Status: Explained — attributed to A-10 aircraft in formation and flares dropped during Air National Guard training (Operation Snowbird); many witnesses dispute this.
On the evening of March 13, 1997, between about 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. MST, lights of varying descriptions were seen over a stretch of about 300 miles, from the Nevada line through Phoenix to the edge of Tucson. Some witnesses described a huge carpenter's-square shaped craft with five round lights. There were two distinct events: a triangular formation of lights moving across the state, and a series of stationary lights in the Phoenix area.
The sightings began at 7:55 p.m. with a Henderson, Nevada witness who reported a large V-shaped object heading southeast. Later, the Ley family, who first saw the lights from about 65 miles away, described five lights in an arc that eventually resolved into a huge dark shape passing silently overhead.
Both events were later attributed to aircraft in Operation Snowbird, a winter pilot training program run by the Air National Guard out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. The first group of lights was identified as a formation of A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft returning to base, and the second as illumination flares dropped by other A-10s on the Barry Goldwater Range. Arizona governor Fife Symington later recounted seeing the lights and called them “otherworldly.” Many witnesses still disagree with the official explanation.
Sources: Wikipedia: Phoenix Lights
📍 See this case on the map. Were you nearby, or can you explain it? Add a verification note below — notes are read by a person before they appear.
Leave a Reply