1990 The Phoenix Lights Incident

The moment it began

On the evening of Thursday, March 13, 1997, the skies over the American Southwest became the stage for an event that would etch itself into the annals of ufology. The atmosphere was clear, providing an unobstructed view of the stars for residents across Nevada and Arizona. At approximately 6:55 p.m. Pacific time, a young man in Henderson, Nevada, looked up to witness a V-shaped object with six large lights on its leading edge approaching from the northwest. This was the opening act of what would become a multi-hour, state-wide phenomenon. As the night progressed, the temperature remained mild, and the desert air was still, creating a perfect backdrop for the strange, silent lights that would soon be reported by thousands of people. By 8:15 p.m., the reports began to flood in from Arizona, starting with a former police officer near Paulden who observed a bizarre cluster of red lights moving rapidly across the sky. The sheer scale of the event was unprecedented, with sightings stretching from the Nevada border down through Prescott and into the Phoenix metropolitan area, marking the beginning of a night that would challenge the boundaries of public perception and official explanation.

What they saw

Witnesses described two distinct phases of the event. The first, occurring between roughly 7:55 p.m. and 8:45 p.m., involved a massive, silent, V-shaped or boomerang-like formation that glided across the Arizona landscape. Observers reported that the object was immense, with some estimating its wingtip-to-wingtip span at a mile or more. It moved with a deliberate, slow pace, seemingly unhindered by wind or atmospheric conditions. Some witnesses claimed the lights were attached to a solid, dark craft that blocked out the stars behind it, while others described individual amber orbs. The second phase occurred around 10:00 p.m., when a separate, stationary arc of bright lights appeared southwest of Phoenix. These lights were observed hovering over the Sierra Estrella mountains before descending and disappearing one by one. Unlike the earlier formation, which moved across the state, this later display remained localized, creating a distinct visual sequence that would later become the primary focus of media coverage and official military inquiry.

The witnesses

Thousands of individuals, ranging from everyday citizens to trained professionals, bore witness to the lights. Dr. Lynne Kitei, a Phoenix physician, observed and photographed the amber orbs from her home in Paradise Valley, later dedicating years to documenting the event through her network and book. Another witness, known only as J.R. from Prescott, described a boomerang-shaped object gliding over Granite Mountain, asserting that it was at least a mile wide and completely blocked out the stars. The first report received by the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) came from a former police officer who described the lights with the precision of a trained observer. Former Phoenix City Councilwoman Frances Barwood also became a central figure, as she was the first public official to publicly question the nature of the sightings, driven by a desire for transparency. These witnesses, many of whom were initially hesitant to come forward due to the potential for ridicule, provided a consistent narrative of an event that defied the characteristics of conventional aircraft or natural phenomena.

The investigation

In the immediate aftermath, the investigation was fragmented and largely driven by private researchers and organizations like NUFORC. Peter B. Davenport, the director of NUFORC, worked tirelessly to assemble reports as calls arrived from Paulden, Prescott, and Phoenix. Investigators applied various methods to analyze the sightings, including the use of trigonometry to estimate the altitude of the formation, which some placed at roughly 35,000 to 40,000 feet. Amateur astronomers and videographers, such as Michael Krzyston, captured footage that would later be scrutinized by both skeptics and enthusiasts. Despite the volume of data, the investigation faced significant hurdles. There was no centralized, official case file produced by the government, and many of the more dramatic claims—such as reports of F-15 fighter jets intercepting the objects—could not be corroborated by official records. The lack of a unified, transparent investigation left a vacuum that was quickly filled by speculation, conspiracy theories, and a persistent, gnawing sense of mystery that remains to this day.

The official record

For months, the official response was characterized by silence or vague denials. It was not until five months after the event that the military provided a formal explanation. Captain Drew Sullins of the Air National Guard stated that the 104th Fighter Squadron of the Maryland Air National Guard’s 175th Wing was conducting a night training exercise in the vicinity of the lights. According to this account, the unit was dropping LUU-2 illumination flares over the Barry Goldwater Range. This explanation was intended to account for the 10:00 p.m. display, which matched the timing and location of the flare drop. However, the official record remained conspicuously silent regarding the earlier, massive V-shaped formation that had traversed the state hours prior. The military denied involvement in the earlier sightings, and no official documentation was ever produced to explain the silent, mile-wide object reported by thousands. This selective explanation left the most significant portion of the event entirely unaddressed, fueling the perception that the official record was incomplete or intentionally misleading.

The arguments

Skeptics have long championed the flare explanation as the definitive answer to the Phoenix Lights. They argue that the 10:00 p.m. display, which was captured on video and showed lights descending behind the Estrella Mountains, is perfectly consistent with the behavior of military illumination flares. Furthermore, they point out that the earlier formation, while mysterious, could potentially be explained by aircraft flying in formation, though no specific flight logs have been produced to confirm this. Conversely, proponents of the UAP theory argue that the flare explanation is a convenient "catch-all" that fails to account for the reports of a silent, solid, mile-wide craft observed earlier in the evening. They emphasize that flares do not hover, nor do they move in a coordinated, silent V-formation. The disparity between the two phases of the event—the moving formation and the stationary flares—is the crux of the argument. Critics of the official narrative maintain that the military's explanation is a classic case of misdirection, using a documented training exercise to dismiss a much more complex and unexplained phenomenon.

Where the case stands today

More than two decades later, the Phoenix Lights remain a touchstone in the study of unidentified aerial phenomena. The event is frequently cited as a prime example of a mass sighting that defies simple categorization. While the 10:00 p.m. flare display is widely accepted as a resolved event, the earlier, massive formation continues to be a point of intense intrigue for researchers and the public alike. The incident has been the subject of numerous documentaries, books, and ongoing investigations, ensuring that it remains in the public consciousness. It serves as a reminder of the challenges inherent in investigating UAP events, where the intersection of military activity, eyewitness testimony, and the lack of transparent data creates a persistent mystery. Whether the Phoenix Lights were a secret military test, a misidentified natural phenomenon, or something else entirely, the case remains an open question, continuing to challenge our understanding of the skies and the limits of official disclosure.