LAX: American Airlines pilots report jetpack-like object at 3,000ft
Commercial pilots on approach to Los Angeles airport reported an unusual aerial object. The crew described seeing something resembling an individual using aerial propulsion equipment near their aircraft at approximately three thousand feet altitude. A second flight crew reported a similar observation moments later.
Background
On August 30, 2020, pilots operating American Airlines flight 1997 reported an extraordinary sighting during their approach to Los Angeles International Airport. While descending through approximately three thousand feet, the crew observed what they initially described as an individual equipped with personal flight gear flying roughly three hundred yards to the left of their aircraft. Approximately sixty seconds later, pilots on JetBlue flight 23 approaching the same airport reported possibly sighting the same aerial anomaly. These reports triggered immediate concern among aviation authorities due to the potential collision hazard posed by unauthorized objects in controlled airspace near one of America's busiest airports.