There was another possible jetpack sighting near Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday.
Last year at least four pilots spotted the aerial mystery, which appears to be a man flying with a jetpack, and now it seems that "the jet man is back," according to an air traffic controller communicating with a SkyWest flight. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the sighting in a statement to CBS News.
"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 spokesperson said. "Out of an abundance of caution, air traffic controllers alerted other pilots in the vicinity."
The outlet also obtained recordings in which the air traffic controller is heard advising the SkyWest flight to exercise caution.
"The jet man is back, let me know if you see him," the flight controller says before asking if the "UFO" has been spotted.
"We were looking, but we did not see Iron Man," the pilot replies.
"Evergreen 8023 … use caution, there was a report of a man in jetpack around 5,000 feet in the vicinity of Los Angeles," the air controller responds.
The FBI launched an investigation following several other similar sightings. The most recent was last year, when what appeared to be a man wearing a jetpack was seen miles from the airport, flying at around 3,000 feet in the air, according to The Sun. The jetpack was also spotted flying approximately 3,000 feet in the air off the coast in a training area near Palos Verdes then, days later, near the Los Angeles International Airport, flying at around 6,000 feet.
The FBI later released a report stating that it was unlikely that the sightings were of an actual person wearing a jetpack.
There have been multiple theories as to what the object is but no set conclusions yet. One idea is that it's a balloon resembling "a jet pack or person," or "a drone designed to look like a jet pack or person," Kristi Johnson, FBI assistant director in charge of the Los Angeles Field Office, told CBSLA.
David Mayman, CEO of Los Angeles-based Jetpack Aviation, was also doubtful that the sighting was a jetpack.
"They'd run out of fuel, they use fuel too quickly," Mayman told CBS News, explaining that a typical flight time for a jetpack is between five to 10 minutes. "If it's a real jetpack, it is noisy. People would have heard it take off and land."
Related Stories:
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.