CASE FILEUFOPlausible

The Phoenix Lights

1997

Phoenix, Arizona, USA

North America

5Evidence Items

5Theories

4Witnesses

StatusUnconfirmed

Case Summary

On March 13, 1997, thousands of witnesses across Arizona and Nevada observed two distinct aerial phenomena over a span of three hours: a massive V-shaped formation of lights that silently traversed 300 miles from Henderson, Nevada to Tucson, Arizona, and a stationary row of brilliant orbs that hovered near the Sierra Estrella mountains. Called "the most widely witnessed UFO event in history," the incident prompted official denials, a gubernatorial cover-up, and decades of controversy that continues to this day.

Official Narrative

The U.S. Air Force eventually attributed both phenomena to Operation Snowbird, a pilot training program operated by the Air National Guard out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. According to the military, the V-formation was a group of five A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog" aircraft flying in formation at high altitude, their landing lights creating the appearance of a unified structure. The second event was officially explained as LUU-2B/B illumination flares dropped by A-10s conducting training exercises at the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range near Gila Bend. In 2007, Lt. Col. Ed Jones of the Maryland Air National Guard confirmed he was one of the pilots who dropped flares that night. Analysis of the flares' luminosity confirmed they could be visible from Phoenix at the reported distance of 50-70 miles. The lights appeared to "disappear" as they dropped behind the Sierra Estrella mountains, creating the illusion of lights winking out in sequence. No official investigation was ever conducted into the earlier V-formation sightings, and the Air Force has never confirmed which aircraft were responsible for that portion of the event.

Evidence Archive

5 items

Video

Mike Krzysten Video (10:00 PM Lights)

Filmed from his Moon Valley home on March 13, 1997, Mike Krzysten captured what became the most widely broadcast footage of the Phoenix Lights. His video shows up to nine amber orbs appearing one by one, forming a curved line over the city, then extinguishing in sequence. The footage has appeared in nearly every documentary on the incident. Krzysten, who had filmed similar lights weeks earlier, remains unconvinced by the military flare explanation, noting the lights maintained perfect linear formation—behavior inconsistent with parachute-deployed flares.

Source: UnknownDate: March 13, 1997

Dr. Lynne Kitei Photographs (1995-1997)

Tim Ley Computer Illustration

Mitch Stanley Telescope Observation

Frances Emma Barwood Witness Database

Theories & Analysis

5 theories

A-10 Aircraft in Formation (V-Formation)

Source: Unknown

LUU-2B/B Military Flares (10 PM Lights)

Source: Unknown

Massive Unidentified Craft

Source: Unknown

Illusory Contours and Misperception

Source: Unknown

Classified Military Aircraft

Source: Unknown

Eyewitness Accounts

4 reports

Tim Ley

Phoenix, Arizona • March 13, 1997

Mike Fortson

Chandler, Arizona • March 13, 1997

Governor Fife Symington III

Squaw Peak (Piestewa Peak), Phoenix, Arizona • March 13, 1997 (publicly admitted 2007)

Bill Greiner

North Phoenix, Arizona • March 13, 1997

Investigation Verdict

Plausible

The Phoenix Lights represent a case where official explanations likely account for part of what occurred—but leave significant questions unanswered. The 10:00 PM hovering lights were almost certainly military flares, as confirmed by the pilot who dropped them and supported by video analysis showing their drift pattern matching wind conditions. However, the earlier V-formation (7:55-8:45 PM) remains genuinely puzzling. Mitch Stanley's telescope observation of aircraft is the only direct optical evidence supporting the military explanation for the first event—yet thousands of witnesses, including an experienced pilot who became governor, insist they saw something that blocked out stars and moved as a single, solid structure. No aircraft formation explains the reported silence at low altitude, the apparent size (estimated at up to a mile wide), or the consistent descriptions from witnesses spread across 300 miles. The Air Force has never identified which aircraft allegedly flew the V-formation. Either thousands of Arizonans, including trained observers, experienced identical misperceptions of high-altitude aircraft—or something genuinely unexplained crossed Arizona that night.