Within Explanations
When helicopters look like a triangle
The 2023 Montreal formation video shows how ordinary military helicopters can look like a silent triangular object at night.
On this page
- The March 2023 Montreal video
- Why formation lights distort distance and size
- How to check aircraft before calling it unresolved
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Introduction
One of the clearest recent examples of an ordinary explanation for an apparent UFO over Quebec came from Montreal in March 2023. A short night-time video showing lights arranged in a triangular pattern spread rapidly online, with some viewers suggesting that it showed a large unidentified craft. Within days, however, investigators pointed to a far more conventional explanation: Royal Canadian Air Force CH-146 Griffon helicopters flying in formation. [Newsweek]newsweek.comMore. News Article. UFOs Identified After Video Viewed NearlyUFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million…March 15, 2023 — 15 Mar 2023 — UFOCanadaViral videoMilitaryAliensHeli…
The episode matters because it demonstrates a recurring problem in UFO reporting. When several aircraft fly together at night, observers often see only their lights rather than the aircraft themselves. Distance becomes difficult to judge, sound may be delayed or masked by city noise, and separate aircraft can appear to merge into a single triangular object. In Quebec’s UFO history, cases like this are important not because they remain mysterious, but because they show how easily a convincing sighting can arise from normal aviation activity. [Newsweek]newsweek.comMore. News Article. UFOs Identified After Video Viewed NearlyUFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million…March 15, 2023 — 15 Mar 2023 — UFOCanadaViral videoMilitaryAliensHeli…
The March 2023 Montreal video
The incident began when a witness recorded unusual lights over the Montreal area at night. The footage showed bright points of light apparently moving in a geometric arrangement. To many viewers, the lights seemed to belong to a single triangular craft rather than to separate aircraft. The video circulated widely on social media and accumulated hundreds of thousands of views. [Newsweek]newsweek.comMore. News Article. UFOs Identified After Video Viewed NearlyUFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million…March 15, 2023 — 15 Mar 2023 — UFOCanadaViral videoMilitaryAliensHeli…
What changed the interpretation was the identification work that followed. According to reporting at the time, researchers examining the footage concluded that the lights matched Royal Canadian Air Force CH-146 Griffon helicopters operating in formation. The Griffon is a Canadian military utility helicopter used for transport, training, reconnaissance and other missions, and formation flying is a routine part of military aviation. [Newsweek+2Canada]newsweek.comMore. News Article. UFOs Identified After Video Viewed NearlyUFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million…March 15, 2023 — 15 Mar 2023 — UFOCanadaViral videoMilitaryAliensHeli…
The significance of the case is not that witnesses were careless. The video genuinely looked unusual. Rather, it showed how a limited visual record can encourage a dramatic interpretation when key information—such as aircraft type, distance and flight activity—is not immediately available. [Newsweek]newsweek.comMore. News Article. UFOs Identified After Video Viewed NearlyUFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million…March 15, 2023 — 15 Mar 2023 — UFOCanadaViral videoMilitaryAliensHeli…
Why formation lights distort distance and size
Night-time observations remove many of the visual clues that people normally use to judge what they are seeing. Aircraft bodies disappear into darkness, leaving only navigation lights, landing lights or other illuminated points visible.
When helicopters fly in a tight formation, several effects can make them resemble a single triangular object:
- Loss of scale: Without a visible aircraft body, observers cannot easily estimate distance. Nearby helicopters may appear to be one enormous object farther away.
- Geometric patterns: Three or more aircraft can create stable triangular arrangements that resemble the classic “black triangle” UFO description.
- Limited depth perception: At night, separate aircraft can appear to occupy the same plane in space even when they are separated by considerable distances.
- Apparent silence: Sound does not always travel as expected in urban environments. Traffic, buildings and atmospheric conditions can reduce or delay rotor noise.
- Slow movement: Helicopters can hover, move slowly or change direction in ways that differ from the public’s expectations of conventional aircraft. [Newsweek]newsweek.comMore. News Article. UFOs Identified After Video Viewed NearlyUFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million…March 15, 2023 — 15 Mar 2023 — UFOCanadaViral videoMilitaryAliensHeli…
In the Montreal case, investigators highlighted the role of perspective. A formation of helicopters viewed from the wrong angle can appear as a single structured object rather than several aircraft moving together. [Newsweek]newsweek.comMore. News Article. UFOs Identified After Video Viewed NearlyUFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million…March 15, 2023 — 15 Mar 2023 — UFOCanadaViral videoMilitaryAliensHeli…
Why triangular UFO reports often involve aircraft
The triangular UFO is one of the most persistent modern sighting patterns. Yet many reports involve observations made at night where only lights are visible. In those circumstances, the human brain naturally tries to connect separate points of light into a single shape.
Military aviation can contribute to this effect because formation flying deliberately places aircraft in visually organised patterns. Canadian military helicopter crews regularly train and operate in formations, and CH-146 Griffons are widely used across the country, including in Quebec-based military activities. [Facebook+2Vertical Mag]facebook.combtac 2501 takes flight 1 wings ch146 griffon and ch147f chinook pilots are now dFacebook🚁BTAC 2501 Takes Flight 1 Wing's CH146 Griffon and…This course is a key step in building a responsive, lethal, and survivable…
This does not mean every triangular sighting is automatically explained by helicopters. Some reports lack enough information to identify a cause with confidence. However, the Montreal example demonstrates that triangular arrangements of lights should not be treated as evidence of an exotic craft without first excluding ordinary aviation explanations. [Newsweek]newsweek.comMore. News Article. UFOs Identified After Video Viewed NearlyUFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million…March 15, 2023 — 15 Mar 2023 — UFOCanadaViral videoMilitaryAliensHeli…
How to check aircraft before calling it unresolved
The Montreal case offers a practical lesson for anyone who sees unusual lights over Quebec.
Before treating a sighting as genuinely unexplained, it is useful to check:
- Flight-tracking services to see whether civilian aircraft were operating in the area.
- Military activity that may not appear on public tracking systems.
- The number of visible lights, asking whether they could belong to multiple aircraft rather than one object.
- Video zoom and perspective effects, which can compress distances and merge separate lights into a single pattern.
- Whether the sighting occurred near airports, military facilities or known training routes.
A sighting should be considered unresolved only after ordinary possibilities have been examined and found wanting. In the March 2023 Montreal case, further investigation weakened the UFO interpretation rather than strengthening it. The available evidence ultimately pointed towards helicopters in formation, making the incident a useful example of how an apparently extraordinary sighting can emerge from a routine aviation activity. [Newsweek]newsweek.comMore. News Article. UFOs Identified After Video Viewed NearlyUFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million…March 15, 2023 — 15 Mar 2023 — UFOCanadaViral videoMilitaryAliensHeli…
What this case adds to Quebec’s UFO history
Quebec’s UFO record contains a mixture of unresolved reports, misidentifications and cases that remain debated decades later. The March 2023 Montreal formation video belongs firmly in the category of a likely aviation explanation. Its value lies not in mystery but in illustration.
For readers exploring common explanations for Quebec lights in the sky, the incident provides a modern, well-documented example of how night-time aircraft can create a convincing illusion of a large triangular UFO. It shows why investigators place so much emphasis on aviation records, flight activity and viewing geometry before concluding that a sighting represents something genuinely unknown. [Newsweek]newsweek.comMore. News Article. UFOs Identified After Video Viewed NearlyUFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million…March 15, 2023 — 15 Mar 2023 — UFOCanadaViral videoMilitaryAliensHeli…
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Endnotes
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Source: newsweek.com
Title: More. News Article. UFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly
Link: https://www.newsweek.com/ufo-montreal-video-twitter-identified-1787925Source snippet
UFOs Identified After Video Viewed Nearly Half a Million...March 15, 2023 — 15 Mar 2023 — UFOCanadaViral videoMilitaryAliensHeli...
Published: March 15, 2023
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Source: canada.ca
Title: CH-146 Griffon
Link: https://www.canada.ca/en/air-force/services/aircraft/ch-146.htmlSource snippet
Aircraft - Royal Canadian Air Force3 Dec 2025 — The CH-146 Griffon utility tactical-transport helicopter supports the tactical transporta...
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Source: facebook.com
Title: btac 2501 takes flight 1 wings ch146 griffon and ch147f chinook pilots are now d
Link: https://www.facebook.com/RCAF.ARC/posts/btac-2501-takes-flight-1-wings-ch146-griffon-and-ch147f-chinook-pilots-are-now-d/1249243833899655/Source snippet
Facebook🚁BTAC 2501 Takes Flight 1 Wing's CH146 Griffon and...This course is a key step in building a responsive, lethal, and survivable...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/HiddenFactsss/posts/triangular-shaped-ufo-was-captured-on-camera-flying-above-a-city-with-mountains-/1573580834768550/Source snippet
m/2015/12/triangle- shaped-ufo-sighting-over-dove-mountain-...Read more...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1201810527516337/posts/1205948293769227/Source snippet
Detection of unusual triangular shaped UFOsMY THOUGHTS If you study this UFO subject long enough, most would have to come to the conclusi...
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Source: canadiandefencereview.com
Title: Canadian Defence Review CH-146 GRIFFON
Link: https://canadiandefencereview.com/ch-146-griffon/Source snippet
CH-146 GRIFFON - Bell Flight - Canadian Defence AircraftThe CH-146 Griffon utility tactical-transport helicopter supports the tactical tr...
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Source: verticalmag.com
Title: ch 146 griffon helicopter life extension what comes next
Link: https://verticalmag.com/news/ch-146-griffon-helicopter-life-extension-what-comes-next/Source snippet
The life extension of the CH-146 Griffon and a plan for what...27 May 2021 — The CH-146, a militarized variant of the Bell 412, provides...
Published: May 2021
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Source: instagram.com
Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C98HVkaqbol/Source snippet
Wing Trenton before departing Canada for Latvia...
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Source: instagram.com
Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZDeJbXjcVk/Source snippet
aircraft for departure ahead of a night flying exercise over...
Additional References
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Source: instagram.com
Link: https://www.instagram.com/theaviationcircle/?hl=enSource snippet
AviationCircle (@theaviationcircle)... UFO. The 46-second clip was located by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) after eight...
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Source: academia.edu
Link: https://www.academia.edu/34922952/John_Keels_Anomaly_Newsletter_With_an_Appendix_of_Curiosities_and_Oddities_from_Mr_Keel_s_Pen_including_Notes_Articles_and_Research_ToolsSource snippet
(PDF) John Keel's Anomaly Newsletter: With an Appendix...In his much-acclaimed book, UFOs: Operation Trojan Horse (1970), Keel suggested...
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Source: instagram.com
Link: https://www.instagram.com/caughtlivemoments/?hl=enSource snippet
OFFICIAL CAUGHTLIVE ACCOUNT (@caughtlivemoments)UFO enthusiasts hailed it as the closest thing yet to official acknowledgment, while skep...
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Source: instagram.com
Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTat3QmjeMM/?hl=en-gbSource snippet
“They say it's just a 'light illusion'… then explain the...#UFO #BlackTriangle #UAP #AlienTechnology #ViralUFO #CloakingDevice #ContactI...
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Source: rimonlaw.com
Title: Rimon Law | Attorneys Across Practices and Industriesuniversity club; y.e.s
Link: https://www.rimonlaw.com/team/Source snippet
business development series, entity formation & ip protection, march 27, 2023.... aliens in structuring holding entities and purchase of...
Published: March 27, 2023
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3zj5vw96goSource snippet
Open-door ride in a CH 146 Griffon helicopterLt. Col. John Alexander, commanding officer of 427 squadron, discusses the CH 146 Griffon he...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpkkqCGU21kSource snippet
SHOCKING Triangle shaped UFOs 😱 Revealed By...UFO Sightings, Aliens, Ghosts, & Scary Videos...more. Dezzmon. 45.4K... UFO FILES: Scien...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkm3KxIyZDESource snippet
The longstanding mystery of BLACK TRIANGLE UFOsThe tr3b is a giant black aircraft that was built using reverse engineered alien technolog...
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Source: archive.org
Title: Full text of “Ufos and the Extraterrestrial Contact Movement U.F.O
Link: https://archive.org/stream/412589424-ufos-and-the-extraterrestrial-contact-movement-v-1/412589424-Ufos-and-the-Extraterrestrial-Contact-Movement-v1_djvu.txtSource snippet
OBSERVATION MARCH 21, 1966 AND THE IN- 132 Nocturnal Light UFOS VESTIGATION BY THE U.S. AIR FORCE AND DR. J. ALLEN HYNEK. Hillsdale, Mich...
Published: March 21, 1966
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Source: christianpost.com
Title: pentagon releases first batch of ufo files amid speculation
Link: https://www.christianpost.com/news/pentagon-releases-first-batch-of-ufo-files-amid-speculation.htmlSource snippet
UFO phenomena could be demonic in nature, responded to the footage of the eight-pointed UAP by referencing biblical accounts of angelic b...
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