UFO Hunters: Arizona Lights (Season 2, Episode 6) | Full Episode | History

Video Statistics and Information

Video
Captions Word Cloud
Reddit Comments
Captions
>> IT MAY BE THE LARGEST MASS UFO SIGHTING EVER WITNESSED OVER AMERICA. >> WHOA! LOOK AT THAT! >> MARCH 13, 1997, THE SKIES ABOVE ARIZONA IGNITE. >> IT'S COMING! >> FIERY GLOBES SEEN BY THOUSANDS. >> THEY STARTED MULTIPLYING. ONE LIGHT BECAME TWO LIGHTS, A THIRD, A FOURTH. >> REPORTS OF AN ULTRA-SILENT AIRCRAFT, SEEMINGLY AS LARGE AS A BATTLESHIP. >> IT WAS SO BIG. I COULD NOT SEE THE FRONT, THE BACK SIDE, THE SIDE OF THIS CRAFT. >> DO ANCIENT CLUES OVER 1,000 YEARS OLD SHOW A PATTERN? >> IT LOOKS LIKE A SAUCER WITH FIRE. >> OR COULD IT BE A TOP-SECRET GOVERNMENT PROGRAM? >> THERE ARE LARGE VEHICLES THAT FIT THE DESCRIPTIONS YOU HEARD. >> AND WHAT DOES THE STATE'S FORMER GOVERNOR NOW SAY? >> I'D DESCRIBE WHAT I SAW AS BEING OTHER-WORLDLY. >> THIS IS CASE NUMBER 97202-- ARIZONA LIGHTS. >> SOMETHING IS IN THE SKY, AND SOMETHING IS HAPPENING, AND I'LL GO TO MY DEATH KNOWING THAT WHAT I SAW WAS TRUE. >> THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ALL OVER ARIZONA SAW SOMETHING THAT NIGHT. >> I BELIEVE THE PHOENIX LIGHTS ARE REAL, AND THAT'S A FACT. >> ON THE EVENING OF MARCH 13, 1997, RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT PHOENIX, ARIZONA, ARE OUTSIDE LOOKING SKYWARD. THE LARGE NUMBER OF SPECTATORS ARE THERE TO GAZE AT THE HALE BOPP COMET, A COMET LAST SEEN MORE THAN 2,000 YEARS AGO. BUT INSTEAD, SOMETHING ELSE APPEARS IN THE DARKNESS-- SOMETHING QUITE UNEXPECTED. A MASS SIGHTING THAT CAME TO BE KNOWN AS "THE PHOENIX LIGHTS." >> WHAT PEOPLE SAW ON MARCH 13, 1997, PUT HALE BOPP TO SHAME. >> THE MOST FAMOUS ASPECT OF THE CASE IS THE VIDEOTAPED FOOTAGE OF ANOMALOUS LIGHTS THAT APPEARED OVER PHOENIX AROUND 10 PM. ACCORDING TO EYEWITNESSES, THE LIGHTS SEEN ARE RED OR ORANGE IN COLOR, AND APPEAR TO BLINK ON. >> THEY ALSO VERY INTERESTINGLY DESCRIBE THEM AS HOVERING OR MAINTAINING ALTITUDE. THEY DON'T SEEM TO DESCEND OVER TIME. >> BUT THE 10:00 LIGHTS ARE ONLY PART OF A COMPLICATED STORY. EARLIER THAT SAME EVENING, REPORTS FLOOD IN FROM ACROSS THE STATE OF ADDITIONAL SIGHTINGS. SOME DESCRIBE A V-SHAPED FORMATION OF LIGHTS, WHILE OTHERS CLAIM THEY SEE AN ACTUAL BOOMERANG-SHAPED CRAFT. ACCORDING TO THE EYEWITNESSES, WHAT IS SEEN IN THE SKIES ABOVE ARIZONA IS ABSOLUTELY ENORMOUS. REPORTS DESCRIBE THE CRAFT AS BEING NEARLY A MILE WIDE. AT TIMES, IT HOVERS SILENTLY IN THE NIGHT SKY. BUT IT IS ALSO CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING INCREDIBLE SPEEDS. CLEARLY, THIS MASSIVE CRAFT IS UNLIKE ANYTHING KNOWN TO EXIST. >> THE PEOPLE WHO WATCHED IT WERE ACTUALLY IN SHOCK. >> THE BOOMERANG IS ALLEGEDLY SPOTTED AS EARLY AS 7:55 PM IN HENDERSON, NEVADA. THEN IN PAULDEN, ARIZONA, AT 8:15. PRESCOTT AT 8:17. PHOENIX AT 8:30. AND TUCSON AT 8:45. NO IMAGES OF THIS MASSIVE CRAFT ARE KNOWN TO EXIST. ARE THESE SEPARATE SIGHTINGS, OR DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE SAME EVENT? THE INVESTIGATION AIMS TO FIND THE ANSWERS TO THE NUMEROUS EVENTS IN ARIZONA'S CLOUDED SKIES. PAT USKERT WILL UNCOVER LOCAL HISTORY OF UFO SIGHTINGS IN THE PHOENIX AREA. >> I THINK WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IS EITHER SO TOP SECRET THAT IT'S DECADES AHEAD OF WHAT WE KNOW, OR WE'RE LOOKING AT A GENUINE EXTRATERRESTRIAL VISITATION HERE. >> DR. TED ACKWORTH WILL EXAMINE THE VIDEO EVIDENCE OF THE 10:00 LIGHTS, AND WILL CONDUCT AN EXPERIMENT TO REPLICATE THE EVENT. >> ONE THING I WANT TO LOOK AT CLOSELY IS THE DYNAMIC ASPECT OF THESE LIGHTS; HOW THEY MOVE OR DON'T MOVE THROUGH THE NIGHT SKY. >> AND BILL BURNS WILL ANALYZE THE NATURE OF THE ALLEGED BOOMERANG CRAFT. >> A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY THAT THE CRAFT OVER PHOENIX THAT NIGHT AT 8:00 WAS AN EXTRA TERRESTRIAL SPACE CRAFT. >> THE INVESTIGATION HAS ENLISTED THE HELP OF DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER JAMES FOX. HE HAS BEEN CHASING THIS MYSTERY SINCE 1997. >> I HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATING THIS FOR QUITE SOME TIME. SOMETHING VERY LARGE FLEW OVER THE STATE OF ARIZONA, AND TO THIS DAY, IT REMAINS INEXPLICABLE. >> LIGHTS IN THE SKY OVER PHOENIX ARE NOTHING NEW. CARVED INTO THESE MOUNTAIN ROCKS ARE ANCIENT CLUES THAT THE HOHOKAM INDIANS MAY HAVE SEEN UFOs MORE THAN 1,000 YEARS AGO. THE NIGHT SKIES OVER PHOENIX SEEM TO HAVE A HISTORY OF STRANGE EVENTS THAT LED TO THE 1997 MASS SIGHTING, AND THROUGH TO THE PRESENT DAY. >> I BELIEVE THEY WERE NOT OF THIS WORLD. >> AND I THOUGHT, WOW, I'M JUST SEEING THINGS THAT MOST PEOPLE ARE NEVER GOING TO SEE IN A LIFETIME. >> THESE EVENTS OCCURRED OVER 11 YEARS AGO. WHY ARE PEOPLE STILL TALKING ABOUT THEM? >> THE EYEWITNESSES AREN'T BUYING THE EXPLANATION. >><i> UFO HUNTERS</i> ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE AIR FORCE IN REGARD TO THE 10:00 LIGHTS OVER PHOENIX ON MARCH 13, 1997. IT STATES THAT THE LIGHTS WERE CAUSED BY LU-U2 ILLUMINATION FLARES DROPPED BY A10 THUNDERBOLTS. THE MARYLAND AIR NATIONAL GUARD PERFORMED THE DROP AS A TRAINING MISSION OVER THE BARRY GOLDWATER MOUNTAIN RANGE. >> THE ONLY EXPLANATION IS, FLARES FROM THE MARYLAND NATIONAL GUARD? >> THEY ARE SAYING THAT THERE WERE FLARES DROPPED FROM THE INTERNATIONAL GUARD, AND I THINK A LOT OF THE WITNESSES IN THE VIDEOTAPED EVIDENCE WOULD SUGGEST OTHERWISE. >> AS THE INITIAL STEP IN HIS INVESTIGATION, PAT CHECKS IN WITH RICHARD RUELES, A REPORTER FOR THE<i> ARIZONA REPUBLIC.</i> RUELAS HAS BEEN COVERING THE PHOENIX LIGHTS PHENOMENON SINCE THE BEGINNING. >> A LOT OF TIMES, UFOs ARE SEEN IN LITTLE, SMALL, RURAL AREAS. THIS WAS AN EVENT OVER A MAJOR CITY, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE SAW IT. SO IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE EASILY DISCOUNTED. >> BUT APPARENTLY THERE WERE 2 INCIDENCES--2 EVENTS? >> ONE OF THE BIG CONFUSIONS ABOUT THE PHOENIX LIGHTS IS THAT THERE WERE 2 SEPARATE INCIDENTS THAT NIGHT. AROUND 8:00, PEOPLE SEE A V FORMATION. ABOUT 10:00, THERE ARE HOVERING ORBS ON THE WESTERN PART OF PHOENIX. THAT'S NOT WHAT MOST PEOPLE SAW. MOST PEOPLE WHO SAW THE PHOENIX LIGHTS ON THE GROUND SAW THIS V OVERHEAD. AN IMPORTANT FIGURE IN THE STORY OF THE PHOENIX LIGHTS IS COUNCILWOMAN FRANCES EMMA BARWOOD. ON MAY 6, 1997, CITING PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS, BARWOOD ASKS FOR AN OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE INCIDENTS OF MARCH 13th. >> JUST THE MERE MENTION OF A POLITICIAN THAT WE SHOULD SPEND STATE OR GOVERNMENT RESOURCES ON INVESTIGATING A UFO GETS HER LAUGHED AT. >> WHY WOULD PEOPLE STICK THEIR NECKS OUTS AND GET BURNED WHEN THERE WAS REALLY NOTHING GOING ON THAT NIGHT? FOR ME TO IMAGINE IT WAS MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, I THINK MAYBE IT WAS MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING. >> ALL FRANCES SAID WAS, AS A MATTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY, WHAT'S HOVERING OVER THE CITY OF PHOENIX? THE WORD "UFO" WAS NEVER UTTERED. SHE NEVER SAID THE WORD "E.T.," "EXTRATERRESTRIAL," "FLYING SAUCER," "SPACECRAFT." SHE NEVER SAID IT. >> I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND, WHY DOESN'T ANYBODY WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH? THE<i> ARIZONA REPUBLIC</i> DID CARTOONS WITH, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT WAS FLYING SAUCERS GOING IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER, AND ANOTHER ONE WITH A SWITCH ON THE SIDE OF MY HEAD GOING OFF. NOT ONLY DO THEY NOT WANT TO KNOW, IT'S LIKE THOU DOTH PROTEST TOO MUCH. >> SO FRANCIS, WHAT SORT OF RESPONSE WAS THERE? >> I STARTED GETTING PHONE CALLS AT 7:00 IN THE MORNING. IT DIDN'T STOP UNTIL 11:00 THAT NIGHT. AND OVER THE SUMMER, WE TAKE A BREAK. AND I TRIED TO CALL BACK EVERYBODY. I CALLED OVER 700 PEOPLE. >> DID YOU PURSUE ANY INVESTIGATION ON YOUR OWN TO FOLLOW UP ON THIS? >> I REFERRED ALL THE PHONE CALLS TO THE GOVERNOR. THE GOVERNOR, SYMINGTON AT THE TIME. >> ARIZONA'S GOVERNOR, FIFE SYMINGTON, IS PRESSURED TO FIND AN ANSWER TO THE SIGHTINGS. HE CALLS A PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE MORNING OF JUNE 19, 1997. SYMINGTON STATES THAT HE WILL LOOK INTO THE ISSUE. >> WE'RE GOING TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT. WE'RE GOING TO FIND OUT IF IT WAS A UFO. >> LATER THAT SAME AFTERNOON, THE GOVERNOR CALLS FOR ANOTHER, UNSCHEDULED PRESS CONFERENCE. >> AND NOW I'LL ASK OFFICER STEIN AND HIS COLLEAGUES TO ESCORT THE ACCUSED INTO THE ROOM SO THAT WE MAY ALL LOOK UPON THE GUILTY PARTY. >> AND HE STARTS TALKING ABOUT THE PHOENIX LIGHTS, AND WE THOUGHT, WELL, HE'S REALLY GOING TO CHECK INTO THIS. ANYWAY, OUT WALKS HIS CHIEF OF STAFF IN THIS COSTUME, LIKE AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL, AND WE REALIZE THIS WAS A BIG JOKE. [LAUGHTER] >> YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, NOT AT ALL LIKE FIFE. DOESN'T HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR. >> THIS JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT YOU GUYS ARE ENTIRELY TOO SERIOUS. [LAUGHTER] [APPLAUSE] >> WAS IT YOUR PERCEPTION, OR IS IT YOUR PERCEPTION TO THIS DAY THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING ORGANIZED AGAINST YOU BECAUSE YOU DARED TO ASK THAT QUESTION ONCE AT A CITY COUNCIL MEETING? >> IT SEEMS THAT WAY. SO MANY PEOPLE WANTED TO KNOW THE ANSWERS. AND NEVER DID I HAVE ANYBODY NEGATIVE FROM MY CONSTITUENTS, OR ANYBODY IN THE CITY, OR ANYBODY IN THE STATE. THE NEGATIVITY CAME FROM GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. >> BUT OTHER DETAILS EMERGE. STRANGE VIDEO TAKEN IN THE DAYS, MONTHS, EVEN YEARS BEFORE THE MASS SIGHTING MAY HOLD CLUES. AND THE GOVERNOR WHO LAUGHED AT FIRST NOW MAKES A STUNNING REVERSAL. WHAT DID HE SEE WITH HIS OWN EYES? >> I SAW A LARGE DELTA-SHAPED DARK OBJECT. >> THAT NIGHT, WE SEEN A BUNCH OF LIGHTS APPEAR, LIKE, OVER TOWARDS SOUTH MOUNTAIN AREA. >> THE MARCH 13th, 1997 SIGHTINGS IN ARIZONA ARE COMPLICATED, COMBINING MULTIPLE SIGHTINGS ACROSS THE STATE. AN IMMENSE, BOOMERANG-LIKE AIRCRAFT, SOMETIMES REPORTED AS 5 LIGHTS IN A D-SHAPED FORMATION, AND PERHAPS MOST FAMOUSLY, A SERIES OF RED-ORANGE ORBS ABOVE PHOENIX. BILL AND JAMES FOX ARE MEETING WITH MIKE KRYSTON, AN EYEWITNESS TO THE PHOENIX LIGHTS. >> TAKE A LOOK AT THIS! >> OH, MY GOD! >> ON MARCH 13th, 1997, MIKE IS OUT ON HIS BALCONY, ENJOYING THE COOL NIGHT AIR WHEN HE SPOTS A BRIGHT ORANGE LIGHT IN THE DISTANCE. >> YOU TELL ME WHAT IT IS. >> SO I WENT IN TO GET MY VIDEO CAMERA TO SHOOT IT, AND AS I WAS DOING THAT, IT WENT OUT. AND ANOTHER LIGHT APPEARED TO THE RIGHT OF THIS THING, A LITTLE BIT LOWER. THAT LIGHT WENT ON. THEN ANOTHER ONE WENT ON. BEFORE I KNEW IT, THIS ENTIRE ARRAY OF LIGHTS HAD GONE ON. 8 OR 9 LIGHTS, AND THEY FORMED THIS ARC. I VIDEOTAPED AFTER ABOUT 2 1/2 MINUTES, AND THEN THE LIGHTS SLOWLY STARTED TO GO OFF ONE AT A TIME, AND NOT IN THE SAME ORDER THAT THEY WENT ON. >> THE AIR FORCE'S EXPLANATION FOR THE LIGHTS IS THAT THEY WERE CAUSED BY LU/U2 ILLUMINATION FLARES. ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS, THE FLARES WERE DROPPED FROM A-10 THUNDERBOLTS AS PART OF AN ANNUAL TRAINING EXERCISE CALLED "OPERATION SNOWBIRD." THE FLARES WERE IGNITED OVER THE BARRY GOLDWATER GUNNERY RANGE, BEYOND THE ESTRELLA MOUNTAINS. BOTH ARE VISIBLE FROM MIKE'S HOUSE. >> HAD YOU EVER SEEN A LIGHT LIKE THAT BEFORE IN YOUR LIFE? >> I HAD NOT. I'VE ALWAYS SEEN MAYBE ONE OR TWO LIGHTS OR SO OFF IN THE DISTANCE. AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER SEEN THEM THIS FAR TO THE EAST. THEY WERE EXTREMELY BRIGHT COMPARED TO ANY OTHER LIGHTS THAT I'VE SEEN BEFORE. AND I THOUGHT IT WAS UNUSUAL THE WAY THEY HELD THEIR PATTERN. >> IS THAT WHAT THE FLARES USUALLY DO, THAT YOU'VE SEEN IN THE PAST? >> NO. FLARES WILL DROP IN DIFFERENT RATES. THEY WILL DRIFT BECAUSE OF THE WIND, AND THEY WON'T HOLD A PATTERN. >> LIGHTS THAT MIKE SAW, ONE, LOOKED NOTHING LIKE THE FLARES HE'D SEEN BEFORE. TWO, THEY WERE PRECEDED BY AN ORANGE ORB THAT MIKE COULDN'T IDENTIFY. COULD THEY HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT TYPES OF FLARES? THOSE ARE THE QUESTIONS WE HAVE TO ANSWER. >> WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU CAPTURED ON VIDEOTAPE THAT NIGHT? >> COULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF THREE THINGS IN MY ESTIMATION. NUMBER ONE, THEY COULD HAVE BEEN A HOAX, WHICH I DON'T THINK IT COULD HAVE BEEN A HOAX, BECAUSE IT WAS PRETTY ELABORATE. IT COULD HAVE BEEN AN ALIEN SPACECRAFT, BUT I HAVE NO PROOF OF THAT. AND THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT I CAN FIGURE OUT, IT COULD BE SOME KIND OF A MILITARY EXPERIMENT. >> SOME OF THE BEHAVIORS OF THESE LIGHTS STRIKE ME AS STRANGE, AS DESCRIBED BY THE WITNESSES, AND THEREFORE THEY DEFINITELY BEAR FURTHER INVESTIGATION. >> TED SETS HIS SIGHTS ON A FLARE EXPERIMENT HE PLANS TO CONDUCT IN CALIFORNIA'S LONG BEACH HARBOR. USING HAND-LAUNCHED MARITIME PARACHUTE FLARES, HE WILL TEST THE MILITARY'S EXPLANATION. ANOTHER WITNESS TO THE 10:00 LIGHTS OVER PHOENIX IS DR. LYNNE KITEI. A PHYSICIAN AND DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER, DR. KITEI CHOOSES TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS FOR 7 YEARS AFTER THE INCIDENT. IN 2004, AT GREAT RISK TO HER PROFESSIONAL REPUTATION, SHE COMES FORWARD WITH THE STUNNING REVELATION THAT THESE LIGHTS HAVE APPEARED BEFORE. >> I WAS EXPERIENCING THESE PHENOMENA FOR 2 YEARS PRIOR TO THE MASS SIGHTING. I HAD A VERY CLOSE SIGHTING TO OUR HOME. I TRIED TO TAKE EVERYTHING IN-- THE SIZE, THE SHAPE, THE COLOR. THEY WERE ABOUT 3 TO 6 FEET EACH. THEY WERE ORBS. THERE WAS A UNIFORM AMBER COLOR THROUGHOUT. IT DIDN'T GLARE AT ALL. >> ACCORDING TO DR. KITEI, ANOTHER SET OF LIGHTS APPEARED IN JANUARY, 1997, 2 MONTHS BEFORE THE MASS SIGHTINGS OVER PHOENIX. SHE SEES WHAT SHE BELIEVES TO BE A MASSIVE TRIANGULAR FORMATION, AND SHE MANAGES TO CAPTURE THE TRIANGLE SHAPE ON FILM. >> THERE WERE 6 POINTS OF LIGHT THAT SEEMED TO BE ATTACHED TO SOMETHING, MOVING SLOWLY IN TANDEM, BEHIND SOUTH MOUNTAIN. >> AFTER SEEING STRANGE LIGHTS IN BOTH FEBRUARY, 1995, AND JANUARY, 1997, DR. KITEI IS NOT SURPRISED WHEN SHE SEES SOME FAMILIAR LIGHTS 2 MONTHS LATER ON MARCH 13. >> I SAW THE 6 LIGHTS POP ON, AND I FUMBLED WITH MY CAMERA TO GET OUT THERE REALLY QUICK. AND BY THE TIME I GOT IT FOCUSED, THAT'S WHAT I SAW. >> AND WE'RE LOOKING IN THE DIRECTION OF SOUTH MOUNTAIN? >> YES, TO THE AIRPORT. >> SO, LYNNE, JUST TO PLAY DEVIL'S ADVOCATE FOR A MINUTE, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO SUGGESTED THAT WHAT YOU SAW WAS A MILITARY FLARE? >> THERE'S NO WAY THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN MILITARY. MILITARY FLARES FLICKER AND THEY CAN KEEP THE FORMATION. THEY DRIFT WITH THE WIND. THESE WERE ORBS. >> ANOTHER EYEWITNESS WHO MANAGES TO CAPTURE HIS EXPERIENCE ON TAPE IS STEVEN BLONDER, THE AUTHOR OF<i> ORACLE OF THE PHOENIX.</i> AND LIKE DR. KITEI, MARCH 13 WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT STEVE AND HIS NEIGHBOR, JAYLENE BRUGLAN, CLAIM TO HAVE SEEN SOMETHING INEXPLICABLE IN THE PHOENIX SKY. >> MARCH 10th WAS THE FIRST NIGHT THAT I SAW STRANGE LIGHTS IN THE SKY. >> DID YOU SEE IT ON THERE? >> YEAH, I GOT IT. I GOT OUT MY VIDEO CAMERA, AND I STARTED FILMING THIS THING; TRYING TO GET A CLOSE UP OF WHAT IT WAS. AND IT WAS THIS ORANGE PULSATING LIGHT THAT WAS UNLIKE ANYTHING I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. >> JAYLENE, HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THIS? >> HIS WIFE SUSIE CAME OVER THE NEXT DAY AND JUST WAS IN, LIKE, SHOCK, AND SAID, "WE SAW A UFO LAST NIGHT!" >> FOR THE NEXT 3 NIGHTS, STEVE'S BALCONY BECOMES THE SCENE OF NIGHTLY VIEWING PARTIES. >> SUSIE? THEY'RE BACK. >> AND EACH NIGHT, THEY ARE NOT DISAPPOINTED. BUT IT'S THE SIGHTING ON THE 13th THAT CAPTIVATES STEVE AND JAYLENE AS WELL AS THE REST OF PHOENIX. >> MAJOR SIGHTING HERE. >> THERE'S PROBABLY FIVE. >> ANOTHER ONE JUST SHOWED UP! >> LIKE THE OTHER EYEWITNESSES TO THE LIGHTS, NEITHER STEVE NOR JAYLENE ACCEPT THE OFFICIAL EXPLANATION FOR WHAT THEY SAW THAT NIGHT. >> I WAS VERY UPSET WHEN I SAW THE FIRST STORY COME OUT, BECAUSE I KNEW IT WASN'T FLARES. >> THE FLARES THAT ANGIE CLAIMED THEY DROPPED WERE LU/U2 ILLUMINATION FLARES. THE EYEWITNESSES WERE SURPRISED THAT THERE WASN'T ANY ILLUMINATION OR SKY LIT UP AROUND THE FLARES. BUT IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS THAT NIGHT WOULDN'T HAVE ALLOWED FOR THAT KIND OF REFLECTION AROUND THE FLARE. >><i> UFO HUNTERS</i> INVITES JAYLENE AND HER HUSBAND JASON, ALSO AN EYEWITNESS THAT NIGHT, TO PARTICIPATE IN AN EXPERIMENT SPEARHEADED BY TED IN LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA. >> WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN TO APPROXIMATE WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE KIND OF MILITARY FLARES THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED FROM AIRCRAFT, AND WE'LL SEE IF OUR WITNESSES, WHO SAW THE LIGHTS OVER PHOENIX, THINK THAT THESE LIGHTS LOOK LIKE THE MILITARY EXPLANATION. >> THE TEAM IS USING STANDARD MARITIME FLARES IN PLACE OF THE LU/U2 MILITARY FLARES. MARITIME FLARES ARE USED BY SHIPS IN DISTRESS TO VISUALLY SIGNAL RESCUERS. WHEN LAUNCHED, THEY SHOOT NEARLY 1,000 FEET INTO THE AIR. BOTH THE LU/U2 AND MARITIME FLARES ARE DEPLOYED WITH PARACHUTES, AND TED IS PRIMARILY INTERESTED IN THE WAY THE FLARE'S FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS ARE PERCEIVED BY THE WITNESSES. >> WELL, I HAVE NO WAY OF PREDICTING WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. WE'LL JUST HAVE TO LAUNCH THESE FLARES AND SEE WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE. >> WE'RE ALL READY TO SHOOT, AND WE'VE GOT 5 FLARES. MAKE SURE THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE TRAJECTORY. THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS HERE IN THE TEST. OK, WE'RE GOING LIVE IN 10 SECONDS. >> THE FLARES ARE SENT ALOFT. NOW IT'S UP TO THE WITNESSES TO DECIDE. BUT COULD THERE BE ANOTHER MILITARY ANGLE TO THIS CASE? THE LIGHTS OVER PHOENIX COULD MASK ONE OF THE LARGEST CLANDESTINE GOVERNMENT PROJECTS EVER CREATED, A TOP SECRET STEALTH AIRCRAFT THAT IS UTTERLY ENORMOUS. >> THE UFO HUNTERS ARE IN LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, CONDUCTING A FLARE EXPERIMENT WITH JAYLENE AND JASON BRUGLAN. EYEWITNESSES TO THE SO-CALLED PHOENIX LIGHTS EVENT OF MARCH 13th, 1997. >> THE OFFICIAL EXPLANATION PUT FORWARD BY THE INTERNATIONAL GUARD IS THAT THE LIGHTS OVER PHOENIX WERE FLARES, LU/U2 FLARES DROPPED FROM A-10 WARTHOGS. >> BECAUSE TED IS PRIMARILY CONCERNED WITH THE FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS, HE'LL SUBSTITUTE ONE PARACHUTE FLARE FOR ANOTHER USING MARITIME FLAIRS INSTEAD OF THE LU/U2s. THEY ARE EASIER TO CONTROL, AND THE EYEWITNESSES CAN BE CLOSER TO THE SOURCE OF LIGHT. >> DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE WITNESSES? >> WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THE WITNESSES ARE LOOKING AT A FEW DIFFERENT THINGS. PRIMARILY, THE TRAJECTORIES OF THE FLARES. AS THEY FLOAT DOWN, THEY FOLLOW A SIMILAR TRAJECTORY TO WHAT THEY HAD SEEN IN PHOENIX. OK, GUYS, WE ARE LOCKED AND LOADED. EYES ON THE SKY IN 10 SECONDS. >> I'LL TAKE ONE. OK, YOU READY? >> ONE. >> THERE IT IS. THERE'S THE FIRST ONE. >> NICE. >> LET'S CALL IT IN. TED CALLING PAT AND BILL. SO, HOW WAS IT? >> WHAT I NOTICED IS EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE--THE OTHER ONES CAME ON AT DIFFERENT TIMES, BUT THEY ALL WERE STAYING IN A LINE. >> THE ONES THAT WE SAW WERE HOVERING, MAINTAINED ALTITUDE. THEY NEVER DROPPED. >> YEAH. >> THE LIGHTS WENT OUT AT THE SAME ALTITUDE. >> WOULD YOU GUYS SAY WHAT YOU SAW THAT NIGHT IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU JUST SAW RIGHT NOW? >> TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT THESE FLARES SHOWED HERE TONIGHT. >> WE DO KNOW THERE ARE MANY OTHER WITNESSES. AND SOME OF THE THINGS THEY'VE DESCRIBED JUST DO NOT SEEM POSSIBLY CONSISTENT WITH FLARES. THE HANG TIMES, THE BLINKING ON AND OFF. THE SPREAD OVER THE DISTANCE, THE VELOCITIES JUST ARE NOT CONSISTENT WITH ANY KIND OF FLARE CONFIGURATION THAT I COULD IMAGINE. SO IT REALLY LEAVES ME WONDERING OVERALL WHETHER OR NOT IT COULD HAVE BEEN FLARES IN '97. >> WITH EYEWITNESSES DISCOUNTING FLARES IN THE FIELD TEST, TED TURNS TO THE VIDEO FROM THAT NIGHT TO SEE IF ANY OTHER CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LIGHTS COULD BE DISTINGUISHED. TED AND IMAGE ANALYST TERRANCE MASSON STUDY THE 10:00 FOOTAGE FROM BOTH MIKE KRYZSTON AND STEVE BLONDER. >> WE HAVE A SOURCE FROM MIKE IN THE NORTHERN PART OF PHOENIX AND STEVE, WHO'S IN SORT OF THE SOUTHERN SIDE. THEY'RE ABOUT 15 MILES APART, ROUGHLY, ACROSS THE BASIN. IT SEEMS THAT THEY'VE BOTH TAKEN FOOTAGE OF WHAT APPEARS ON INITIAL ANALYSIS TO BE THE SAME THING. >> TO THE NAKED EYE, THE LIGHTS IN THE FOOTAGE SEEM TO BE OVER THE CITY. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES, THE LIGHTS APPEAR TO BLINK OUT. >> THERE ARE THEORIES THAT THEY'RE FLARES, THAT THEY'RE FLAMING OUT. >> NOW, THE CURIOUS THING IS THAT WHEN THEY GO OFF, THEY DON'T GO OFF IN ORDER. >> IF THEY WERE FLARES GETTING DROPPED OUT OF AN AIRCRAFT SUCCESSIVELY AND THEIR BURN TIMES ARE APPROXIMATELY EQUAL, THEY'D PROBABLY FLARE OUT IN ORDER AS WELL. >> THOUGH THE BEHAVIOR OF THE LIGHTS SEEMS TO CONTRADICT THE FLARE EXPLANATION, THEIR PHYSICAL APPEARANCE MAY BACK UP THE AIR FORCE'S CLAIMS. >> SO REGARDING THE LU/U2 FLARE THEORY FROM THE MILITARY, WE KNOW FORMATICALLY THEY'RE PRETTY WHITE. WHAT DO YOU THINK? FROM THE FOOTAGE HERE, IS THAT CONSISTENT WITH THE MILITARY'S EXPLANATION? >> IT SEEMS TO BE. BUT AS WE'VE SEEN, MANY TIMES THE VIDEO QUALITY--MOST OF THESE LIGHTS, IF THEY DO HAVE ANY COLOR IN THEM THAT YOU SEE WITH THE NAKED EYE, THEY'RE STILL GONNA SHOW UP ON VIDEO AS WHITE. IT'S BASICALLY OVEREXPOSED AGAINST BLACK. >> RIGHT, EVEN IF THERE'S COLOR. IT'S NOT PROOF THAT THEY ARE FLARES, BUT IT'S--IT'S-- >> IT'S DEFINITELY A POSSIBILITY, RIGHT. >> I'M ON THE FENCE, I GUESS I'D HAVE TO SAY. IT SEEMS PRETTY UNLIKELY TO ME THAT THESE WERE A STRING OF FLARES FLOATING DOWN ON PARACHUTES. BUT THEN AGAIN, WE'RE DEALING WITH APPEARANCES. WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF QUANTITATIVE DATA ON THIS. AND I DON'T REALLY FEEL THAT THEY ARE FLARES. I CAN'T QUANTITATIVELY PROVE IT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. >> PAT AND BILL RETURN TO ARIZONA IN ORDER TO TRACK DOWN WITNESSES TO THE OTHER MULTIPLE SIGHTINGS ON THE NIGHT OF MARCH 13, 1997. THEY ARE ON THE TRAIL OF AN ALLEGED SECOND OBJECT SEEN ON THE SAME NIGHT. WITNESSES REPORT A BOOMERANG-SHAPED CRAFT FLYING OVER THE STATE OF ARIZONA BETWEEN 8:00 AND 10:00 PM BECAUSE THERE ARE NO KNOWN PHOTOGRAPHS OR VIDEO OF THIS ALLEGED MASSIVE CRAFT,<i> UFO</i> <i>HUNTERS</i> HAS ENLISTED THE HELP OF JOHN BAVARESKO, A SKETCH ARTIST AND COMPUTER GRAPHIC EXPERT. BASED ON MULTIPLE EYEWITNESS TESTIMONIES, JOHN WILL CREATE A COMPOSITE IMAGE OF WHAT WAS IN THE SKIES OVER ARIZONA THAT NIGHT. DANA VALENTINE IS SITTING ON THE BACK PORCH OF HIS FATHER'S HOUSE WHEN HE SEES 5 LIGHTS IN A V FORMATION APPROACH. >> I WATCHED A LITTLE LONGER. AND CAME ABOUT 10 MINUTES, AND I FIGURED THESE SHOULD BE ON TOP OF ME BY NOW. >> INTRIGUED, DANA BRINGS HIS FATHER OUTSIDE TO WATCH THE LIGHTS WITH HIM. >> WE COULDN'T TELL IF IT WAS 5 UNITS OR ONE HUGE ONE. BUT AS IT GOT CLOSER, WE BELIEVED THAT IT WAS STARTING TO BE ONE BIG ONE BECAUSE IT WAS JUST HUGE. >> SO IT LOOKED LIKE IT DID HAVE A BODY SHAPE TO IT? >> WELL, IT DEFINITELY WAS ONE BIG OBJECT TO ME. >> HOW BIG WOULD YOU SAY THAT IT WAS? >> IF I HAD TO GO FROM THE LEFT LIGHT TO THE RIGHT LIGHT, I'D HAVE TO SAY PROBABLY CLOSE TO A MILE. >> JOHN TAKES THE VISUAL DETAILS AND PUTS THE INFORMATION INTO THE C.G.I. PROGRAM. HE SHOWS THE IMAGE TO DANA. >> OK, WHAT I'VE DONE HERE IS AN ANIMATION OF A DIRECT OVERHEAD SHOT, BASICALLY ON HOW YOU WITNESSED IT AS IT PASSED OVER. >> THE LIGHTS LOOK GOOD. THE SIZE IS RIGHT. THAT'S DEFINITELY--THAT'S DEFINITELY WHAT I SAW. >> DANA'S DESCRIPTION OF A V FORMATION IS CONSISTENT WITH OTHER WITNESS TESTIMONY. A MILE FROM TIP TO TIP, 5 LARGE LIGHTS, AND COMPLETELY NOISELESS IN FLIGHT. BILL, JAMES, AND JOHN MEET WITH ANOTHER WITNESS--TERRY MANSFIELD, WHO CLAIMS TO HAVE OBSERVED A BOOMERANG-SHAPED CRAFT. >> ALL OF THE SUDDEN ONE OF MY VOLUNTEERS POINTED STRAIGHT UP AND SAID, "OH, MY GOSH, WHAT'S THAT?" AND WE ALL LOOKED STRAIGHT UP. THE FIRST THING I NOTICED WAS THAT THERE WERE NO MORE STARS. I COULDN'T SEE THE STARS ANYMORE IN THE SKY. AND IT APPEARED AS IF THERE WERE A BLACK, SHIMMERY, SATINY PIECE OF MATERIAL RIGHT OVER MY HEAD. >> TERRY SEEMS TO SEE DETAILS THAT FEW OTHERS REPORT. THE CRAFT SEEMS TO SHIMMER IN THE NIGHT SKY. >> IT WAS SO BIG. I COULD NOT SEE THE FRONT, THE BACK, SIDE TO SIDE OF THIS CRAFT. >> WAS IT SO LARGE THAT IT SPANNED FROM HORIZON TO HORIZON, THEN? >> WHERE I WAS STANDING, I COULD NOT SEE THE EDGES OF THIS, WHATEVER IT WAS THAT WAS FLYING OVERHEAD. >> YOU SAID YOU SAW A SURFACE ON THE BOTTOM OF THIS CRAFT AND IT WAS KIND OF SHIMMERY. >> YEAH, IT WAS AS IF THERE WAS A SOFT RIPPLE OF AN UNDULATION THAT WAS VERY FLUID. I FELT LIKE I COULD REACH UP AND TOUCH IT. >> TERRY'S PAST EXPERIENCE MAKES HER A KNOWLEDGEABLE WITNESS WHEN IT COMES TO AIRCRAFT. >> HAVING BEEN IN THE AIR FORCE WITH MY HUSBAND FOR 22 YEARS, AND MY FATHER-IN-LAW IS AN AIR FORCE PILOT FOR 26 YEARS. WE'VE SEEN JETS, WE'VE SEEN PLANES, WE'VE SEEN HELICOPTERS, WE'VE SEEN ALL KINDS OF MILITARY AIRCRAFT. >> WELL, I THINK I'VE GOT SOMETHING HERE THAT COULD REPRESENT WHAT TERRY SAW. SEE IF THIS WORKS OUT. >> WOW. YES. YOU'VE GOT THE UNDULATION JUST RIGHT. YOU'VE GOT THE--WE'VE GOT BLACK, SILVERS, LITTLE GRAYS. IT LOOKS VERY FLUID. VERY, VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT I SAW. YOU KNOW, RIGHT. IT'S JUST BECAUSE THE WHOLE SCREEN IS COVERED WITH WHAT I SAW THAT NIGHT, WHICH IS--THAT'S EXACTLY-- >> THAT THING'S JUST ENORMOUS. >> ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL FORMS OF EVIDENCE IS CORROBORATING WITNESS TESTIMONY FROM PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW EACH OTHER, NEVER HEARD OF EACH OTHER. SO WHAT THIS DOES FOR THE CASE IS IT ADDS ANOTHER MOSAIC TILE TO A MUCH LARGER PICTURE. >> ORBS, A MYSTERIOUS STRING OF LIGHTS, AND A MASSIVE V-SHAPED OBJECT THAT APPEARS TO UNDULATE ARE ALL REPORTED OVER PHOENIX IN MARCH 1997. ARE THESE SIGHTINGS ALL RELATED OR COMPLETELY SEPARATE INCIDENTS? AND IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE TECHNOLOGY RESPONSIBLE IS A TOP SECRET INVENTION OF OUR OWN? >> THERE ARE LARGE VEHICLES THAT SORT OF FIT SOME OF THE DESCRIPTIONS YOU HEARD. >> WHATEVER WAS GOING OVER MY HEAD, IT SEEMED TO BE SO LOW THAT I COULD REACH UP AND TOUCH IT. AND IT WAS ABSOLUTELY SILENT. >> VIDEO EVIDENCE FROM MARCH 13th, 1997, HAS SHOWN STRANGE LIGHT FORMATIONS IN THE PHOENIX SKIES. AND NUMEROUS WITNESSES HAVE REPORTED SOME UNEXPLAINED OBJECTS AND OTHER ORBS HOVERING ABOVE ARIZONA. IS THERE SOMETHING ABOUT THIS AREA THAT ATTRACTS THESE OBJECTS? PAT MEETS JEFF WOOLWINE, A UFO RESEARCHER, AT THE FOOT OF THE WHITE TANK MOUNTAINS. THESE HILLS ARE RIDDLED WITH PETROGLYPHS, ROCK ART CARVED INTO THE LANDSCAPE PRIMARILY BY THE HOHOKAM, A NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE FROM 200 B.C.E. TO 1,400 C.E., AND THEN MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED. >> CLEARLY, THE WHOLE, WE'RE SEEING THINGS IN THE SKY AS WE'RE SEEING NOW, STRANGE OBJECTS, STRANGE LIGHTS, IF YOU WILL. THEY DIDN'T HAVE VIDEO CAMERAS BACK THEN, THEY HAD STONE BOWLERS TO RECORD SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT; SOMETHING TO REMEMBER IN HISTORY. THEY WANTED TO COPY THIS DOWN SO PEOPLE WOULD UNDERSTAND WHAT HAD HAPPENED HERE. >> PAT AND JEFF HIKE TO THE SPOT WHERE STRANGE PETROGLYPHS HAVE BEEN FOUND. AMONG THE PETROGLYPHS IS AN IMAGE JEFF BELIEVES TO BE SIGNIFICANT. >> YOU'LL NOTICE THIS INTERESTING LINE HERE. IT HAS A BLACK HERE, A BLACK HERE, A BLACK HERE, AND A LINE. IN TODAY'S WORLD, WHAT WE LIKE TO CALL THEM IS BARBELLS. >> BARBELL-SHAPED UFOs, LIKE THIS ONE VIDEOTAPED OVER PHOENIX ON JANUARY 24th, 2005, ARE WELL-KNOWN TO MODERN RESEARCHERS. IT'S POSSIBLE THAT LOCAL TRIBES PEOPLE WERE INSPIRED TO RECORD THEIR OWN SIGHTINGS ON THESE VERY ROCKS NEARLY A MILLENNIUM AGO. >> AND WHEN YOU SAY BARBELL, YOU MEAN A BARBELL-SHAPED UFO? >> BARBELL-SHAPED UFO, CORRECT. >> RIGHT NOW, I'M LOOKING AT GLYPHS THAT ARE VERY INTERESTING, BUT AGAIN, THEY ARE JEFF'S INTERPRETATION. YOU COULD SPECULATE, COULD BE THE CENTER OF THE STORM, BUT IT COULD ALSO BE A LIGHT IN THE SKY. >> THAT'S CORRECT. >> THESE PEOPLE COULD HAVE BEEN RECORDING UFOs, OR THEY COULD HAVE BEEN RECORDING CELESTIAL EVENTS. YOU KNOW, STARS, COMETS, THAT SORT OF THING. SO AT THIS TIME, IT'S JUST A THEORY, BUT IT'S A VERY INTERESTING ONE. >> WHILE JEFF'S INTERPRETATION IS A PERSONAL ONE, EVEN GOVERNMENT EXPERTS WHO HAVE STUDIED THE PETROGLYPHS FOR YEARS HAVE DIFFICULTY EXPLAINING SOME OF THE IMAGES. DOC TALBOYS IS A PARK RANGER AND WORKS WITH THE ARIZONA STATE HISTORICAL PRESERVATION OFFICE ON THE STUDY, CATALOGING AND MAPPING OF ALL THE SIGHTS IN THE WHITE TANK MOUNTAIN REGIONAL PARK. >> SO, DOC, WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON THE WHITE TANK MOUNTAIN PETROGLYPHS? >> THE HOHOKAMS REALLY OBSERVED WHAT WAS GOING ON AROUND THEM. THEY HAD--THEY WERE GREAT OBSERVERS OF CELESTIAL EVENTS, OF SEASONAL EVENTS. THEY REALLY LEFT US AN INTERESTING PICTORIAL HISTORY OF THAT FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW. WE HAVE PICTURES THAT COULD LOOK LIKE ALIEN BEINGS, MEN WEARING HELMETS. WE HAVE ONE OBVIOUS ONE THAT, YOU LOOK AT IT ONE WAY, IT LOOKS LIKE A SAUCER WITH FIRE COMING OUT OF THE BOTTOM. WE'RE STRICTLY SPECULATING ON WHAT THESE THINGS MEAN. WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY MEAN. 'CAUSE THERE'S NO ROSETTA STONE, THERE'S NO BRIDGE TO TRANSLATING WHAT THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN. >> BUT WHILE THE MYSTERIES OF THE ANCIENT PETROGLYPHS ARE HIDDEN BY HISTORY, THE TRUTH BEHIND THE LIGHTS SEEN OVER ARIZONA MAY HAVE BEEN INTENTIONALLY KEPT SECRET. AT NEARBY MESA, ARIZONA, BILL AND JAMES FOX ARRIVE AT THE ARIZONA WING COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE MUSEUM. THEY ARE MEETING WITH AVIATION EXPERT AND AUTHOR BILL SCOTT, WHO DID RESEARCH ON A HIGHLY CLASSIFIED BLACK OPERATIONS AIRCRAFT FOR AN ARTICLE IN<i> AVIATION WEEK</i> MAGAZINE. WHAT HE PIECED TOGETHER IN HIS RESEARCH BEARS STRIKING SIMILARITIES TO WHAT WAS WITNESSED OVER PHOENIX. >> APPARENTLY IT WAS UP TO A MILE ACROSS. IT COULD FLY SILENTLY. IT COULD HOVER. WHEN IT TOOK OFF, THE WITNESSES DESCRIBED IT AS HAD THEY BLINKED, THEY WOULD HAVE MISSED IT. IT WAS A BOOMERANG SHAPE-- >> BOOMERANG? >> A BOOMERANG SHAPE, V-SHAPE. >> YOU HAVE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH. YOU'VE WRITTEN A LOT OF ARTICLES FOR<i> AVIATION WEEK</i> AND<i> SPACE TECHNOLOGY.</i> WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THIS? >> WE CAME ACROSS A NUMBER OF BLACK PROGRAMS, YOU KNOW, HIGHLY CLASSIFIED PROGRAMS, THAT PROBABLY INCLUDED A NEAR NEUTRAL BUOYANCY. IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S A VEHICLE FILLED WITH HELIUM AND IT HAD A RIGID HULL. SO WE CALL THEM RIGID HULL AIRSHIPS. SOME OF THESE THAT WERE REPORTED AS BEING VERY LARGE, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS THE WINGSPAN OF A FOOTBALL FIELD. THEY TYPICALLY WERE TRIANGULAR-SHAPED. SOME WERE SORT OF BOOMERANG SHAPED. >> NO PICTURES, OFFICIAL DIAGRAMS OR BLUEPRINTS OF THESE TYPES OF VEHICLES HAVE BEEN RELEASED BY THE GOVERNMENT. IF THE U.S. MILITARY DOES OPERATE THESE MASSIVE AIRCRAFT, THEY STILL REMAIN SECRET. >> THESE THINGS MIGHT HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED FOR SPECIAL FORCES OPERATIONS. THE NICE THING ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE DESIGN IS, IT CAN CARRY FAIRLY LARGE PAYLOAD. SO IT CAN PUT AN ENTIRE SMALL UNIT OF FULLY OUTFITTED TROOPS ONBOARD. >> IS THERE ANY PROJECTED POINT, AT LEAST IN YOUR ESTIMATION, WHEN THESE COVERT AIRCRAFT WILL BE REVEALED TO US? >> THEY MAY NEVER BE REVEALED, BECAUSE AS LONG AS IT'S AN ADVANTAGE, WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THEM. THAT'S THE WAY THE BLACK WORLD THINKS. >> WHILE THE RIGID HULL AIRSHIPS SOUND SIMILAR TO REPORTS OF THE BOOMERANG, IT IS NOT AN EXACT MATCH. SOME OF THE PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS, SUCH AS AMAZING SPEED AND THE STRANGE UNDULATING SURFACE DON'T SEEM TO BE CONSISTENT. >> THE RIGID HULL AIRSHIPS THAT I LOOKED AT WOULD NOT DISPLAY SOME OF THE CHARACTERISTICS THAT SOME OF YOUR OBSERVERS DID. LIKE THIS IDEA OF BLINKING OUT AND DISAPPEARING IMMEDIATELY, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN THAT. I'M JUST SAYING THAT THERE ARE LARGE VEHICLES THAT SORT OF FIT SOME OF THE DESCRIPTIONS YOU HEARD. >> CAN THE EVENTS THAT TRANSPIRED IN ARIZONA BE EXPLAINED BY THESE COVERT PROGRAMS, AND ARE THE UFO STORIES MERELY PART OF A DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN? FORMER ARIZONA GOVERNOR FIFE SYMINGTON COMES FORWARD TO PUT THE ISSUE TO REST ONCE AND FOR ALL. >> I WOULD DESCRIBE WHAT I SAW AS BEING OTHER-WORLDLY. >> BILL AND JAMES FOX ARE MEETING WITH FIFE SYMINGTON, THE GOVERNOR OF ARIZONA FROM 1990 TO 1997. ON JUNE 19th, 1997, THE GOVERNOR HOLDS A PRESS CONFERENCE AND PROMISES TO INVESTIGATE THE PHOENIX LIGHTS EVENT. BUT THEN, LATER THAT SAME AFTERNOON, HE CALLS ANOTHER CONFERENCE AND BRINGS HIS CHIEF OF STAFF OUT BEFORE THE PRESS DRESSED AS AN ALIEN. NOW, SYMINGTON EXPLAINS HIS ACTIONS. >> THE WHOLE WORLD DESCENDED ON US. WE WERE JUST INUNDATED FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, THE PEKING NEWS BUREAU, THE BBC, EVERYBODY SORT OF DESCENDING ON PHOENIX ABOUT THE LIGHTS OVER PHOENIX AND WHAT WAS HAPPENING. SO I GOT TOGETHER WITH MY STAFF AND MADE THE DECISION AT THAT POINT TO DO A SPOOF TO TRY TO KIND OF LIGHTEN THE ATMOSPHERE. BUT I DIDN'T REALIZE I WAS GOING TO OFFEND SO MANY PEOPLE. I WAS JUST SIMPLY TRYING TO KIND OF ADD SOME LEVITY TO THIS ATMOSPHERE, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS REALLY STARTING TO GET A LITTLE TOO HYPED UP, A LITTLE OVER THE TOP, TOO MUCH HYSTERIA. [LAUGHTER] [APPLAUSE] >> YOU'VE SAID REPEATEDLY THAT YOU PURSUED ALL THESE AVENUES TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF WHAT WAS GOING ON IN PHOENIX IN MARCH OF 1997. WHAT WERE THOSE AVENUES, GOVERNOR, AND HOW DID YOU PURSUE THEM? >> I ASKED MY STAFF TO CALL THE COMMANDING OFFICER AT LUKE AIR FORCE BASE AND DO A CALL AHEAD TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, AND THE GENERAL WHO'S IN CHARGE OF OUR GUARD TO TRY TO FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IT WAS. AND THE AIR FORCE TOTALLY BLANKED US. THEY JUST SAID, "WE HAVE NO COMMENT." THAT WAS IT. >> NO COMMENT. NOT "WE DON'T KNOW," BUT NO COMMENT. >> "WE HAVE NO COMMENT." >> THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE THOUGH, ISN'T IT? THAT'S JUST NOT ACCEPTABLE. YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT FLIES AROUND IN YOUR AIR SPACE, RIGHT? >> AS A GOVERNOR, YOU KNOW THAT NO COMMENT MEANS A LOT MORE THAN "WE DON'T KNOW, THERE'S NOTHING THERE." >> WELL, I KNOW AS A GOVERNOR, THE WORST COMMENT THAT A GOVERNOR COULD MAKE IS "NO COMMENT" TO THE PRESS. >> NO COMMENT MEANS THERE IS SOMETHING TO COMMENT ABOUT. SO FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE FOUND OUT THAT THE AIR FORCE KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING THERE, BUT WOULD NOT TALK ABOUT IT. >> IN 2006, GOVERNOR SYMINGTON AGREES TO BE INTERVIEWED FOR JAMES' DOCUMENTARY<i> BEYOND THE BLUE,</i> AND DROPS A BOMBSHELL ON CAMERA. >> YES, A LOT OF PEOPLE SAW IT IN MARICOPA COUNTY, AND I SAW IT, TOO. >> SYMINGTON, A PILOT AND RETIRED AIR FORCE OFFICER, ADMITS THAT HE HIMSELF SAW THE BOOMERANG-SHAPED CRAFT. >> FIFE, CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT EXACTLY YOU SAW ON MARCH 13th, 1997? >> I DESCRIBE IT AS A DELTA-SHAPED CRAFT, BUT IT WAS A LARGE, DARK OBJECT. IT WAS ENORMOUS. IT WAS SO BIG, IT WAS HARD TO REALLY DETERMINE HOW FAST IT WAS GOING, BECAUSE IT WAS SO LARGE. IT WAS VERY ODD. THE WHOLE THING KIND OF HAD AN IRIDESCENT QUALITY TO IT. AND IT WAS JUST ASTOUNDING. I MEAN, MUCH BIGGER THAN ANYTHING I'D EVER SEEN IN THE AIR. I REALIZED THAT I WAS SEEING SOMETHING THAT WAS TRULY EXTRAORDINARY. >> FIFE, WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO COME FORWARD? >> I FIGURED, WELL, ENOUGH TIME HAS PASSED AND I CAN SEE THAT THERE ARE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE THAT ARE REALLY ANGRY WITH ME FOR WHAT I DID, SO THIS IS REALLY AN OPPORTUNITY RIGHT NOW TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT. I'M NO LONGER GOVERNOR, AND I'M JUST A JOE CITIZEN, AND I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO BE, I DON'T WANT MY CONSTITUENTS TO BE UPSET WITH ME FOR SOMETHING THAT REALLY I'M ON THE SAME PAGE. >> IN YOUR OPINION AS AN AIR FORCE OFFICER AND AS A PILOT, DO YOU THINK THAT THIS CRAFT YOU SAW WAS MILITARY? DO YOU THINK THE CRAFT YOU SAW MIGHT HAVE BEEN EXTRATERRESTRIAL OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES? >> I'VE USED THE WORD BEFORE TO DESCRIBE WHAT I SAW AS BEING OTHER-WORLDLY. I JUST DON'T BELIEVE THAT IT CAME FROM ANYTHING THAT WE KNOW, YOU KNOW, ON EARTH. SO YOU CAN CALL IT EXTRATERRESTRIAL, OTHER-WORLDLY. IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE THING TO SEE, AND I'M--I JUST DON'T KNOW OF ANY EARTHLY EXPLANATION FOR WHAT WE SAW. >> MY OPINION, WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME KIND OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL CRAFT THAT PASSED OVER THE CITY. MULTIPLE EYEWITNESSES AGREE ON THAT, INCLUDING THE GOVERNOR OF ARIZONA HIMSELF WHO SAID THAT THIS THING WAS FROM ANOTHER WORLD. >> I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ACROSS PHOENIX WOULD BE SO FOOLED. IT REALLY DOES LEAVE ME WONDERING, COULD THIS HAVE BEEN SOMETHING MORE? >> I THINK IT'S A REAL CRAFT. I DON'T THINK IT'S AN ILLUSION. I THINK IT'S A CRAFT THAT HAS AMAZING AERODYNAMIC QUALITIES. I THINK IT'S A SOLID CRAFT, BUT I THINK IT IS OUR OWN NEUTRAL BUOYANCY TRIANGULAR SPACECRAFT. >> TESTS HAVE SHOWN THE LIGHTS CAPTURED ON VIDEO ON MARCH 13, 1997, BEHAVE UNLIKE CONVENTIONAL FLARES. AND WITNESSES ACROSS THE STATE REMAIN CONVINCED THAT THEY SAW SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY. WAS THE STATE OF ARIZONA A TESTING GROUND FOR A NEW AND STILL SECRET TECHNOLOGY? OR WERE THE WITNESSES ON THE GROUND TRULY SEEING AN OBJECT FROM BEYOND THIS WORLD?
Info
Channel: HISTORY
Views: 93,458
Rating: 4.805799 out of 5
Keywords: ufo hunters, ufo hunters clip, ufo hunters video, ufo hunters video clip, hunters, denver, science, ufo files, investigate, investigators, ufo investigation, arizona lights, UFO Hunters s2 e6, UFO Hunters Season 2 Episode 6, UFO Hunters 2X6, UFO Hunters s02 e06, UFO Hunters tv series, UFO Hunters Season 2, UFO Hunters s2 e06, UFO Hunters Full episodes clips, UFO Hunters Season 2 clips, Illinois, Invasion, UFO Hunters Arizona Lights, seminal UFO documentary, UFO history
Id: DMc5FfpnAio
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 44min 44sec (2684 seconds)
Published: Sun Apr 28 2019
Related Videos
Note
Please note that this website is currently a work in progress! Lots of interesting data and statistics to come.