NUFORC Sighting 59970

Occurred: 1997-03-13 21:15 Local - Approximate
Reported: 2007-11-21 00:25 Pacific
Duration: approx. 10 min.
No of observers: 1

Location: Phoenix, AZ, USA

Shape: Rectangle
Characteristics: Lights on object, Aircraft nearby

03/15/1997, 21:15 Phoenix, Arizona 20 rectangular objects in "V" formation, performed circular spin, etc.

March 15, 1997 Possible UFO Sighting over northwest metro Phoenix, Arizona.

Location: Observed from side street near major intersection of 43rd Ave. and Peoria Ave.

Sighted multiple objects flying in formation, first noticed in SSE position moving south to north.

Objects had a slight tan, copper toned color, which I at first thought might be the reflection of city streetlights.

As they approached closer, nearly overhead, they appear uniform in color and seemed to be illuminated with a glow similar to Christmastime luminaria (candles placed in brown paper sacks or bags). I could not tell the altitude of the objects. They were moving due north in a wide “V” formation. There were about ten objects in each arm of the “V” all the same rectangular (shaped like a postage stamp, slightly longer in the north-south dimension, the direction of travel). Meantime, a commercial airliner was climbing out on a NE heading as if it were heading for Denver (very noisy) to my left that would place it over the far northwest area of Glendale, probably over 67th Ave. and Bell Rd. or slightly farther north, possibly over 67th Ave. and Union Hills Rd. I was riding a bicycle on a dark side street facing east. As I recall, the evening was clear and moonless. I figured that the “V” formation would cross the path of the jet airliner and I would be able to get an idea of the altitude and size of the objects as they intersected with the airliner.

As the “V” formation approached overhead, slightly to the east, if low, possibly traveling above 35th Avenue.

If higher, they possibly would be above Black Canyon Freeway (I-17), over the Metrocenter regional shopping mall. The “V” formation was not directly overhead, but slightly to the east of me at an undetermined altitude.

As I watched the “V” formation approach the point directly east of me, the objects did a coordinated maneuver: They moved out along the “V” and spun in a coordinated circular pattern and then moved close together in a circular group packed tightly but none of them overlapping. They moved out of the “V” formation in opposite directions and formed two separated circular clusters. In doing this complicated maneuver, they never changed speed or their north-south orientation. The motion out of the “V” formation reminded me of the Paramount logo at the start of Hollywood movies where the star flow up an around the mountain forming a circle of stars.

This happened out of the arms of the “V” forming a rotating circle of rectangular objects that then tightened the circle into a paced grouping also having a roughly circular perimeter with all the objects maintaining their north-south direction only now formed into two separate circular tightly packed cluster – still moving toward the jet airliner. The separation between the two clusters was approximately the length of the ends of the “V” when I first saw it and when it reached the point direct east of me..

These objects continued moving due north and at some point would intersect the path of the jet airliner – either In front of it or behind it – at least one or the other of the now two separate circular tightly packed clusters. The jet airliner continued NE. The two clusters were moving toward the rear quarter of the plane and I was sure one of the cluster would intersect and pass over the plane either above it or below it and that would give me some idea of their relative size and altitude. As the two clusters moved toward the rear quarter of the plane, probably at about a 45 degree angle if a passenger on the plane were looking back over the plane’s horizontal tail assembly. As both clusters approached the plane and reached a point fairly close, both clusters simultaneously blinked invisible – as if the simultaneously and instantly turned on some kind of “cloaking” effect that rendered them invisible. Neither cluster passed over or under the plane. They just suddenly turned invisible. The jet airliner continued it NE heading, the pilot or crew or passengers, unaware that a large cluster of rectangular objects had nearly intercepted it.

When I arrived home, about a half mile from where this sighting occurred, I looked in the White Pages and found two listings for UFO reporting. The first one I called rang with no answer. The second one I called, UFO Watch I think was the name, located in Fountain Hills east of Scottsdale. The man I talked to said it was extremely unusual to see rectangular objects and even more unusual to see multiple rectangular objects. He said the complex coordinated maneuvers I described the objects performing would not be possible from any current technology he was aware of. The U.S. Air Force didn’t have anything capable of such a complicated, coordinated maneuver and they certainly would not perform something as complicated as the circular spin and tight formation clustering over a densely populated city such as Phoenix. He told me to make a note of what I had seen and leave it at that. He said no one would believe me. I told him that I had two thoughts. One was that this was the first UFO sighting I had ever experienced and couldn’t believe that it occurred over a metropolitan area. I thought UFO sightings usually were seen over remote, rural areas. And second, that this occurred in the early evening and surely I wasn’t the only one who had witnessed it. People would be out playing tennis or shooting baskets or doing other outdoor activities and would have seen the same “V” formation and the maneuvers that I had seen. I watched the news the next couple of days and never heard any report of such a sighting or similar UFO report. I find it hard to believe that I was the only one who witnessed this unusual event. There was a different sighting reported over Phoenix of some kind of unusual “lights” but they were moving in the opposite direction, from what I have heard, moving from north to south. I told the man in Fountain Hills that I was sure that if I went out and purchased some video or photography equipment that it was unlikely that I would encounter such an unusual display of UFO mass coordinated maneuvers in the rest of my lifetime. I probably would be wasting my time expecting to see such a sighting again and hoping to record it on videotape or on photographic film. But what I had witnessed spanned about ten minutes at the most, maybe not that long. The objects were not moving very fast, no faster than the jet airliner. If I move my hand to trace the movement of the objects, the time lapse is more like one or two minutes, possibly less than one minute. When I first saw the “V” formation, it was about halfway between the hor! izon to the SE and zenith looking due East. This is the first time I have ever given a written report of that sighting. I have told family and friends what I saw. Each time a movie started showing the Paramount Pictures-Gulf & Western stars spinning in a circle, I would mention that’s what I saw those UFO objects do as they moved out of the “V” formation.




NUFORC Note:

Witness indicates that the date of the incident is approximate. However, we assume that he describes here the "Phoenix Lights" event, of March 13, 1997, so we have changed the date above, in order to reflect that fact. PD


Posted 2007-11-28

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