Posted on 05/28/2008 10:22:32 AM PDT by Snickering Hound
No hobby clubs had requested or been granted clearance to launch high-powered model rockets on Memorial Day when a Continental Airlines pilot reported seeing such an object zoom past his cockpit window, authorities said Tuesday.
The FBI and Federal Aviation Administration continued to review the radar history of Flight 1544, which departed with 148 passengers from George Bush Intercontinental Airport at 10:17 a.m. Monday. The flight's crew, en route to Cleveland, Ohio, spotted an object with a white vapor trail about eight miles northeast of Houston's airport.
While the data is still under review, FBI spokesman Rich Kolko of Washington, D.C., said, "It happened at about 5,000 feet, and the object was maybe a mile or two in front of the plane."
Continental Airlines officials declined to comment Tuesday on exactly what Flight 1544's pilot and other crew members saw Monday.
Jenni Etgen, treasurer of the Houston Chapter of Tripoli Rocketry Association, said none of the area rocket clubs had scheduled launches over the holiday weekend.
Her organization and the National Association of Rocketry are self-regulating groups that have stringent safety requirements for launches, she said.
"Maybe somebody went up for a joy ride that didn't know the rules," said Pat Gordzelik, vice president of the national Tripoli organization.
But he added that the odds would be against someone with ill intentions being able to use an unmanned rocket with no guidance system to deliberately hit a plane.
Rocketeers, as the hobbyists call themselves, must request special waivers from the FAA to fly their rockets in controlled airspace.
Last summer, Etgen launched a rocket in West Texas that soared 32,000 feet, and she had a FAA waiver to go as high as 50,000 feet.
In addition, she has been fingerprinted and undergone a background check by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives so she can buy the engine that propels her rockets.
"An explosive handlers permit is required whenever a rocket engine requires more than 62.5 grams of propellant," explained ATF spokeswoman Franceska Perot.
In addition, the rules state that a person should not launch a rocket within five miles of an airport.
The rocketeer must also notify the FAA and obtain permission to launch into controlled airspace.
Asked whether a model rocket could seriously damage an airliner, FAA spokesman Roland Herwig said, "I can't speculate on that. There are so many variables. It depends on the circumstances. How fast is it going? How big is it? Is it coming at them or are they chasing it?"
Rocketeers say they have noticed much stricter regulations since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. They believe their hobby is safe, noting rockets use parachutes and other devices to break their fall back to the ground so that the rocket can be recovered and reused.
Etgen and her husband, John, were interviewed by the FBI about the Continental incident, but the couple said they know of no launches being done around Lake Houston.
I fear the worst about this.
Why? There's "Nothing to be seen here, move along, citizen!™"...
Awwwwwright ! Fess up ........Who did it ?
Usual suspect lineup......:o)
Probably some kid with an Estes model rocket less than 3 feet long and made of a paper tube with a balsa wood nose cone and fins and a couple of $3 six ounce paper wrapped solid rocket motors.
Let’s everybody wet our pants at once... ;-)
From WND.com some time ago, “In 1994 there was a French Mistral missile that was fully loaded ready to fire on its tripod. One man carries the missile and another man carries the tripod and it’s an extremely potent point defense missile,” explained Cmdr. Donaldson.”
“ The Maryland state police found it alongside a country road near Westminster, Md.”
Probably a prank or from a rocket club?
>>Let’s everybody wet our pants at once... ;-)<<
LOLOLOL!
And the plane was heading to Cleveland, Splains lots.
I used to fly Estes rockets. Highest we ever got was 2500 ft. This was seen at 5000 ft. I used to love launching those things.
Stinger with a bad seeker unit, just a near miss. Look for the rest of the shipment at the local mosque!
Stinger with a bad seeker unit, just a near miss. Look for the rest of the shipment at the local mosque!
8 miles NE of Bush... right about over.. well you know.
Humblegunner lives the closest to the airport.
Not that I'm pointing fingers or anything. ;-)
Humblegunner was trying to get rid of some lemons and....oooooops.
Still under power at 5,000 feet?
Years ago, the rocket clubs I would hang out in used to tell stories about modifying sturdy “Alpha” rockets to handle several “D” style engines. They will function as “stages” if chained to together properly.
In the desert, they would watch the rockets parachute over high surrounding mountain ranges before losing site of them.
I’ll bet 5000 ft would be easy if you didn’t care about what happened to your rocket.
I give, gravel pits?
The key seems to be whether the pilots ever saw a post-flight parachute(s) deployed on the missle.
That Continental pilot has no idea how close he came to having a defective center fuel tank.
</sarc>
62.5 grams == 2.2 ounces. Not much.
But that what happens when you let a federal bureaucracy add another letter to its initials.
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