United States / 2020 / DISPUTED
Los Angeles jetpack man reports
The Los Angeles ‘jetpack man’ case is a series of distinct aviation reports, not a tracked continuous object. On 30 August 2020, crews on approach reported a person-like object near the Runway 25R final at about 3,000 feet. On 14 October, a China Airlines crew briefly saw a shiny object near Culver City at roughly 6,000–6,500 feet. On 28 July 2021, one Kalitta Air captain reported a reddish, person-sized object about 15 miles east of LAX at 5,000 feet. FAA radar reviews did not produce a discernible track, and released FBI files do not identify an operator or device. An LAPD helicopter separately filmed a Jack Skellington-shaped balloon north of Century City; that makes balloons plausible, but location and date differences prevent it from solving every report.
This case is disputed. The archive preserves the claims while separating evidence from interpretation.
- Documentation
- High documentation
- Primary location
- Los Angeles, California; separate reports near LAX
- Source base
- 6 linked records
- Research use
- Comparison case
What the records establish
Case dossier
The August approach reports
The best-documented starting point is the evening of 30 August 2020. An FAA occurrence message says multiple aircraft reported a ‘man in jet pack’ maneuvering at 3,000 feet on the ten-mile final for LAX Runway 25R. It records no evasive action or operational impact and says LAPD Air Support was notified. FBI files identify American Airlines flight 1997 as the first report and describe another report about a minute later. These records preserve what crews said; their wording does not authenticate a person, propulsion system or continuous track. [1] PDF p. 5 · [3] · [4]
The limits of the August radar review
FAA personnel reviewed displayed and raw radar data for the August event. Internal emails say nothing appeared as a tentative or established track where the object was reported; a later preliminary raw-data review found a few primary returns but no trackable target. That is negative sensor evidence, not proof that nothing was present: a person-sized balloon, small drone or compact device may be difficult for airport radar to display. It does mean the public record has no radar path supporting a powered flight. [1] PDF pp. 4–7
The brief China Airlines encounter
The 14 October report was a different encounter. FAA and FBI records place China Airlines flight CAL006 northeast of LAX over or near Culver City, descending at about 6,000–6,500 feet. Crew interviews describe a shiny dark object crossing the forward view for roughly one or two seconds; recollections differed over color and exact distance. FAA raw-radar analysis found no conclusive primary track. An internal FAA email says the pilots later could not confirm what they saw and that prior publicity influenced the ‘jetpack’ label. This event must not inherit the August object’s description or location. [2] PDF pp. 4–10 · [3]
Reading the radar colours correctly
An FAA email of 15 October explains the colours in its radar animation: blue marks primary returns, red secondary beacon returns, green reinforced beacon returns and purple ADS-B. The analyst cautioned that CAL006 could appear as a cluster because several sensors and reporting modes updated at different rates. Multiple plotted dots therefore cannot simply be counted as separate objects or companions to the aircraft. This legend describes how the known airliner was displayed; it does not supply a radar detection of the reported object. The released email and its explanation can be checked without treating the animation as footage of a jetpack. [2] PDF pp. 6–7
SkyWest: one observer, two interviews
The FBI file also preserves a SkyWest encounter on 20 October 2020 near the Hollywood sign. The captain described an upright grey-and-black shape with a light helmet, seen for three to five seconds about 200 feet above the aircraft. The stated 7,200-foot altitude and 300-mph speed describe the aircraft, not measured performance of the object. Crucially, the first officer told investigators he had not seen it. Two interview records therefore do not establish two eyewitnesses. This additional dated report broadens the chronology without identifying a device or demonstrating that one operator caused the earlier reports. [3] PDF pp. 78–81
The separate police balloon video
A separate law-enforcement observation added a conventional comparison. On 6 November 2020, an LAPD aviation officer emailed the FBI that a helicopter crew had encountered a balloon north of Century City at about 2,500 feet the previous day. Released records and later reporting identify it as a Jack Skellington-shaped inflatable. One later FBI interview calls the police encounter 5 December, creating a date conflict inside the released file. In either version, it was not recorded on the August or October approach path and cannot be identified as those reported objects. [3] PDF pp. 85, 112–113 · [6]
A closed lead is not a closed investigation
Investigation labels also need their original scope. On PDF page 104, an FBI disposition closes a specific report while stating that it was documented into the open Rocket Man threat assessment. Reading only the closure label would wrongly turn a decision about one lead into the end of the entire inquiry. Conversely, the reference to an open assessment describes the status at that record’s date; it does not establish that the case remains open today. Neither administrative entry identifies an object or validates every report grouped in the file. [3] PDF p. 104
The July 2021 captain’s report
The 28 July 2021 report is also geographically distinct. An FBI interview says a Kalitta Air captain saw an object about 15 miles east of LAX on final approach at 5,000 feet, roughly 500 feet to the aircraft’s right. The captain described seven or eight seconds of viewing and a reddish object five to seven feet tall; the other two pilots did not see it because they were occupied with other tasks. The released record explicitly notes that awareness of earlier reports shaped the initial jetpack comparison. Some summaries place this event offshore, but the FBI interview places it east of LAX. [3] PDF pp. 131–132
Jetpacks, drones and balloons
Investigators considered actual jetpacks, a mannequin attached to a drone, and balloons. Interviews with industry participants emphasized turbine noise, short endurance, difficult ascent-and-descent profiles and the absence of an identified launch or landing site. Those constraints make an unauthorized human flight less likely, but do not by themselves select a balloon over a drone for every report. The LAPD balloon shows that human-shaped inflatables reached relevant altitudes in Los Angeles; it is an analogue, not a universal match. [3] · [5] · [6]
What the released record establishes
No reviewed public record contains a verified event photograph, recovered device, registration, launch site or identified operator. The strongest conclusion is therefore narrow: trained crews made safety-relevant reports; FAA, FBI and LAPD responded; the released evidence does not verify a jetpack flight. Because separate dates contain different locations, durations, colors and witness counts, the archive treats them as a report series and keeps the C / DISPUTED rating. [1] · [2] · [3]
Related checks and records
Timeline
- Multiple crews reported a person-like object near the Runway 25R ten-mile final at about 3,000 feet; LAPD Air Support was notified.
- The FBI was informed and opened its investigation; FAA staff began collecting radar, audio and occurrence records.
- FAA review found no tentative or established radar track at the August reported position.
- CAL006 reported a separate shiny object near Culver City at roughly 6,000–6,500 feet after a one-to-two-second view.
- A SkyWest captain reports an upright shape near the Hollywood sign; the first officer says he did not see it.
- According to a next-day LAPD email, a police helicopter encountered a Jack Skellington-shaped balloon north of Century City at about 2,500 feet; another FBI entry later gives 5 December.
- One Kalitta Air captain reported a reddish, person-sized object about 15 miles east of LAX at 5,000 feet; two other cockpit crew did not see it.
- Later reporting published the police balloon images; FBI and FAA statements said sightings had not been verified and balloons were a working theory.
Questions about the LAX jetpack reports
Was a person really flying a jetpack near LAX?
No public record verifies that. Pilots used a visual comparison; no operator, device, launch or landing was identified.
How many separate reports are covered?
The page separates 30 August, 14 October and 20 October 2020, and 28 July 2021. The LAPD balloon encounter is a separate comparison, not identification of all four reports.
Did radar track the reported objects?
No discernible track was found for August, and no conclusive primary track was found for October.
Did the LAPD video solve the case?
It confirmed that a human-shaped balloon flew high over another part of Los Angeles, but its date and location do not match the airline reports.
Where was the July 2021 object reported?
The FBI interview places it about 15 miles east of LAX on final approach, not offshore.
What is the best-supported explanation?
A balloon or human-shaped drone is more consistent with the public evidence than a verified human jetpack, but no one model is proven for every report.
Sources
- [1] ArchiveFAA records: 30 August 2020 LAX reportsFederal Aviation Administration / FOIA mirror
- [2] ArchiveFAA records: 14 October 2020 CAL006 reportFederal Aviation Administration / FOIA mirror
- [3] ArchiveFBI file on the Los Angeles jetpack reportsFederal Bureau of Investigation / FOIA release mirror
- [4] News reportContemporary report on the first LAX pilot reportsFOX 11 Los Angeles
- [5] News reportContemporary review of LAX jetpack and conventional explanationsLos Angeles Times
- [6] News reportLater report on the LAPD balloon images and working theoryNBC Los Angeles
The hero is a site-authored chronology, not event evidence. The LAPD balloon video concerns a separate date and place; no verified airline-encounter image is reproduced.