Quick Info
March 13, 1997. One of the largest and best-documented mass UFO sightings in history unfolded over Arizona and parts of Nevada. Thousands of people, from Henderson, Nevada, to Tucson, Arizona, a span of over 300 miles, reported seeing strange lights in the night sky between approximately 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. MST. The event consisted of two distinct phases: an early V-shaped or boomerang formation of lights (often described as a massive, solid craft up to a mile wide) silently gliding overhead from northwest to southeast between roughly 8:00 and 8:45 p.m., and a later series of stationary or slowly descending orbs over the Phoenix area around 10:00 p.m.
Witnesses included commercial and private pilots, police officers, families, amateur astronomers, and then-Governor Fife Symington III (who initially mocked the event but admitted in 2007 that he personally witnessed a massive, otherworldly delta-shaped craft). The U.S. Air Force attributed the sightings to military aircraft formations and dropped flares from Operation Snowbird training exercises, but many witnesses and researchers maintain the early V-formation defies that explanation due to its size, silence, structure, and behavior.
The Detailed Timeline: From Nevada to Tucson
The Phoenix Lights unfolded over several hours with reports flowing in from multiple locations. Timelines are reconstructed from witness logs, news archives, and investigations (including Lynne Kitei's work and Robert Sheaffer's analysis).
7:30–7:55 p.m.: Initial reports in Nevada and northwest Arizona
The first sighting came at approximately 7:55 p.m. in Henderson, Nevada (near Las Vegas), where a witness reported a large V-shaped object moving southeast. By 8:00 p.m., similar reports emerged in Paulden, Arizona (north of Prescott), where a former police officer described a cluster of reddish-orange lights moving south and disappearing over the horizon. These early sightings set the pattern: a formation of 5–9 steady lights in a V or boomerang shape, moving slowly and silently.
8:15–8:30 p.m.: Prescott Valley and northern Phoenix area
Multiple witnesses in Prescott Valley saw the lights pass overhead. Tim Ley, his wife Bobbi, son Hal, and grandson Damien Turnidge (65 miles north of Phoenix) first spotted what appeared to be five distinct lights in an arc, initially mistaking them for a balloon or plane. As the lights approached, they realized the formation was massive, upside-down V-shaped, and moving toward them. Over 10 minutes, the lights grew closer, the gaps widened, and the object appeared solid. Ley estimated it took 2–3 minutes to pass overhead, moving slowly (30–50 mph) without sound. Other Prescott witnesses described the same: lights blocking stars, no engine noise, geometric outline.
8:20–8:45 p.m.: Central Phoenix metro area (peak sightings)
The formation reached Phoenix proper. Witnesses along the line from Squaw Peak (now Piestewa Peak) to South Mountain reported a huge object overhead. Many described it as a single massive craft (1–2 miles wide), with lights along the leading edge and sometimes trailing points. It glided slowly south, blocking stars as it passed, creating a "black triangle" effect against the night sky. Commercial pilots reported no known aircraft matched; one noted "no FAA strobes, no contrails." Governor Symington, watching from Squaw Peak with locals, later said: "It was dramatic and otherworldly... bigger than anything I've ever seen. It defied logic."
8:45–9:00 p.m.: Southern Phoenix and Tucson
The object continued south toward Tucson, with reports fading as it moved beyond the metro area. Some Tucson witnesses saw lights pass overhead, but sightings tapered off.
9:15–10:30 p.m.: Second event – Hovering orbs over Phoenix
Separate from the V-formation, bright stationary lights appeared over Phoenix around 10:00 p.m. Witnesses described a row or arc of orbs "hovering" or slowly descending, winking out sequentially as they fell behind the Sierra Estrella mountains. Videos captured this phase clearly, showing descent and fade.
Witness Accounts: Credibility and Consistency
Estimates range from 10,000 to 20,000 witnesses (Lynne Kitei and others). Key consistent elements from Phase 1:
- Silence , no jet noise despite low estimated altitude (some said 1,000–5,000 ft).
- Star-blocking , craft appeared solid, eclipsing stars as it passed overhead.
- Size , football-field to mile-wide; many felt one object, not separate lights.
- Motion , slow, steady glide (30–50 mph), no sudden maneuvers.
- Lights , 5–10 steady white/amber along edges, no blinking FAA strobes.
Pilots: Commercial and private pilots reported no match to known aircraft. One said: "It was too big, too quiet, too structured."
Governor Fife Symington: Initially held a 1997 press conference mocking the event (aide in alien costume: "They found who was responsible"). In 2007, he admitted witnessing Phase 1: "I saw a massive delta-shaped craft of unknown origin... It was a geometric form with extremely bright lights on the leading edge. As a pilot, I know every machine that flies. It was bigger than anything I've ever seen. It couldn't have been flares because it was too symmetrical, had a constant shape."
"I'm a pilot and I know just about every machine that flies. It was bigger than anything that I've ever seen. It defied logic."
– Fife Symington (2007 statement on his sighting)
Lynne Kitei (Phoenix physician): Witnessed and documented extensively; her book *The Phoenix Lights* compiles testimonies, photos, and analysis. She maintains Phase 1 was not flares/aircraft.
Investigations and Media Coverage
Media explosion: Local news (Channel 12, Arizona Republic), national outlets (CNN, ABC). Lynne Kitei interviewed hundreds, collected videos/photos. No formal government probe beyond Air Force statement. Symington's 2007 reversal (CNN, Larry King) reignited debate. Documentaries (*Out of the Blue*, *The Phoenix Lights...We Are Not Alone*) feature witnesses.
Official Explanation: Military Activity
U.S. Air Force (July 1997): Phase 1 , Five A-10 Thunderbolt II jets from Operation Snowbird (winter pilot training at Davis-Monthan AFB) flying in V-formation under visual flight rules. Steady formation lights (not blinking FAA collision lights) due to military exemption. Flew Phoenix to Tucson corridor, landing ~8:45 p.m.
Phase 2 , LUU-2B/B illumination flares dropped by Maryland ANG A-10s at Barry M. Goldwater Range. Flares descend slowly on parachutes, appear to hover due to heat "balloon" effect, wink out behind Sierra Estrella mountains.
Lt. Col. Ed Jones (Maryland ANG) confirmed flare drop in 2017 interviews.
Skeptical Explanations and Counterpoints
Robert Sheaffer and James McGaha: Two unrelated incidents from Operation Snowbird. Phase 1: A-10 formation lights misperceived as single craft (distance illusion). Phase 2: Flares match videos (descent rate, wink-out pattern). No radar confirmation of large craft; brightness blocked stars via optical effect.
Counterpoints: Phase 1 silence/size/structure defy A-10s (jet noise, smaller span). No exact replication. Symington/pilots reject flares for early event. Kitei: Flares don't traverse state in formation for hours.
Archival Footage and Analysis
More witness videos and analyses on YouTube
Legacy in 2026
Nearly 29 years later, Phoenix Lights endures as America's benchmark mass sighting: scale (thousands), credibility (Symington, pilots), and unresolved Phase 1 mystery. Ties to modern UAP (multi-witness, anomalous flight, official partial explanations). Amid disclosure debates, it underscores why some cases resist full prosaic closure.
