The 1997 The Phoenix Lights – A Timeline and Eyewitness Accounts

On March 13, 1997, thousands of people across Arizona and Nevada witnessed an event that would become etched in UFO lore: the Phoenix Lights. This mass sighting involved a V-shaped formation of lights traversing the night sky, sparking intense debate and a lasting mystery. What began as a series of individual observations quickly coalesced into a shared experience, captivating the public and fueling speculation about extraterrestrial visitors.

Timeline of Events

* 6:55 PM (approx.): The first report comes in from Henderson, Nevada, where an unconfirmed individual describes a “V-shaped formation” in the sky.
* 8:15 PM (approx.): A former police officer in Paulden, Arizona, reports seeing “a cluster of orange lights,” which he follows with binoculars until they disappear. These are often referred to as the “fireballs”.
* 8:17 PM (approx.): Calls flood in about a group of white and reddish orbs hovering above Prescott, Arizona.
* 8:15 PM – 8:30 PM (approx.): Awestruck witnesses throughout the state see multiple triangular and V-shaped craft, gliding slowly and silently across the sky for half an hour. Witnesses estimated that the eerie, lighted vehicles were bigger than many football fields, up to a mile long[1].
* 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM (approx.): The V-shaped formation is widely observed moving slowly from the northwest to the southeast across Arizona. Reports come in from Phoenix to Tucson, covering roughly 300 miles of airspace.
* 10:00 PM (approx.): A row of lights appears near Phoenix and has been shown repeatedly on television news. These later lights were most likely flares[1].

Eyewitness Accounts

The Phoenix Lights event is characterized by the sheer number of witnesses, providing a rich tapestry of perspectives.

* Fife Symington (Former Arizona Governor): “It was enormous and inexplicable,” he said in an exclusive interview from his home in Phoenix[1]. He describes seeing a large triangular “craft of unknown origin” with lights, moving slowly[1]. “It was dramatic. And it couldn’t have been flares because it was too symmetrical,” he says[1]. “It had a geometric outline, a constant shape”[1]. As a pilot and former Air Force officer, Symington said, “this craft did not resemble any man-made object I’d ever seen”[5]. Symington also stated, “It was absolutely breathtaking, I mean when I saw it, I said this is definitely a UFO. I have never seen anything like this in my life”[4].
* Dr. Lynne Kitei (Phoenix Resident): “People were seeing these lights that either seemed to be attached to something or had a force field in between because when they looked up they blocked out the stars in between the lights”. Dr. Kitei also filmed what has become one of the most iconic videos of the Phoenix Lights.
* Kurt Russell (Actor and Pilot): “I saw six flights over the airport and Absolute Uniform in a v-shape and I reported it and they said we’re not painting anything we don’t show anything I said well okay I’m I’m going to declare it’s unidentified it’s flying and it’s six objects”.
* David (I-60 Witness): Driving home from work, David saw “this huge boomerang-shaped craft flying towards me… it was about 30 feet over my head… It was a gunmetal gray and there was like thousands and thousands of thumb prints in it… that poured what looked like lava… but there was no heat and there was no sound… it was overwhelming and that has stuck with me from that day from that moment”. He estimated the craft to be a mile to a mile and a half wide.
* Another Anonymous Witness: A fighter pilot stated: “Aviation flares they drop slowly the flares aren’t going to stay the perfect v-short formation and fly for Miles because they’re actually suspended by Parachute”.
* Thomas Chavez (Eyewitness): He said what he saw that night was “definitely not an aircraft — an aircraft as we know it”[4].

Descriptions of the Phenomena

Witnesses described two distinct events:

1. The “V” Formation: A massive, silent, V-shaped object with multiple lights, estimated by some to be over a mile wide. The lights were described as distinct and bright, maintaining their relative position. This gigantic, technological flying machine blocked out the stars[1]. It was not merely lights[1].
2. The “Fireballs”: A separate cluster of orange lights or orbs seen earlier in the evening and in different locations.

Official Explanation and Controversy

The Air Force eventually stated that the lights were flares dropped during a training exercise at Luke Air Force Base. Tucson astronomer and retired Air Force pilot James McGaha said he investigated two sightings over Phoenix that March night and traced them both to A-10 aircraft flying in formation at high altitude[2].

* “When they had to come out with something they came out with the flare Theory flares drift haphazardly With the Wind have huge smoke Trails it was it was bizarre the next morning headlines that’s really disappointing Phoenix Lights are flares it’s like they bit it hook line Sinker and said this is what the military says this is what we’re going with exactly military flares leave behind prominent smoke Trails as they fall which rules them out as a suspect”.

Later, in 2007, Symington said he’d had a personal close encounter with an alien spacecraft but remained silent “because he didn’t want to panic the populace”[6].

Skeptical Explanations

*James McGaha (Tucson Astronomer and Retired Air Force Pilot):** McGaha said that the lights were caused by two separate events: A-10 aircraft flying in formation at high altitude and flares dropped by military aircraft during a training exercise[2][6]. McGaha said Symington “is not a trained observer and what he feels in his gut doesn’t make any difference”[2].
* Operation Snowbird: The “Phoenix Lights” incident consisted of two unrelated incidents that were the result of activities from the Air National Guard, out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona[6].
* Sky divers and flares: Following another instance of lights in the sky in Scottsdale, AZ, it was revealed that the lights were parachutists carrying flares, jumping out of a plane for a show.

Symington’s Evolving Account

It’s important to note that Symington initially ridiculed the Phoenix Lights incident, even staging a spoof press conference with an aide dressed as an alien[1][2]. However, years later, he reversed course, stating that he himself had witnessed a UFO and that the lights were “otherworldly”[2][6]. Symington said he hadn’t acknowledged his own encounter at the time because he didn’t want people to panic[2].

The Enduring Mystery

The Phoenix Lights remain one of the most compelling and unsolved UFO events in history. The sheer number of witnesses, the detailed descriptions of the phenomena, the questions surrounding the official explanation, and the evolving account of a former governor continue to fuel speculation and intrigue. Whether a misidentified military exercise or something far more extraordinary, the Phoenix Lights have secured their place in the annals of UFO history.

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