Phoenix Lights (1997)

The Phoenix Lights incident refers to a series of widely reported sightings of unexplained aerial phenomena over Arizona and Nevada on the evening of Thursday, March 13, 1997. Thousands of people reportedly witnessed large V-shaped or triangular formations of lights moving silently across the sky. The event gained significant public attention and led to official inquiries and investigations.

• March 13, 1997, approx. 18:55 MST: Reported first sighting of a V-shaped formation of lights in Henderson, Nevada.
• March 13, 1997, approx. 19:30 - 20:30 MST: Numerous sightings reported across northern and central Arizona, including Prescott, Dewey, and Phoenix. Witnesses describe a large, slow-moving formation of lights.
• March 13, 1997, 22:00 MST (approx.): A second, distinct series of stationary lights, described as amber or red, appears over the South Mountain area of Phoenix.
• March 14, 1997: Local media begins reporting on the sightings as public calls inundate newsroom and law enforcement agencies.
• June 1997: The initial findings of the Adjutant General for Arizona, Major General Donny L. Scott, are presented.
• June 2007: Fife Symington III, then governor of Arizona in 1997, publicly states that he also witnessed the phenomena and that an official explanation was not satisfactory.

• Date and Location: The events occurred on March 13, 1997, over Nevada (specifically Henderson) and Arizona (extending from the northern part of the state through Phoenix to the southern border).
• Public Reports: Numerous civilian reports were made to local law enforcement, news agencies, and subsequently to official bodies.
• USAF Activity: The National Guard did conduct training exercises in the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range that evening, involving A-10 Warthog aircraft.
• Flare Deployment: Flares were dropped by A-10 aircraft during training exercises in the Goldwater Range on the evening of March 13, 1997. The 22:00 MST lights over South Mountain were confirmed by the Air Force to be LUU-2B/B illumination flares.
• Official Statements: The Arizona Air National Guard and the Adjutant General for Arizona, Major General Donny L. Scott, issued statements and held press conferences regarding the incidents.
• Governor's Statement: Fife Symington III, the sitting governor of Arizona at the time of the incident, later confirmed he witnessed the lights and initially dismissed the events as a hoax before retracting his public statement.

• Object Characteristics: Witnesses stated the initial formation of lights was associated with a vast, silent, V-shaped or triangular craft, some reporting it to be as large as a mile wide.
• Maneuvers: Reported claims describe the object or formation moving slowly, hovering, and then accelerating rapidly without audible propulsion.
• Duration: The first wave of sightings reportedly lasted for several minutes in different locations as the phenomenon traversed the state.
• Sensory Effects: Some witnesses reported a lack of sound and an unusual, clear view of the stars between the lights of the V-formation, suggesting a solid object.
• Number of Witnesses: Thousands of people, from various geographic locations within Arizona and Nevada, reportedly observed the phenomena.

• Tim Ley: Reported seeing a huge, dark V-shaped object that passed directly over his house in Phoenix.
• Dr. Lynne Kitei: A local physician, testified to seeing the V-shaped formation and later became a prominent advocate for the authenticity of the sightings.
• Major General Donny L. Scott: Initially stated to the press that the lights were military flares.
• Fife Symington III: In his 2007 public statement, Symington described the object he saw as "enormous and indeterminable" and "moving with a terrific sense of purpose."

• Arizona Air National Guard: Conducted an investigation in conjunction with local law enforcement and FAA, concluding that the second set of lights were military flares.
• Adjutant General for Arizona: Major General Donny L. Scott's office reviewed reports and concluded that the primary explanation for the later lights was flares dropped by A-10 aircraft during training.
• NORAD Investigation: While not a dedicated formal investigation into the V-shaped craft, NORAD radar data was reportedly examined in relation to the second series of lights.

• Astrophysical Community: No scientific body or astronomical observatory reported anomalous celestial events corresponding to the V-shaped formation on the evening of March 13, 1997.
• Optical Analysis: Analysis of video footage and still photographs of the second set of lights consistently points to them being descending flares. Analysis of the V-shaped formation footage is inconclusive due to the distance and quality of the recordings.

• Flares: The most widely cited skeptical explanation for the 22:00 MST lights over South Mountain is that they were LUU-2B/B illumination flares dropped by A-10 Warthog aircraft operating in the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range.
• Aircraft Formations: For the initial V-shaped formation, some skeptics propose that the lights were consistent with a high-altitude formation of conventional aircraft, possibly commercial or military, whose navigation lights created the illusion of a single, large object.
• Perceptual Phenomena: The perception of a vast, silent craft could be attributed to the human brain's tendency to connect disparate points of light in a dark sky into a cohesive, often geometric, shape.

• The Initial V-Shaped Formation: Despite extensive reporting and investigation of the late-evening flare drops, there is no verified, unanimously accepted explanation for the geographically widespread, numerous sightings of the large, silent, V-shaped or triangular formation earlier in the evening (approx. 19:30 - 20:30 MST).
• Lack of Radar Confirmation: The absence of corresponding radar returns for the initial V-shaped object, despite its reported size and trajectory over populated areas, remains an open question, particularly concerning military radar capabilities of the time.
• Silence of the Object: The consistent report of the object's silence by numerous witnesses, even when described as flying low, challenges conventional aircraft explanations.