LOS ANGELES – The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating after an American Airlines pilot reported seeing a mystery person in a jetpack flying high above Los Angeles, right in the path of incoming jets at Los Angeles International Airport Sunday evening.
“The FBI is aware of the reports by pilots on Sunday and is working to determine what occurred,” a spokesperson told FOX 11 on Tuesday.
When it comes to accuracy and detail and reliability, you’d probably rank airline pilots right up there. So, when an American Airlines pilot reported via radio to the control tower seeing a “guy in a jetpack” as he was approaching LAX at about 3,000 feet and ten miles out for a landing, you had to give it serious credibility, as unlikely as that may be.
You can listen to the actual radio transmissions in our story.
A second pilot also saw it.
Is it possible? Based on research, jetpacks can fly that high, but is it likely? Common sense would say no, but again, it’s an airline pilot reporting it, with “visual flight rules” meaning plenty of visibility, and it wasn’t dark yet.
You’d think anyone with the technical and financial ability to do something like that would also realize not to do it in LAX’s flight path.
Could it be some internet or social media stunt? That’s one theory some have suggested.
No one has come forward to say they were for some reason flying a jetpack, and normally the promotional or fun videos we’ve seen of them are much lower, aimed at vacationers or thrill-seekers who blast off with a pack attached to their backs for a few seconds of low-level flight. Flying this dangerously high in the sky is not typical.
Efforts to find out more from the pilot went nowhere, and representatives from American Airlines told FOX 11 to contact the FAA. The FAA told us they turned the report over to the LAPD for investigation, possibly trying to locate the person via a helicopter or ground patrol. The LAPD tells FOX 11 they received no such report from the FAA.
Two retired pilots who currently teach and consult on aviation safety say they would absolutely believe the pilot in that situation, given their “trained eyes” and visual awareness.
The pilot estimated the jetpack was only about 300 yards out of his window.
For now, it’s a mystery on many levels. Maybe it was a mylar balloon or a small helicopter. Years ago a man in a lawn chair flew aloft with dozens of helium balloons tied to it.
All this is a very puzzling and a potentially dangerous mystery, as you can imagine the consequences of that kind of mid-air collision.
If you have any information related to this story, please call the LAPD.
https://youtu.be/VmW-ScmGRMA
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