are
the same machine or not, their speed could be only supersonic, what,
in the case of combat aircraft, it would be translated on the ground
by a very important sound clap because of the phenomenon of
focalisation of the shock wave generated by the bend. It would have
been all the more noticed around as it was dark. Now, no noise was
perceived in the region.
C Hunting pilot (in March 3, 1976)
C Flight AF 3532 Air france (in January 28, 1994)