Thousands see a large formation of lights over Arizona, and later a row of stationary lights
March 13, 1997 · Phoenix, Arizona, and the corridor to Tucson and Nevada · Sighting · Secondary sources only
On the evening of 13 March 1997, thousands of people from Nevada to Arizona reported a V-shaped formation of five to seven lights between about 7:55 and 8:40 pm, some describing a dark mass a mile wide. After 9 pm a separate row of lights hung over the Phoenix area. Governor Fife Symington mocked the reports at a June 1997 press conference but later said he had seen a craft 'bigger than anything that I've ever seen.'
Why it matters (4/5)
One of the most widely witnessed UFO events in the United States, and a standard case of how flares and formation flying are misread.
Caveats
The Air Force said the formation was Maryland Air National Guard A-10s flying in a V and the later lights were their parachute flares over the Barry M. Goldwater Range; the Guard did not acknowledge the flares until the next month. An amateur astronomer saw planes through his telescope that evening. Some witnesses say the formation was silent and too slow for aircraft.
Video and images
- The Original Phoenix Lights Footage, filmed by Mike Kryszton (1997) (Video, YouTube (third-party upload))
- The Phoenix Lights (Original Footage) (Video, YouTube (third-party upload))
Sources
- The Phoenix Lights mass UFO sighting (HISTORY UK), context