In the evening of 30 August, a pilot landing an American Airlines Airbus A321 (registered N575UW) at Los Angeles Airport, United States reported a “guy in a jetpack” flying near the aircraft. At the time of the encounter, the aircraft – coming from Philadelphia – was flying at an altitude of 3,000 feet. The following communication between air traffic control (ATC) and pilot was noted:
Pilot: “Tower, American 1997, we just passed a guy in a jetpack.”
ATC: “American 1997, OK, thank you. Were they off to your left or right side?”
Pilot: “Off the left side, maybe 300 yards or so, about our altitude.”
ATC then warned other approaching flights to be on the lookout for a man in a jetpack. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into the (drone)-incident. LAPD was notified but say they were unable to locate anything.
