Phoenix, Arizona, May 27, 2003 — A cigar-shaped object with red end-lights hovers north of a city mountain for ten minutes before departing vertically. An independent witness at a nearby Circle K confirmed the observation.
THINK ABOUTIT UFO|UAP SIGHTING REPORT
2003: What was that cigar shaped object?
On the night of May 27, 2003, a Phoenix resident observed a cigar-shaped object with pinpoint lights along its length and red lights at both ends hovering motionless north of a mountain on the south side of the city for approximately ten minutes before it departed vertically at extreme speed. At a nearby Circle K convenience store, an independent witness who had been watching the same area of sky confirmed seeing the same object and its departure. The sighting was reported to NUFORC. The witness’s specific identity and the mountain’s name are withheld in the report, but the proximity to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (approximately 2.5 miles south) and the witness’s familiarity with local air traffic — blimps, helicopters, airliners — informed their assessment that the object did not match any known conventional source.
Date: May 27, 2003
Sighting Time: Approximately 10:10 p.m. MST
Day/Night: Night
Location: South side of an unspecified mountain in Phoenix, Arizona (witness lived near the mountain; Sky Harbor Airport approximately 2.5 miles to the south)
Urban or Rural: Urban
No. of Entity(‘s): None observed
Entity Type: Not Applicable
Entity Description: Not Applicable
Hynek Classification: NL (Nocturnal Light)
Duration: Approximately 10 minutes
No. of Object(s): 1
Description of the Object(s): Cigar-shaped. Pinpoint bright lights were arranged along the length of the object, sufficient to outline its cigar shape. The pinpoint lights occasionally flickered. At each end of the cigar shape, slightly larger red lights were visible. The object hovered motionless for the entire observation period, producing no sound, then departed vertically at extreme speed, appearing to disappear almost instantly as it accelerated upward
Shape of Object(s): Cigar
Size of Object(s): Not estimated (visible at 800–1,000 feet altitude, with individual lights discernible)
Color of Object(s): Pinpoint white lights along the body; slightly larger red lights at both ends
Distance to Object(s): Estimated 800–1,000 feet altitude; horizontal distance not specified but close enough to rule out conventional aircraft by shape
Height & Speed: Hovering at approximately 800–1,000 feet during observation; departed vertically at extreme speed, appearing to vanish almost instantly
Number of Witnesses: 1 primary (anonymous, self-submitted to NUFORC); 1 partial independent corroboration (unnamed man at Circle K convenience store who independently observed the object and its departure)
Special Features/Characteristics: Complete silence throughout the observation. The object was completely stationary for the entire 10-minute observation period before departing vertically. The witness initially mistook the object for a helicopter (the area has frequent mountain-rescue helicopter activity) but ruled this out based on shape, behavior, and silence. The witness also ruled out airplane, blimp, and hot-air balloon based on personal familiarity with local air traffic patterns near Sky Harbor Airport. An independent witness at a nearby Circle K was found staring at the same area of sky and spontaneously asked the primary witness whether they had seen the object, confirming he had watched it and seen it depart. Street lighting did not interfere with the observation; the witness’s house lights were off
Case Status: Insufficient Data
Source: NUFORC (National UFO Reporting Center), report S29206
Summary/Description: On May 27, 2003, at approximately 10:10 p.m., a Phoenix resident near an unspecified mountain observed a cigar-shaped object with pinpoint white lights and red end-lights hovering silently at an estimated 800–1,000 feet for approximately ten minutes before it departed vertically at extreme speed. At a nearby Circle K, an independent witness confirmed seeing the same object and its departure. Reported to NUFORC.
Related Cases: 1997 Phoenix Lights
Detailed Report
On a clear night at approximately 10:10 p.m. on May 27, 2003, a Phoenix resident stepped outside to drive to a nearby Circle K convenience store. Something in the sky attracted their attention — initially assumed to be a helicopter, as the area near their mountain experiences frequent helicopter rescues for injured or stranded hikers. Looking up, the witness saw a cigar-shaped object hovering nearly motionless. Pinpoint bright lights were arranged along the length of the object, outlining its cigar shape. At each end, slightly larger red lights were visible. Some of the pinpoint lights flickered intermittently.
The witness watched for at least ten minutes, attempting to identify the object. It hovered north of the mountain at an estimated altitude of 800–1,000 feet. The witness’s home was approximately 2.5 miles north of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, an area with regular airline traffic, occasional blimps during events, and frequent helicopter activity. Based on this familiarity, the witness ruled out airplane (wrong shape, stationary), helicopter (no rotor noise, wrong shape), blimp (wrong shape and lighting), and hot-air balloon (wrong time, wrong lighting). The house lights were off and street lights were at a distance, providing good viewing conditions.
After approximately ten minutes of stationary hovering, the object departed vertically — straight up — at extreme speed, appearing to disappear almost instantly as it accelerated out of sight.
The witness then drove to the Circle K. Outside the store, a man was standing at the corner, staring at the same area of sky where the object had been. The witness initially ignored him and went inside. Upon exiting, the man was still looking up. He addressed the witness, saying he recognized them as a frequent customer who lived nearby and asking whether they had seen anything strange. When pressed, the man said the witness must have seen “that thing” — it had been right there and then taken off. The witness confirmed the sighting but declined to discuss details, noting that nobody would believe it. The man appeared shaken.
Researcher’s Notes
The Phoenix Cigar — South Mountain 2003 and the Circle K Corroboration
- Source and Witness Quality: This report was filed with NUFORC (report S29206) by an anonymous witness. The witness deliberately withheld their specific address and the name of the mountain, stating only that they live on the south side of the mountain with Sky Harbor Airport approximately 2.5 miles to the south. Given the geography of Phoenix, this description is most consistent with South Mountain, Piestewa Peak (formerly Squaw Peak), or Camelback Mountain — all of which are within approximately 2–3 miles of Sky Harbor when measured from their south flanks. The witness demonstrated awareness of local air traffic patterns and systematically excluded conventional sources, which suggests familiarity with the sky over their neighborhood. However, the report is anonymous, self-submitted, and was never investigated by NUFORC or any field organization.
- The Circle K Witness: The most valuable element of this report is the independent corroboration at the Circle K. An unnamed man — not a friend, family member, or associate of the primary witness — was independently watching the same area of sky, appeared visibly shaken, and spontaneously initiated conversation about the object, confirming he had seen both the hovering and the vertical departure. This is not full corroboration (we have no statement from the Circle K witness, no contact information, no independent report filed), but it represents a meaningful step above a pure single-witness account. Two strangers seeing the same thing at the same time from nearby locations, with one spontaneously approaching the other, is a pattern consistent with a shared observation of a real stimulus rather than individual misperception or fabrication.
- Mundane Candidates: A cigar-shaped object with lights along its length hovering near an urban mountain at 800–1,000 feet is consistent in general outline with an advertising blimp or airship. However, the witness — who lives in the area and sees blimps during events — explicitly ruled this out. Blimps do not hover silently in one position for ten minutes and then depart vertically at extreme speed. A tethered aerostat or surveillance balloon is possible but would not depart vertically at speed. A drone (in 2003, consumer drones were essentially nonexistent; military drones operated at much higher altitudes) is unlikely at this date. The vertical departure at apparent extreme velocity is the detail most difficult to reconcile with any conventional source. The case is classified Insufficient Data due to the anonymous primary witness and the absence of any investigation, but the Circle K corroboration and the systematic exclusion of conventional sources place it above the thinnest reports in the archive.
A cigar-shaped object hung over Phoenix for ten minutes on a May night in 2003, then went straight up and was gone. Two strangers stood in a Circle K parking lot and shared a moment of mutual confirmation that neither would likely speak of again. The archive records the moment and moves on.
