The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating claims of a person flying in a jetpack near planes above the Los Angeles airport.
An American Airlines pilot first reported the strange sighting on August 30, citing a person in a “path of incoming jets at Los Angeles International Airport Sunday evening,” Fox 11 reported. Another pilot also reported seeing
“The FBI is aware of the reports by pilots on Sunday and is working to determine what occurred,” a spokesperson told the station on September 1.
The American Airlines pilot warned the control tower via radio of the flying man, claiming to see “a ‘guy in a jetpack’ … at about 3,000 feet and ten miles out for a landing” at LAX, Fox 11 said.
So far, no one has been identified as traveling by jetpack at that time, the station said. It noted that “jetpacks can fly that high” but suggested it wasn’t likely.
“Flying this dangerously high in the sky is not typical,” Fox 11 reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it passed all information to the Los Angeles Police, Fox 11 reported. Officials have not found any indications that point to the sightings.
The FAA is currently investigating, Fox 11 said.
Here’s what you need to know:
2 Separate Pilots Reported Seeing the ‘Jetpack Guy’
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The American Airlines pilot of flight 1997, from Philadelphia to L.A., was the first to report the jetpack flier, ABC News reported.
Much like a scene out of an action movie, the pilot expressed over radio, “Tower, American 1997, we just passed a guy in a jetpack,” the outlet said.
A Skywest pilot then confirmed the AA pilot’s claims, reporting a man in a jetpack near his plane, ABC reported.
“We just saw the guy passing by us in the jetpack,” the SkyWest pilot told controllers, the outlet indicated.
Other aircraft were then “immediately warned to use caution,” ABC said.
These ‘Types’ of Sightings Are More Common Than We Think, Apparently
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“Unmanned aircraft sightings from pilots, law enforcement personnel and the general public have increased dramatically over the past two years,” the FAA confirmed to ABC News.
There are more than 100 sightings of this nature each month, the station continued.
While a small selection of jetpacks could theoretically lift a human being up to the plane-like altitudes — which sometimes reach up to 12,000 feet — it still wouldn’t be legal, ABC said.
“It would have been illegal for him to fly in commercial airline airspace or to fly alongside planes,” the outlet wrote.
The FBI is currently working to uncover the truth, a spokesperson told ABC News.
“The FBI is aware of the reports by pilots on Sunday and is working to determine what occurred,” the bureau said.
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