NUFORC Sighting 09523

Occurred: 1997-03-13 19:45 Local
Reported: 1999-09-02 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 20 mins
No of observers: 6

Location: Gila Bend (20 miles east of, on I-8), AZ, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Lights on object, Emitted other objects

2 large, bright orange/pinkish lights seen south of I-8 over the desert. Went from 2 to 3 to 4 lights. Small bright objects quickly left and returned to the larger lights. These smaller lights lit up the background clouds. Wife, in-laws, nephew and son witnessed with me.

20 miles east of Gila Bend, AZ on I-8 about 50 miles SW of Phoenix. I noticed two bright lights shining over the desert south of the freeway. At first I thought they were to very tall light poles. 2 then 3 then 4 lights appeared. The lights went out and 3 more appeared lower in the sky immediatedly. It seemed a set of lights went off and then the bottom set turned on. Five indiviuals in my car witnessed these lights for approx. 20 mins from I-8 interstate. I could still see the lights as we entered Gila Bend's business district. The lights always remained stationary. Smaller lights seemed to split off from the right edge of the rightmost light, do a very quick arc and return. The light from the small ones lit up the background clouds. No sound was heard. We tried to take a photo but it didn't turn out. This was the same night as the famous "Phoenix Lights" were seen.

NUFORC Note:

Location of these lights may be important to understanding the nature of the events that took place later in the eventing, e.g. after 2100 hrs.. This is the only report NUFORC has seen to date, which indicates an earlier time. We believe that they had nothing to do with the object(s) seen over Henderson, NV; Paulden, AZ; Prescott, AZ; Dewey, AZ; Cordes Junction, AZ; Phoenix, AZ; Casa Grande, AZ; Tucson, AZ; and Kingman, AZ.

Posted 1999-09-12