- Saturday, March 13, 1999, marks the second
anniversary of the dramatic UFO sighting event that occurred two years
ago over both the states of Nevada and Arizona, an event generally referred
to as the 'Phoenix Lights' case. One unconfirmed sighting report was
received from the State of New Mexico, as well.
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- Many aspects of the case still remain
unexplained and controversial, but a considerable body of data and evidence
has been collected by many capable investigators, which suggests that the
event was extraordinarily dramatic and bizarre. Moreover, it went virtually
unreported in the press, save for a handful of short articles printed in
local Arizona newspapers. The story finally 'broke' with a major, front-page
article in USA TODAY on Wednesday, June 18, 1997, some three months after
the incident had occurred.
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- Some of the salient features of the case
are described below:
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- 1) Perhaps thousands, or tens of thousands,
of witnesses on the ground witnessed at least one object pass and/or hover
overhead which they described as being huge, gigantic, or unimaginably
large. Many of the witnesses reported that they had the impression that
a Boeing 747 could land on the back of the object they had just witnessed
pass overhead their location.
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- 2) Most witnesses described the object
as being generally triangular in shape, with anywhere from five, to many,
innumerable, lights on the leading edge of the object. Some observers
reported that the pattern of lights consisted of three lights clustered
near the 'nose' of the object, with one light on each of the trailing
tips of the triangle. Other individuals reported an object that appeared
to have seven large lights equally spaced along its leading edge.
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- 3) The object apparently was capable
of very rapid flight, probably even supersonic flight, although few witnesses
reported any sound emanating from it. The object was reported heading
generally to the southeast over Henderson, NV, at 1855 hrs. (Pacific),
and was next reported heading to the south in the vicinity of Paulden,
AZ, approximately 22 minutes later at 2017 hrs. (Mountain). Within approximately
one minute of the sighting in Paulden, the object was reported from the
vicinity of Prescott Valley, AZ, roughly 30 miles to the south. The object
then appeared over Phoenix, where it is reported to have hovered for 4-5
minutes in the vicinity of the intersection of Indian School Road and 7th
Avenue.
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- 4) The object passed through the airspace
of Sky Harbor Airport, where it was witnessed by air traffic controllers
in the airport tower, and where it also was reported via radio by at least
one commercial flight crew. They reported via radio that the object was
passing directly overhead their aircraft, which was on the ground preparing
to depart Sky Harbor. The object reportedly did not appear on radar, and
it did not communicate via either radio or transponder.
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- 5) From the Phoenix area, the object
reportedly proceeded generally south toward South Mountain, continuing
southeast toward Tucson, AZ, along Interstate 10. One family, driving
northwest toward Phoenix on Interstate 10 near Casa Grande, AZ, reported
that the object remained above them for an estimated 1-2 minutes while
they were driving at approximately 80 miles per hour. The object was so
large above them that the family's two children in the back seat of their
station wagon simultaneously could see the opposite 'wing tips' of the
object out both the left and right passenger windows.
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- 6) The National UFO Reporting Center
received a telephone call approximately seven hours after the incident
from a person who identified himself as an airman stationed at Luke Air
Force Base, located 20 miles to the west of Phoenix. The individual reported
that the U. S. Air Force had launched two F-15c fighter aircraft from Luke
AFB, and that one of the aircraft had 'intercepted' a gigantic object over
the intersection of Indian School Road and 7th Avenue. It was also reported
by this individual that the onboard radar of the intercepting fighter had
suddenly gone to a condition of 'white noise,' and that the lights on the
anomalous object simultaneously had suddenly dimmed in unison and disappeared
from the pilot's sight. (Please see text of conversation with the alleged
airman at www.ufocenter.com.)
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- 7) On March 14, 1997, senior officers
from Luke Air Force Base stated that they knew nothing about the incident,
and that the base had received no reports from the public regarding the
event. Long distance telephone bills, which indicate calls to the base,
contradict the statements made by these officers.
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- 8) Some military personnel and UFO investigators
have asserted that the entire event was caused by 'military flares' that
had been released at approximately 2130 hrs. (Mountain) by a flight of
USAF A-10 aircraft in the general vicinity of the Gila Bend Bombing Range.
The bombing facility is located approximately 60-80 miles to the southwest
of Phoenix. This event, if in fact it did take place, occurred at approximately
2130 or 2200 hrs., some 45 minutes after the UFO sighting had already occurred
over northern Arizona, Phoenix, and Tucson.
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- 9) The witnesses who reported their sightings
of the object over northern Arizona and Phoenix include architects, physicians,
law enforcement officers, educators, attorneys, airline pilots, scientists,
real estate brokers, and other seemingly reliable citizens. Many are
qualified observers, and have reported their sightings in eloquent, written
form.
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- Further questions may be directed to:
The National UFO Reporting Center
- P. O. Box 45623
- University Station
- Seattle, WA 98145
- Hotline: (206) 722-3000 (0800
to 2400 hrs. Pacific)
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