Free Republic

The Pentagon Tuesday said it was trying to determine if a missile was launched Monday off the coast of Southern California and who might have launched it.

Investigators in Texas say a flying object that narrowly missed a Continental Express plane last month may have been a large model rocket. The jet's pilot and co-pilot spotted the object and a long white vapor trail shortly after they took off from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport on May 29. The plane was bound for Greenville, South Carolina. Pilots spotted the object at roughly 16,000 feet (4,900 meters). It was about 5 feet (1.5 meters) to 7 feet (2 meters) long. It barely missed the passenger jet, passing just 100 feet below it. Liberty County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Ken...

The rumor mill started humming Monday morning, Nov. 28, after ABC Radio aired the following report: FBI and Homeland Security agents spent part of the weekend investigating the report of a possible missile fired at a plane leaving Los Angeles international airport. ABC's Alex Stone has the details. ... the pilots radioed air-traffic controllers saying what appeared to be a rocket had been fired at the aircraft and missed as American Airlines Flight 621 was climbing over the water. It had just taken off from LAX. The plane was enroute to Chicago ... When it landed, FBI agents spoke with...

Probe of launch near Bush airport has stalled... ... ...Continental pilot reported ... object that "went straight up" and left a long white vapor trail. ...A ... recording...shows the radar detected nothing but dozens of airplanes. ... airport ... radar is designed to track the departure and arrival of planes ... It would usually not pick up a small object ... that is going straight up... ... the pilot acknowledged spotting the object. The plane had then reached 4,750 feet elevation and was traveling at 277 mph... "...what this is on my 12 o'clock ... ? It's climbing about 20...

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,...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- FBI agents and Homeland Security officials have been investigating the report of a possible missile fired at an American Airlines plane taking off from Los Angeles International Airport. Sources told ABC News in Los Angeles that the pilot of American Airlines Flight 621, en route to Chicago, radioed air traffic controllers after takeoff from LAX. He told them a missile had been fired at the aircraft and missed. The plane was over water when the pilot said he saw a smoke trail pass by the cockpit. FBI agents believe it was a flare or a...

I heard on the radio this morning, that a pilot of a passenger jet departing LAX claimed to have narrowly avoided being hit by a missile. It was reported that the jet was about 6,000 feet in altitude & over the ocean when the event occurred. The news report further stated that authorities believe it was possibly a flare or a "bottle rocket." I googled but found nothing. Anyone else have some info on this? I dont recall whether it was CBS or NBC radio news.

The FBI is investigating a flaming projectile seen near a Continental Airlines jet after the plane left Houston Monday headed for Cleveland. (snip) The pilot reported seeing a vertical projectile with a flame and smoke trail in front of the plane over Texas.

Shoulder-Fired Missiles Pose Serious Threat to Passenger Jets U.S. Planes Have No Defense Against Cheap, Widely Available Weapons By BRIAN ROSS, JILL RACKMILL and ERIC LONGABARDI March 27, 2006 — - The potential target: an American commercial jet. The potential weapon: a shoulder-to-air missile that terrorists fire at the jet on takeoff. Worldwide, at least 24 civilian aircraft have been brought down by shoulder-fired missiles, and more than 500 people have been killed. And experts say that shoulder-to-air missiles can be bought for only a few thousand dollars on the black market. But U.S. commercial aircraft still have no defense...