Investigators say a flying object that narrowly missed a Continental Express plane last month may have been a large model rocket.
The jet's pilot and co-pilot spotted the rocket and a long white vapor trail shortly after they took off from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport on May 29. The plane was bound for Greenville, S.C.
Pilots potted the object at roughly 16,000 feet. It was about 5 feet to 7 feet long.
The pilot of the Embraer 145 told flight controllers that the "strange object" he saw never showed up on his radar.
The plane, with 23 passengers and three crewmembers, had just passed 11,000 feet, going to 16,000 feet.
Flight 2822 from Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport continued safely on to South Carolina and Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport.
Authorities told the Houston Chronicle that no model rocket clubs reported having launches that day, and that a permit would be needed to launch a rocket that high.
Last year, another Continental plane just missed a probable model rocket. The first happened around Memorial Day last year. That plane was flying about 4,750 feet.
