Two airline pilots reported seeing someone on a jetpack on their approach to Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has reportedly launched a probe into the incident.
A recording of aircraft communications at LAX captures the moment an American Airlines pilot reported the incident.
“Tower, American 1997 – we just passed a guy in a jetpack,” the pilot says around five minutes into the recording.
The air-traffic controller asks him to clarify where he saw this.
"On the left side, maybe 300 yards [275 metres] or so, about our altitude," clarifies the captain.
The sighting is backed up by a second pilot who contacts the tower to say that he saw the same thing.
“We saw the guy pass us by on a jetpack,” says the captain.
Listeners on LiveATC.net, a streaming network for aircraft communications, then hear the controller tell a JetBlue flight to be aware of a possible jetpack nearby, before calling in the incident.
“Person on a jetpack reported, 300 yards out of the LA final at about 3,000 feet," he states. Then he adds: "Only in LA."
The report was confirmed by the Federal Aviation Authority.
How high can jetpacks fly?
Jetpacks have a come a long way since they were first introduced and can now fly much higher and faster than initial models. A height of about 900 metres is at the upper range for many jetpacks, so the thrillseeker spotted by the airline pilots was pushing their limits.
However, earlier this year, a Dubai pilot reached double that height. Jetman Dubai soared above JBR for three minutes on a jetpack flight that reached an altitude of 1,800 metres as part of an Expo2020 stunt.
Many jetpacks require operators to be licensed pilots and in the United States, jetpacks must be registered with the Federal Aviation Administration.
