Phoenix Lights UFO Sighting

Record	OBS-0152
Category	Extraterrestrial/UFOs
Status	DEBUNKED
Summary	The Phoenix Lights were a series of unidentified lights seen over Arizona and Nevada on March 13, 1997. Witnesses reported a large V-shaped or boomerang-shaped object with lights, and a separate cluster of stationary lights. The U.S. Air Force and investigators attributed the sightings to military aircraft and flares, but some witnesses and UFO proponents maintain that an extraterrestrial craft was involved.
Origin	The event occurred on March 13, 1997, over the southwestern United States, primarily in Arizona and Nevada.
Claimed	A massive silent, low-flying triangular or boomerang-shaped craft with five lights flew over Phoenix. The craft was of extraterrestrial origin or a secret military aircraft. The lights were part of a coordinated UFO event, not conventional aircraft. The government covered up the true nature of the sightings.
Evidence / consensus	The U.S. Air Force and independent investigators identified the lights as flares dropped by A-10 aircraft during training exercises at the Barry Goldwater Range, and the triangular formation as A-10 aircraft returning to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. No evidence supports an extraterrestrial or secret craft.

> OBSERVER NOTE:
Catalogued as a classic mass UFO sighting. The mundane explanation of flares and military aircraft is well-documented, yet the event persists in UFO lore. Witness testimony remains vivid but is contradicted by radar and military records.

Sources

Sources are external and provided for verification. Listing does not imply the Observer endorses their claims.