Jetpack-Wearing 'Iron Man' Spotted Over LA Skies? US Authorities Investigate...

"Seen a Jetpack Man" Reported by Aircraft Pilot
Police and Aviation Authorities Investigating... Nothing Confirmed Yet
Jetpack Development Active... Currently About 600 Million Won

On April 21, 2018, a man is conducting a test flight wearing a jetpack. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] In Los Angeles (LA), USA, there have been consecutive eyewitness reports of a person flying in the sky wearing a jetpack, prompting investigations by law enforcement and aviation authorities.

A jetpack is a single-person transportation device that gains propulsion by ejecting gas or water, and is also used by astronauts to move in zero-gravity environments.

On the 31st (local time), ABC News reported on the 2nd that the US air traffic control center received two reports of a man wearing a jetpack flying near Los Angeles International Airport.

The first person to report this was the pilot of American Airlines flight 1997, a medium-sized passenger plane departing from Philadelphia, USA.

According to the transcript from 'LIVE ATC,' which publishes real-time communications of global air traffic control, the pilot of flight 1997 said, "This is to the control tower. We just passed a man wearing a jetpack."

He added, "The man was flying about 900 meters above ground and was only about 275 meters away from our aircraft."

Soon after, a similar report was received again.

The pilot of SkyWest Airlines in the US reported to the control tower, "I witnessed a man wearing a jetpack passing beside our plane."

The control tower considered the man flying along the flight path to be dangerous and instructed the pilot to send a warning signal.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) handed over these reports to the police and is investigating what the object approaching the aircraft was and, if it was a person, who he was, but has not yet identified him.

According to the FAA, if the report is true, the man could face legal responsibility for violating civilian flight paths and other charges.

Regarding this, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) stated, "We are aware of the report and are investigating the circumstances of the incident."

Recently, as research on flying transportation devices has increased, jetpacks capable of flying up to an altitude of 3,660 meters have been developed, and with technological advancements, they are expected to become personal transportation devices in the future.

Meanwhile, the current price of a single jetpack is about $500,000 (approximately 590 million KRW).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.