Episode Details
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March 14, 1997: Phoenix Lights
Published 2 years, 6 months ago
Description
Art Bell devotes the program to the extraordinary Phoenix Lights event that unfolded just hours earlier on March 13, 1997. Thousands of Arizona residents witnessed a massive formation of lights traversing the state, and the phone lines are flooded with firsthand accounts from stunned observers across the Phoenix metropolitan area and beyond.
A remarkable piece of audio dominates the broadcast. A recording purportedly from a military source at Luke Air Force Base describes F-15 fighter jets scrambled to intercept the unknown craft. The source details how pilots observed five distinct lights in a triangular pattern descending near Sky Harbor Airport, encountering commercial aircraft in the flight path. The witness describes gun camera footage captured by shaken pilots, radar returns replaced by white noise, and a complete base lockdown following the encounter.
Callers share vivid descriptions of the objects, from enormous silent triangles blocking out the stars to shimmering formations that moved in perfect unison. The episode serves as a real-time historical document of one of the most witnessed UFO events in American history, recorded while the experience was still raw and unfiltered.
A remarkable piece of audio dominates the broadcast. A recording purportedly from a military source at Luke Air Force Base describes F-15 fighter jets scrambled to intercept the unknown craft. The source details how pilots observed five distinct lights in a triangular pattern descending near Sky Harbor Airport, encountering commercial aircraft in the flight path. The witness describes gun camera footage captured by shaken pilots, radar returns replaced by white noise, and a complete base lockdown following the encounter.
Callers share vivid descriptions of the objects, from enormous silent triangles blocking out the stars to shimmering formations that moved in perfect unison. The episode serves as a real-time historical document of one of the most witnessed UFO events in American history, recorded while the experience was still raw and unfiltered.