| Was a rocket about to strike a Continental flight? |
A Continental airliner might have been only a minute away from colliding with what the pilot described as a model rocket that shot past his cockpit window.
On Memorial Day, the Continental pilot reported being startled by his encounter with this object that “went straight up” and left a long white vapor trail. Yet the trail to identifying this object has appeared to run cold since the FAA and FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force launched their investigation into the episode.
For starters, the radar at George Bush Intercontinental Airport was unable to detect any unusual object in the sky when Flight 1544 took off. FAA authorities said this is not surprising since airport surveillance radar is designed to track the departure and arrival of planes, and officials want to avoid clutter. It would usually not pick up a small object such as a model rocket that is going straight up, the FAA said.
The radar data also show the plane carrying 148 passengers to Cleveland, Ohio, never detoured from its route. Just minutes after takeoff, as the plane was headed over Lake Houston, the pilot acknowledged spotting the object. The plane had then reached 4,750 feet elevation and was traveling at 277 miles per hour, records show.
Radio conversation between the plane and air traffic control showed the pilot's surprise at encountering something in his airspace. “Can you tell me what this is on my 12 o'clock? It's climbing about 20 miles up. Is that a rocket launch?”
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