LAX pilots stunned after spotting man with jet pack flying nearby
LOS ANGELES, California - A man in Los Angeles took to the skies via a jet pack and was spotted by pilots at LAX.
Though the unknown "Rocketeer's" flying adventure may have been all in fun, authorities aren't laughing; CNN reports that the FBI is looking into the incident.
An American Airlines flight was the first to report spotting a "guy in a jetpack" at the plane's' altitude of 3,000 feet above Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday. Pilots said that the man was approximately 30 yards away from the aircraft.
Reporters obtained the audio between air traffic control and American and JetBlue flight crews and the first plane can be heard relaying the following message to the tower, "Tower. American 1997. We just passed a guy on a jetpack. Off the left side maybe 300 -- 30 yards or so. About our altitude."
About 10 minutes later, another plane spotted the man.
"We just saw the guy fly by us on the jetpack," the crew told the traffic controller.
Air traffic control warned the JetBlue flight to "use caution... person on a jetpack reported 300 yards south."
After the plane acknowledged the instruction, the controller replied: "Only in LA."
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The Federal Aviation Administration said "officials have alerted local law enforcement to the reports, and is looking into these reports."
The FBI is investigating and is "working to determine what occurred," Los Angeles field office spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told reporters.
The audio from the pilots and crew who spotted the "Rocketeer" can be heard in the video clip below.