Kurt Russell

Pilot / Civilian Witness

Kurt Russell revealed that he was the general aviation pilot who first reported the Phoenix Lights UFO sighting to air traffic control on March 13, 1997. While piloting his private plane into Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with his stepson Oliver Hudson, Russell observed six lights in a uniform V-shape above the runway and radioed the unknown objects to the tower, which had no explanation on their radar.

The incident gained widespread attention nearly two decades later when Russell was promoting Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in a BBC interview. He realized he was the unidentified pilot mentioned in a television documentary after his wife, Goldie Hawn, was watching the show; Russell had previously forgotten the event entirely, as he had not recorded the sighting in his pilot logbooks.

The Sighting: Russell described seeing the lights approximately half a mile out from the airport, noting they were flying without sound and were not expected aircraft.
The Phoenix Lights: This mass sighting involved thousands of witnesses across Arizona and Nevada seeing a massive V-shaped formation, with the later stationary lights officially attributed to military flares dropped by the Maryland Air National Guard.
Public Revelation: The story resurfaced in 2017, highlighting Russell’s credible account as a licensed pilot who reported the phenomenon responsibly before moving on with his life.