Introduction
On March 13, 1997, Arizona became the stage for one of the most widely witnessed UFO incidents in history: the Phoenix Lights. Thousands of people reported seeing strange lights in the sky—first a massive, silent V-shaped formation moving across the state, then a line of glowing orbs hovering near the horizon.
In my research article, I laid out the “official” explanations: the first event was likely military aircraft in formation, and the second was almost certainly military flares. That’s the narrative supported by technical analyses, Air National Guard records, and skeptical investigators.
But here’s the truth: I don’t believe my own research paper.
Yes, the data points toward aircraft and flares. But the data also comes from institutions with a history of downplaying, distorting, or outright covering up UAP encounters. To me, both events remain unexplained—and very possibly UAP-related.
The Flare Story: Too Convenient
The U.S. military’s official explanation for the 10:00 p.m. lights is that they were illumination flares dropped during training at the Barry M. Goldwater Range. Video analysis shows the lights “hovering” and then “disappearing” as they drifted behind mountain ridges.
This explanation is neat, tidy, and convenient. Almost too convenient.
For decades, the military has used the same playbook to dismiss sightings: balloons, swamp gas, classified aircraft, and now—flares. While flares may explain some of what happened that night, they do not explain the powerful, lasting testimony of witnesses who insist what they saw was structured, controlled, and unlike any flare drop they had ever witnessed.
Event A: The Silent V-Shaped Craft
The first event, around 8:30 p.m., is the most ignored and yet the most compelling. Thousands of people from Prescott to Phoenix described a massive V-shaped craft, silent and slow-moving, blotting out the stars as it passed overhead.
Governor Fife Symington later admitted: “It was absolutely breathtaking … this is definitely a UFO.”
Witnesses weren’t describing distant points of light—they were describing a structured object, something that made the night sky disappear as it drifted above them.
Skeptics point to a single amateur astronomer, Mitch Stanley, who looked through a telescope and claimed he saw planes in formation. But why should one person’s account outweigh the testimony of hundreds who described something else entirely?
Event B: More Than Just Flares
Even if you accept that the second event involved flares, serious problems remain. Witnesses described the lights as stationary, unwavering, and unnaturally bright. Dr. Lynne Kitei, who documented the Phoenix Lights extensively, has argued for years that these lights were not flares but part of the same mysterious phenomenon.
If they were flares, why did so many locals—including trained observers—swear they had never seen anything like it before? Why was the initial response from officials so dismissive, even mocking, before later being walked back?
Flawed Data, Flawed Conclusions
Much of the so-called “proof” for the flare explanation rests on military data. But the military has every reason to downplay UAP incidents. Their credibility is weakened by decades of obfuscation—from Roswell in 1947 to more recent revelations about secret Pentagon programs studying UAP.
We also know that FAA radar data from the Phoenix Lights night was deleted within weeks, as part of routine procedure. Conveniently, that means the one instrument record that might have clarified the truth for Event A is gone forever.
When the institutions guarding the data are the same ones invested in hiding the truth, how much faith can we really place in their “official explanations”?
My View: Two UAP Events
I don’t see two separate mundane events—I see two related UAP events unfolding in the same night.
- Event A: A massive, structured, silent craft flying low over Arizona.
- Event B: A second manifestation—possibly the same craft(s) repositioned—or at least a continuation of the same unexplained aerial activity.
While skeptics divide them into planes and flares, I see one continuous phenomenon.
Conclusion
The Phoenix Lights remain one of the most important mass sightings in UAP history. My research paper presented the evidence for the official story, but my opinion is clear: I don’t believe it.
The flare explanation is convenient. The aircraft explanation is simplistic. Both rely on flawed or missing data provided by sources that have repeatedly misled the public about UAP.
Until there is full transparency, I will continue to view both the V-shaped formation and the later lights as genuine UAP—or at the very least, events that cannot be explained away by the same tired narratives we’ve been fed for decades.
The Phoenix Lights were not flares. They were something far stranger, and they still demand the world’s attention.