Within Phoenix Lights
Why Fife Symington changed his Phoenix Lights story
Arizona's governor mocked the sightings in 1997 before later saying he had witnessed something unexplained himself.
On this page
- The 1997 press conference and alien costume stunt
- Symington's later claims about what he saw
- How the reversal shaped Arizona UFO culture
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Introduction
One of the most striking twists in the long saga of the Phoenix Lights — Arizona’s best‑known UFO event — isn’t just about what people saw in the night sky on 13 March 1997. It is about how Governor Fife Symington responded at the time, and how he changed his tune years later. Symington’s very public reversal has become emblematic of the wider public mistrust that surrounds this incident. It touches on how authorities communicate about unexplained events, the pressures on public officials, and how a mix of ridicule, secrecy and later confession shaped the Phoenix Lights story in Arizona’s collective memory. [Wikipedia]WikipediaFife SymingtonFife Symington
Early Mockery at the 1997 Press Conference
In the months after the Phoenix Lights sightings, the event drew growing media attention as thousands of Arizonans reported strange lights and formations over Phoenix. Amid this surge of public curiosity, Governor Symington initially took a notably dismissive tone. In June 1997, he called a state press conference ostensibly to update the public on the investigation’s progress. But rather than presenting serious findings, the governor’s office sought to defuse what it saw as excessive concern by injecting humour. [Deseret News]deseret.comNewsAlien' encounter leaves media agog – Deseret News</span><span class="citation-popover-snippet">Deseret NewsAlien' encounter leaves media agog – Deseret NewsJune 20, 1997…
At that event, Symington quipped that authorities had “found who was responsible” for the lights and introduced his chief of staff, Jay Heiler, dressed in an alien costume and escorted in mock handcuffs. Symington laughed with aides and characterised the stunt as a way to show reporters they were “entirely too serious” about the reports. For many witnesses and UFO researchers at the time, this episode felt like a public dismissal of their experiences. Critics argued that instead of addressing a mass sighting with transparent communication, the governor used levity to shift media focus. [Deseret News]deseret.comNewsAlien' encounter leaves media agog – Deseret News</span><span class="citation-popover-snippet">Deseret NewsAlien' encounter leaves media agog – Deseret NewsJune 20, 1997…
Symington’s 2007 Reversal: From Joke to Credible Witness
A decade later, the narrative changed substantially. In 2007, long after his governorship and having left public office, Symington began speaking openly about his personal experience of the Phoenix Lights — and he did so in a manner that acknowledged both the mystery of the event and his earlier missteps. In interviews with journalists and on television, he said that he had seen the lights himself on the night of 13 March 1997. Symington explained that as a trained pilot who had flown many aircraft, he recognised the appearance of something unusual and enormous in the sky — “bigger than anything that I’ve ever seen”, and “otherworldly” in its presence. [Wikipedia]WikipediaPhoenix LightsPhoenix Lights
According to his later statements, he did not go public at the time because he felt, as a sitting governor, he had a duty to avoid unnecessary public panic and thought that injecting a bit of levity might calm things down. He also noted that acknowledging a personal encounter could have complicated his already precarious political circumstances — he was facing legal challenges unrelated to the lights. [Wikipedia]WikipediaFife SymingtonFife Symington
Symington reiterated his experience in various forums, including televised interviews and documentary panels, and even in a 2017 editorial where he called for renewed investigation and transparency on unexplained aerial phenomena. In those accounts, he didn’t categorically rule out conventional explanations but stressed that what he saw did not resemble known aircraft or flares. [Wikipedia]WikipediaPhoenix LightsPhoenix Lights
Shaping Public Mistrust
Symington’s reversal — from mocking the Phoenix Lights to affirming he had his own unexplained sighting — has had a lasting impact on how the event is remembered in Arizona’s UFO folklore. For many locals who reported lights that night, the initial press conference symbolised a gap between official messaging and eyewitness testimony. A gesture intended to reduce speculation instead fed perceptions that authorities were dismissive or even contemptuous of ordinary witnesses. [UFO Insight]ufoinsight.coma case study the 1997 phoenix lightsUFO InsightThe 1997 Phoenix Lights Incident - UFO Insight…
When, years later, a prominent public figure like Symington acknowledged that he had seen something genuinely unusual, it reinforced lingering scepticism about the original handling of the incident. For some observers, it cast the earlier mockery as a kind of damage control that prioritised political image over engaging seriously with public experiences. Others took his later admissions as support for claims that something truly unexplained occurred, and that authorities were reluctant to grapple with it candidly. [UFO Insight]ufoinsight.coma case study the 1997 phoenix lightsUFO InsightThe 1997 Phoenix Lights Incident - UFO Insight…
Overall, Symington’s reversal didn’t settle the question of what the Phoenix Lights were — military training, flares, misidentified aircraft or something else — but it has become a pivotal chapter in the story of how Arizona’s largest UFO event was framed, communicated, and later reinterpreted by an eyewitness with unique standing. [Wikipedia]WikipediaPhoenix LightsPhoenix Lights
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Endnotes
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Fife Symington
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fife_Symington -
Source: deseret.com
Title: News`Alien’ encounter leaves media agog – Deseret News
Link: https://www.deseret.com/1997/6/20/19318941/alien-encounter-leaves-media-agog/Source snippet
Deseret News`Alien' encounter leaves media agog – Deseret NewsJune 20, 1997...
Published: June 20, 1997
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Source: deseret.com
Title: News Former governor says he saw UFO – Deseret News
Link: https://www.deseret.com/2007/3/25/20009206/former-governor-says-he-saw-ufo/Source snippet
MDT See More Deseret News Stories In Search Image: Then-Arizona Gov. Fife Symington jokes with aide Jay Heiler, right, on June...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Phoenix Lights
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Lights -
Source: ufoinsight.com
Title: a case study the 1997 phoenix lights
Link: https://www.ufoinsight.com/a-case-study-the-1997-phoenix-lights/Source snippet
UFO InsightThe 1997 Phoenix Lights Incident - UFO Insight...
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Source: thisunexplaineduniverse.com
Title: phoenix lights
Link: https://www.thisunexplaineduniverse.com/articles/phoenix-lightsSource snippet
| This Unexplained UniverseFebruary 19, 2026 — WHO WITNESSED THE PHOENIX LIGHTS? What sets the Phoenix Lights apart from most UFO cases i...
Published: February 19, 2026
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Source: national-paranormal-society.org
Title: Phoenix Lights
Link: https://national-paranormal-society.org/phoenix-lights-1997/Source snippet
1997 - The National Paranormal SocietyJanuary 6, 2014 — Arriving in Phoenix When the triangular formation entered the Phoenix area, Bill...
Published: January 6, 2014
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Source: ufology.wikidot.com
Title: phoenix lights
Link: https://ufology.wikidot.com/phoenix-lightsSource snippet
Lights - UfologyJanuary 1, 2008 — REPORTS GOVERNOR In March 2007, former Arizona Governor Fife Symington III said that he had witnessed o...
Published: January 1, 2008
Additional References
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Source: sott.net
Link: https://www.sott.net/article/128866-Former-Arizona-governor-says-he-saw-Phoenix-Lights-UFOSource snippet
March 19, 2007 — HIGH STRANGENESS Image: UFO FORMER ARIZONA GOVERNOR SAYS HE SAW 'PHOENIX LIGHTS' UFO Steve Hammons American Chronicle Mo...
Published: March 19, 2007
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Source: aftenposten.no
Title: Image: Den tidligere Arizona-guvernøren Fife Symington på UFO-pressekonferan
Link: https://www.aftenposten.no/verden/i/vOaam/jeg-saa-en-diger-ufoSource snippet
Jeg så en diger UFONovember 9, 2007 — - JEG SÅ EN DIGER UFO Tidligere Arizona-guvernør Fife Symington mener amerikanske myndigheter må sl...
Published: November 9, 2007
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Source: fifesymington.com
Title: Former Arizona Governor Now Admits Seeing UFO | The Real Story
Link: https://www.fifesymington.com/2007/03/former-arizona-governor-now-admits-seeing-ufo/Source snippet
March 19, 2007 — FORMER ARIZONA GOVERNOR NOW ADMITS SEEING UFO March 19, 2007Anderson Cooper, CNN, Newssfdkjwnasdf74 On the tenth anniver...
Published: March 19, 2007
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Source: wanttoknow.info
Title: Arizona Governor Fife Symington: Phoenix Lights were UFOs
Link: https://www.wanttoknow.info/a-Arizona-Governor-Fife-Symington-Phoenix-Lights-UFOSource snippet
March 22, 2007 — ARIZONA GOVERNOR FIFE SYMINGTON: PHOENIX LIGHTS WERE UFOS Key Excerpts from Article on Website of CNN News * * * CNN New...
Published: March 22, 2007
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Source: seattletimes.com
Title: Fife Symington trotted out an aide dressed as an alie
Link: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/former-governor-i-saw-a-ufo-10-years-ago/Source snippet
Former governor: I saw a UFO 10 years ago | The Seattle TimesMarch 24, 2007 — FORMER GOVERNOR: I SAW A UFO 10 YEARS AGO Originally publis...
Published: March 24, 2007
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Source: tucson.com
Title: UF Os flew over Phoenix in ‘97, Symington says
Link: https://tucson.com/news/article_9b90333a-4280-5288-9f4b-f1034df5d833.htmlSource snippet
UFOs flew over Phoenix in '97, Symington saysMarch 23, 2007 — UFOS FLEW OVER PHOENIX IN '97, SYMINGTON SAYS * By Tom Beal ARIZONA DAILY S...
Published: March 23, 2007
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Source: tucson.com
Title: UF Os flew over Phoenix in ‘97, Symington says
Link: https://tucson.com/news/state-and-regional/article_9b90333a-4280-5288-9f4b-f1034df5d833.htmlSource snippet
UFOs flew over Phoenix in '97, Symington saysMarch 23, 2007 — UFOS FLEW OVER PHOENIX IN '97, SYMINGTON SAYS * By Tom Beal ARIZONA DAILY S...
Published: March 23, 2007
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Source: tucson.com
Title: UF Os flew over Phoenix in ‘97, Symington says
Link: https://tucson.com/news/state-and-regional/ufos-flew-over-phoenix-in-97-symington-says/article_9b90333a-4280-5288-9f4b-f1034df5d833.htmlSource snippet
UFOs flew over Phoenix in '97, Symington saysMarch 23, 2007 — UFOS FLEW OVER PHOENIX IN '97, SYMINGTON SAYS * By Tom Beal ARIZONA DAILY S...
Published: March 23, 2007
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Source: phoenixnewtimes.com
Link: https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts-culture/the-phoenix-lights-ufo-sightings-in-1997-an-oral-history-25th-anniversary-13176244/Source snippet
Phoenix New TimesThe Phoenix Lights UFO sightings in 1997: An oral history...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: UFO TRUTH Fife Symington ex Gov of Arizona tells the truth
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SJXMBHByZYSource snippet
"Fife Symington" Phoenix Lights Exclusive Former AZ Gov Fife Symington on Phoenix Lights UFO -- The Interview You Haven't Seen OpenMindsTV...
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