Pilots in L.A. Are Warned to 'Use Caution' After Sighting of Flying Person: 'The Jet Man Is Back'

Greta Bjornson
·2 min read
8
Iron Man
Iron Man

Marvel/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

Nearly a year after a man was first spotted flying around Los Angeles International Airport on a jetpack, it appears that he may be making a return trip.

Pilots in the L.A. area were warned of another possible jet pack sighting on Wednesday evening near LAX, the Federal Aviation Administration told multiple news outlets in a statement.

The person was flying thousands of feet in the air, leading air traffic control to compare him to the Marvel superhero Iron Man, KCBS reported, citing recordings.

"A Boeing 747 pilot reported seeing an object that might have resembled a jet pack 15 miles east of LAX at 5,000 feet altitude," the FAA said. "Out of an abundance of caution, air traffic controllers alerted other pilots in the vicinity."

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In the recordings KCBS obtained from Wednesday evening, air traffic personnel told a SkyWest pilot to "use caution," adding, "The jet man is back."

When asked by air traffic control if the pilot saw "the UFO," the pilot replied, "We were looking, but we did not see Iron Man."

The sighting comes after a flight school instructor first reported spotting someone flying on a jetpack off the coast of Los Angeles County in August 2020, posting a video that led to more reports. In total, at least four pilots reported spotting a similar flying mystery last year, CBS News News reported.

The FBI eventually got involved in the case due to potential hazards jetpacks can cause to aircrafts.

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"The FBI is investigating the reports made this past Sunday by airline pilots who've said they saw a man on a jetpack upon their approach to LAX," a spokesperson for the Los Angeles FBI field office told PEOPLE at the time. "This is not a common occurrence."

The FBI said it could have been a balloon that resembled "a jet pack or person" or "a drone designed to look like a jet pack or person," according to KCBS.