The Phoenix Lights: The 1997 Event That Still Has No Explanation

Introduction

On March 13, 1997, thousands of Arizona residents looked up and witnessed something that would become one of the greatest UFO mysteries of all time — The Phoenix Lights.

A formation of enormous, silent lights drifted across the state, from Paulden to Phoenix, before vanishing into the night. Nearly three decades later, it remains unexplained.

The Night of the Sighting

• 8:15 PM — First reports from Paulden: a V-shaped array of lights moving south

• Between 8:30–9:00 PM — Witnesses across Prescott and Dewey describe a massive, low-flying craft

• 10:00 PM — Multiple 911 calls in Phoenix as a boomerang-shaped object, larger than several football fields, passes silently overhead

Eyewitness accounts poured in from everyday citizens, airline pilots, police officers, and even then-Governor Fife Symington, who later admitted:

“It was enormous... I’ll never forget it.”

Official Response

At first, the military denied any activity. Months later, the Air National Guard claimed the lights were flares from a training exercise — a claim widely disputed by eyewitnesses who saw structured objects, not drifting flares.

The "flare explanation" does not account for early sightings hours before the flare drop, nor for the craft-like shape witnessed in multiple cities.

Lingering Questions

• Why was NORAD unable to detect the object?

• Why did military jets scramble hours after the sightings?

• What technology could allow a silent craft of that size to fly so low?

Legacy

The Phoenix Lights remain one of the most documented and credible mass UFO sightings in U.S. history. Numerous documentaries, books, and conferences continue to explore the case.

Arizona locals still look to the skies each March 13.

Have you seen anything similar in recent years?

Report your sighting on the 918 BOARD — real-time updates encouraged.

Join The 918 Files Network

Get classified updates and behind the scene files.

REQUEST ACCESS