UFOs & Aliens

The Phoenix Lights

On the night of 13 March 1997, people across Arizona reported strange lights, including a boomerang-shaped formation and a row of lights over Phoenix. In July 1997, military spokesmen said Maryland Air National Guard A-10 jets had dropped flares that night. Press reports at the time noted the flares did not appear to account for every sighting.

By The Tinfoil Tribune StaffEra: 1997 · Verdict: Debunked
An A-10 Thunderbolt II releases a flare at Osan Air Base, South Korea, in 2016. The Air National Guard said A-10 flares explained the 1997 lights. This photo is not from that night.
An A-10 Thunderbolt II releases a flare at Osan Air Base, South Korea, in 2016. The Air National Guard said A-10 flares explained the 1997 lights. This photo is not from that night. Photo: Staff Sgt. Jonathan Steffen, U.S. Air Force / Public domain

Verdict: Debunked. The weight of the evidence cited below contradicts this claim. How we rate stories

The Story

On the evening of 13 March 1997, people across Arizona looked up and saw something strange. According to the Las Vegas Sun, callers from Tucson to Kingman reported lights, some describing a boomerang formation. Over Phoenix, a row of lights was caught on videotape.

The sightings became a national story that June, when the videotape aired and USA Today picked up the story. Phoenix city councilwoman Frances Emma Barwood pressed for an investigation. Sen. John McCain forwarded her letter to the Air Force, which, according to the Sun, said it no longer investigates UFO reports.

A Maryland Air National Guard spokesman said the jettisoned flares would have created what one pilot called 'one hell of a light show.'

In July 1997 an explanation emerged. A Maryland Air National Guard spokesman said eight A-10 jets in Arizona for a winter training program called Operation Snowbird had dropped high-intensity parachute flares over the Barry M. Goldwater range, about 60 miles south-southwest of Phoenix, then jettisoned their remaining flares at high altitude. The Tucson Weekly reported that the planes landed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base at about 8:30 p.m., and that an amateur astronomer said he had seen a squadron of planes through his telescope that night.

The flares fit the row of lights in the famous video. They may not explain everything: the Sun noted that many reports came from far north of Phoenix. Barwood called for a re-enactment so people could say whether 'that's what they saw or not what they saw.' Even Davis-Monthan's spokesman stopped short of declaring the case closed: 'This is what was operating that night.'

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Origins

The Las Vegas Sun reported that callers 'from Tucson in the south to Kingman in northwestern Arizona' reported lights that night. A videotape of the lights aired nationally in June 1997, and the Tucson Weekly says USA Today's coverage that month brought national attention.

The Claims

Key Evidence

Fact Check Debunked

The Evidence Against

  • According to the Sun, Capt. Drew Sullins of the Maryland Air National Guard said eight A-10 jets were using the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range, '60 miles south-southwest of Phoenix,' and dropped high-intensity flares from 15,000 feet. Before returning to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the planes jettisoned their remaining flares at high altitude.
  • The Tucson Weekly reported that Davis-Monthan's spokesman, Lt. Keith Shepherd, confirmed the eight A-10s landed there 'at approximately 8:30 p.m. on March 13, returning from the Phoenix area.' It also reported that amateur astronomer Mitch Stanley said he saw a squadron of planes through his telescope that night.
  • Shepherd said parachute flares jettisoned from 6,000 feet can be seen 'from about 150 miles away.'

Documents & Sources

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