A mysterious rocket that has been seen by airline pilots and investigated by the FAA, FBI, and the Houston Area Joint Terrorism Task Force could be making its third annual appearance this year if 2008 and 2009 are any indicators. The mystery object was spotted two years in a row at about the same time of year in the same area and no one has been able to explain what it could be.
Continental Airlines has had two close calls with a mysterious rocket-like object being spotted by airline pilots for two years in a row now and it’s about the time of year where investigators are looking into the object once again. Some are reporting that the mysterious object could be a UFO, but anti-terrorism groups are paying close attention just in case it’s a shoulder mounted rocket such as those used by the military.
It all started in May of 2008 when Continental Flight 1544 was approximately 11 miles east of Bush Intercontinental Airport when suddenly a call came over the radio. The pilot had just spotted a mysterious object with a thick contrail rocketing toward the aircraft. The object missed the aircraft, but came within just a few thousand feet of it; more than enough to be considered a security concern. The object was confirmed on radar, but no explanation was given as to its origin or its purpose. The object was left reported as an unidentified flying object. But this wasn’t the last pilots in the area would see of strange rocket-like objects.
Then, in 2009, another incident almost mirrored the first as a second American Airlines passenger jet took off from Bush Intercontinental Airport and likewise reported a strange rocket as they were flying just south of Liberty County on the way to Greenville, South Carolina. The main difference other than the time was the altitude of the object. At 13,000 feet the possibility of what the object could have been was much narrower. Two students, later interviewed by the Sheriff’s department reported that the object had come close enough to the airline to be considered a “close call.”
Skeptical investigators are suggesting the rocket likely was from a model rocket hobbyist, but there are those who suggest it could have actually been anything from extraterrestrial to military to terrorist in origin. A search of the area around the sighting turned up nothing telling investigators where the object could have come from. No launch platforms from hobbyists were discovered, and nothing suggesting a terrorist plot was known to have been uncovered. And with the anniversary of both these events coming up, many are wondering if it will happen again.
If it was a model rocket, it is certainly illegal for these to reach the altitudes that were reached without authorization from the FAA. Perhaps this is the reason no hobbyists came forward. But why come back again with the same action almost a year later? Is it mere coincidence? Could it be a social experiment? Or could it be some sort of signal from an unearthly source?