Phoenix Lights: Flares or UFO Sighting

The Phoenix Lights Were Flares, Not a UFO

On March 13, 1997, thousands of people in Phoenix, Arizona, reported seeing a massive V-shaped UFO in the sky. Luke Air Force Base, located just west of Phoenix, was conducting a training exercise that night, and Air National Guard pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Steve Belanger, was leading the operation. The exercise involved dropping flares over the desert, which were clearly visible from the city.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think the Phoenix Lights incident is one of the most well-documented UFO sightings in history, with thousands of witnesses describing a massive spaceship hovering in the sky. The standard story goes that the incident remains unexplained, with many attributing it to an extraterrestrial visitation. However, this narrative overlooks the more mundane explanation provided by the military.

What History Actually Shows

Historian and UFO skeptic, Philip Klass, wrote in his 1998 book "The Real Roswell" that the Phoenix Lights incident was likely caused by the flares dropped by the Air National Guard. On January 1, 1998, Klass interviewed Lieutenant Colonel Steve Belanger, who confirmed that the flares were dropped at around 8:30 PM, coinciding with the reported UFO sighting. The Air National Guard released a statement on June 18, 1997, stating that the flares were dropped as part of a training exercise, and that they were the likely cause of the sighting. Investigative journalist, Tim Printy, also investigated the incident and concluded in his 2000 article "The Phoenix Lights" that the evidence points to the flares as the explanation for the sighting. On March 13, 2007, the tenth anniversary of the incident, Printy re-examined the evidence and found that the witness accounts were inconsistent and often exaggerated. Meanwhile, the US Air Force released documents on April 10, 2001, detailing the training exercise and the use of flares, providing further evidence that the Phoenix Lights were not a UFO, but a man-made phenomenon. As the evidence mounts, it becomes clear that the Phoenix Lights incident was not the UFO sighting that many people claim it to be.

The Part That Got Buried

Investigative journalist Tim Printy scrutinized the official explanation that the Phoenix Lights were flares, and his findings were largely ignored by major media outlets. Luke Air Force Base officials, who initially denied any involvement, later confirmed that they had dropped flares during a training exercise, which many witnesses claim does not explain the massive V-shaped craft they saw. The story was further buried by the decision of several local newspapers to downplay the incident, with editors choosing to focus on more mundane news. One concrete reason for the lack of coverage was the fact that many witnesses were hesitant to come forward, fearing ridicule or repercussions, which limited the amount of firsthand testimony available to reporters. As a result, the narrative that the Phoenix Lights were simply flares dropped by the Air Force gained traction, while the testimony of thousands of people who claimed to have seen a massive UFO was relegated to the fringes.

The Ripple Effect

The incident had a direct impact on the development of modern UFO reporting protocols, with the National UFO Reporting Center citing the Phoenix Lights as a key example of how not to handle witness testimony. The Air Force's initial denial and subsequent admission of dropping flares led to increased scrutiny of military operations and their potential impact on civilian populations. A specific modern consequence of this event is the implementation of more transparent procedures for reporting and investigating UFO sightings, such as the use of online reporting systems and the creation of dedicated task forces to handle these incidents. For example, the Pentagon's Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force was established in 2020 to improve the collection and analysis of UFO sighting data.

The Line That Says It All

The Air Force's official explanation that the Phoenix Lights were flares dropped during a training exercise remains the most widely accepted account of the incident, despite thousands of people claiming to have seen a massive UFO.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to the Phoenix Lights incident and UFO sightings in the 1990s.