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How helicopters became a giant Montreal UFO

A March 2023 cluster of lights over Montreal was later linked to CH-146 Griffon helicopters flying in formation.

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On this page

  • How the clustered lights appeared to witnesses
  • Why darkness merged several helicopters into one shape
  • How the later identification changed the case
Preview for How helicopters became a giant Montreal UFO

Introduction

A widely shared video recorded over Montreal in early March 2023 appeared, at first glance, to show a single large object carrying an unusual pattern of bright lights across the night sky. The footage quickly circulated on social media as a possible UFO sighting and was viewed hundreds of thousands of times. Within days, however, the most credible explanation emerged: the lights belonged to four Royal Canadian Air Force CH-146 Griffon helicopters flying in close formation rather than to one unknown craft.[Newsweek]newsweek.comUFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million TimesUFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million Times - NewsweekMarch 15, 2023…Published: March 15, 2023

Helicopter formation illustration 1

The incident has become a useful modern example within Quebec’s UFO history because it demonstrates how multiple conventional aircraft can be perceived as one structured object when darkness conceals their airframes. Rather than diminishing the value of eyewitness testimony, the case shows why reports involving unusual lights over busy aviation regions need to be reconstructed using flight activity, viewing geometry and later identification before drawing extraordinary conclusions.

Strange UFOs over Montreal, Canada. 3/2/2023

Channel: Only Real UFOs

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How the clustered lights appeared to witnesses

On the evening of 2 March 2023, numerous residents across the Montreal area noticed an unusual formation of lights moving at relatively low altitude. Videos posted online showed four bright lights arranged in what appeared to be a rigid geometric pattern. Because the helicopters themselves were almost invisible against the night sky, many viewers perceived the lights as belonging to a single large object rather than several separate aircraft.[TVA Nouvelles]tvanouvelles.caTVA NouvellesEN IMAGES | Un mystérieux escadron d’hélicoptères fait tourner les têtes à Montréal | TVA NouvellesMarch 3, 2023…Published: March 3, 2023

One widely circulated recording captured two separate fly-pasts roughly twelve minutes apart. The person filming repeatedly stated that the object did not resemble an ordinary aeroplane and commented that the first pass produced a deep humming sound while the second sounded more like multiple aircraft. Those reactions helped the footage spread rapidly through UFO-focused social media accounts.[Newsweek]newsweek.comUFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million TimesUFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million Times - NewsweekMarch 15, 2023…Published: March 15, 2023

The witness’s confidence that they were “not near an airport” also illustrates a common feature of aviation-related misidentifications. Military helicopters do not need to follow the same visual expectations as commercial airliners, and Montreal’s wider airspace includes military, civilian and transit routes extending well beyond the immediate vicinity of Montréal–Trudeau Airport.

Day in the Life of the RCAF: Flying the CH-146 Griffon - Episode 10

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Why darkness merged several helicopters into one shape

The visual illusion depended less on unusual aircraft than on the way human perception interprets distant lights at night.

Several factors combined:

  • The helicopters’ fuselages were difficult to see. Only navigation and landing lights were readily visible from the ground.
  • The aircraft maintained a disciplined formation. Their relative positions changed very little from the observer’s viewpoint, encouraging the impression of a rigid object.
  • Night conditions removed depth cues. Without visible airframes or reference points, observers could not judge the separation between individual helicopters.
  • Bright lights dominated the scene. Human vision naturally groups nearby lights into coherent shapes, particularly when the structures producing those lights are hidden.

This is a well-known limitation of night-time observation rather than evidence of deception or unreliable witnesses. Even experienced observers can underestimate the spacing between aircraft when only their lights remain visible. In this case, four helicopters separated by tens or hundreds of metres could visually compress into what appeared to be one large triangular or diamond-shaped craft.

The witness’s description of a low-frequency humming also fits a conventional explanation. Multiple helicopter rotor systems operating together can produce complex overlapping sound patterns, especially as echoes reflect from buildings in an urban environment. The resulting noise may seem different from that produced by a single helicopter passing overhead.

Helicopter formation illustration 2

How the later identification changed the case

As the footage gained attention, independent investigators compared the timing and appearance of the lights with known military aviation activity. The explanation that attracted the strongest supporting evidence identified the aircraft as four Royal Canadian Air Force CH-146 Griffon helicopters flying together. That assessment was subsequently reinforced by reporting from Canadian news organisations.[Newsweek]newsweek.comUFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million TimesUFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million Times - NewsweekMarch 15, 2023…Published: March 15, 2023

Local reporting went beyond social media speculation by obtaining confirmation from Canada’s Department of National Defence. According to departmental spokespeople, the aircraft were four CH-146 Griffons from 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron returning to Canadian Forces Base Valcartier after a training exercise in the United States. They passed through the Montreal area before continuing towards their home base.[TVA Nouvelles]tvanouvelles.caTVA NouvellesEN IMAGES | Un mystérieux escadron d’hélicoptères fait tourner les têtes à Montréal | TVA NouvellesMarch 3, 2023…Published: March 3, 2023

Some early media reports speculated that the helicopters might instead belong to 438 Tactical Helicopter Squadron at Saint-Hubert, reflecting the fact that Griffons are also based in the Montreal region. Later reporting citing the Department of National Defence clarified that the aircraft involved were from 430 Squadron and were simply transiting the city after training.[24heures.ca]24heures.caMarch 3, 2023…Published: March 3, 2023

Once that information became available, the case shifted from an unexplained sighting to a documented example of conventional military aircraft producing an unexpectedly striking visual effect.

The Proof Is Out There: Bizarre UFOs Hover Over Montreal (Season 3) | History

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What the incident contributes to Quebec’s UFO history

The Montreal helicopter formation is valuable precisely because it is well documented and ultimately identifiable.

Unlike many historical UFO reports that remain unresolved due to missing evidence, this case includes:

  • numerous independent witnesses;
  • multiple videos recorded from different locations;
  • a specific aircraft type;
  • confirmation from the Department of National Defence reported by established Canadian media; and
  • a straightforward explanation consistent with both the visual appearance and the sounds described by observers.[TVA Nouvelles]tvanouvelles.caTVA NouvellesEN IMAGES | Un mystérieux escadron d’hélicoptères fait tourner les têtes à Montréal | TVA NouvellesMarch 3, 2023…Published: March 3, 2023

For researchers examining Quebec’s history of unusual aerial reports, the incident serves as an important comparative case. It demonstrates that several conventional aircraft flying disciplined formation at night can generate sincere reports of a single structured object without requiring witness dishonesty or extraordinary technology.

The episode therefore strengthens a broader lesson relevant to aviation-related UFO reports across Quebec: before concluding that an unusual pattern of lights represents an unidentified craft, investigators should determine whether multiple aircraft, especially military helicopters operating after dark, could have produced the same appearance. In this instance, later identification substantially weakened the UFO interpretation while providing a clear illustration of how perception, lighting and aircraft formation can combine to create a memorable but ultimately conventional sighting.

Helicopter formation illustration 3

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Endnotes

1. Source: newsweek.com
Title: UFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million Times
Link:https://www.newsweek.com/ufo-montreal-video-twitter-identified-1787925

Source snippet

UFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million Times - NewsweekMarch 15, 2023...

Published: March 15, 2023

2. Source: 24heures.ca
Link:https://www.24heures.ca/2023/03/03/un-mysterieux-groupe-dhelicopteres-passe-au-dessus-de-montreal-et-cree-la-confusion

Source snippet

March 3, 2023...

Published: March 3, 2023

3. Source: 24heures.ca
Link:https://www.24heures.ca/2023/03/03/mystere-des-helicopteres-ont-survole-montreal-a-basse-altitude-jeudi-soir

4. Source: newsweek.com
Title: Did Russia Close Down Airspace Because of ‘UFO’ Seen in Video?
Link:https://www.newsweek.com/did-russia-close-down-airspace-because-ufo-seen-video-1784680

5. Source: canada.ca
Title: ch146434 griffon epilogue flight safety investigation report
Link:https://www.canada.ca/en/air-force/corporate/reports-publications/flight-safety-investigation-reports/ch146434-griffon-epilogue-flight-safety-investigation-report.html

6. Source: tvanouvelles.ca
Link:https://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2023/03/03/en-images–un-escadron-dhelicopteres-fait-tourner-les-tetes-a-montreal

Source snippet

TVA NouvellesEN IMAGES | Un mystérieux escadron d’hélicoptères fait tourner les têtes à Montréal | TVA NouvellesMarch 3, 2023...

Published: March 3, 2023

7. Source: nuforc.org
Link:https://nuforc.org/sighting/?id=175170

Source snippet

NUFORC UFO Sighting 175170April 9, 2023 — NUFORC UFO SIGHTING 175170 Occurred: 2022-11-15 19:30 Local - Approximate Reported: 2023-03-30...

Published: November 15, 2022

8. Source: newsweekjapan.jp
Link:https://www.newsweekjapan.jp/articles/-/51102?display=b

9. Source: newsweekjapan.jp
Title: 4ufo 1
Link:https://www.newsweekjapan.jp/stories/world/2023/03/4ufo-1.php

10. Source: newsweekjapan.jp
Link:https://www.newsweekjapan.jp/articles/-/51103?display=b

Additional References

11. Source: garpan.ca
Title: video probante dun ovni de 30 metres a donnacona 22 mars 2023 a 22h15
Link:https://garpan.ca/en/video-probante-dun-ovni-de-30-metres-a-donnacona-22-mars-2023-a-22h15/

Source snippet

Vidéo probante d'un OVNI de 40 meters to Donnacona (22 March 2023, at 10:15 p.m.) - GARPANMarch 28, 2023 — VIDEO EVIDENCE OF A UFO OF 40...

Published: March 28, 2023

12. Source: mitechnews.com
Title: Take this woman’s recording
Link:https://mitechnews.com/guest-columns/ufos-spotted-flying-in-formation-over-montreal/

Source snippet

UFOs Spotted Flying In Formation Over Montreal - MITechNewsJune 3, 2023 — UFOS SPOTTED FLYING IN FORMATION OVER MONTREAL Say it after me...

Published: June 3, 2023

13. Source: youtube.com
Title: Day in the Life of the RCAF: Flying the CH-146 Griffon
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZsVuruSf6k

Source snippet

Montreal UFO March 2023 helicopter UFO SPOTTED IN CHINA?! 😳 #jakenbakelive #ufo #ufosighting #aliens #shorts jakenbakeLIVE...

Published: March 2023

14. Source: youtube.com
Title: The Proof Is Out There: Bizarre UFOs Hover Over Montreal (Season 3)
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ncD9oMSmAs

Source snippet

Montreal UFO - 02 - Place [Bonaventure]({{ 'bonaventure/' | relative_url }}) Incident CBC...

15. Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOuwuqu9tNg

Source snippet

The Proof Is Out There: Bizarre UFOs Hover Over Montreal (Season 3)...

16. Source: leadstories.com
Link:https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2023/03/fact-check-video-does-not-show-alien-boarding-spaceship-before-flying-away.html

17. Source: qub.ca
Link:https://www.qub.ca/article/mystere-des-helicopteres-ont-survole-montreal-a-basse-altitude-jeudi-soir-1094821788

18. Source: tvasports.ca
Link:https://www.tvasports.ca/article/mystere-des-helicopteres-ont-survole-montreal-a-basse-altitude-jeudi-soir-1094821788

19. Source: globalnews.ca
Link:https://globalnews.ca/news/8096563/oka-beach-air-rescue/

20. Source: journalmetro.com
Link:https://journalmetro.com/actualites/montreal/3021631/les-helicopteres-qui-ont-attire-lattention-appartiennent-aux-forces-canadiennes/