Another possible jetpack sighting reported near LAX: "The jet man is back"
"The jet man is back."
That's what an air traffic controller can be heard saying to a SkyWest flight after another possible jetpack sighting reported Wednesday evening near Los Angeles International Airport. The sighting comes after at least four pilots reported seeing a similar aerial mystery last year in the same area.
"A Boeing 747 pilot reported seeing an object that might have resembled a jetpack 15 miles east of LAX at 5,000 feet altitude," a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said in a statement. "Out of an abundance of caution, air traffic controllers alerted other pilots in the vicinity."
In recordings obtained by CBS Los Angeles, air traffic control personnel could be heard issuing a warning to pilots.
ATC: Skywest 3626, use caution. The jet man is back, let me know if you see him."
ATC: Skywest 3626, did you see the UFO?
Pilot: We were looking, but we did not see Iron Man.
ATC: Evergreen 8023 … use caution, there was a report of a man in jetpack around 5,000 feet in the vicinity of Los Angeles.
Late last year, a number of similar reports were made near the airport, prompting the FBI to investigate.
In addition to the sightings near LAX, a flight school posted footage on Instagram of the possible jetpack spotted off the coast of the Palos Verdes Peninsula in December.
A report issued by the FBI said that the reported sightings were unlikely to involve an actual person with a jet pack.
CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave reported last year there does not appear to be a jetpack on the market that could get someone to an elevation of roughly 3,000 feet and back to the ground safely. That would require a lot of fuel or a parachute.
David Mayman, CEO of L.A.-based Jetpack Aviation, told Van Cleave he was also doubtful it was a jetpack.
"They'd run out of fuel, they use fuel too quickly," Mayman said, adding that a typical flight time for a jetpack is just 5 to 10 minutes. "If it's a real jetpack, its noisy. People would have heard it take off and land."
