The FBI has released a detailed set of investigative files on the so-called “Jetpack Man” sightings near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The release on October 1, 2025, followed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by The Black Vault first filed August 3, 2021 and resubmitted November 27, 2021 after an initial denial. The Bureau originally withheld all the records under FOIA exemption (b)(7)(A) for ongoing investigations but reversed its position with the second request after nearly four years.
When the sightings first made headlines in 2020 and 2021, they were widely portrayed as encounters with a person flying a jetpack near commercial aircraft. Yet the FBI’s files show that at least one pilot later walked back that description. In one case, the China Airlines captain who initially thought he saw a “jetpack” told investigators on reflection that “he did not believe it resembled the shape and size of a human” and noted that “there were no propellers or jet propulsion devices attached to the object.”
The records released mark the first “interim” disclosure for this case which remains open, indicating that additional material may still be forthcoming. For this release, 250 pages were reviewed, bit only 130 were released. It is unclear what is in the 120 pages completely withheld.
How the Investigation Began
The FBI’s first reference to the case appears in an internal summary of the August 30, 2020 incident, when pilots on American Airlines flight 1997 reported seeing “a person with a jet pack flying approximately 300 yards to the left of them” as they descended to land at LAX at about 3,000 feet. According to the records, “approximately one minute later, JetBlue flight 23 was approaching LAX and a pilot possibly saw the same person flying with the jet pack”.
The Bureau’s records show the FBI’s Los Angeles Resident Agency opened a file (164B-LA-3313857) on September 1, 2020 to investigate the sightings.
October 2020: Pilot Describes Object in Detail
A year later, on October 14, 2020, a China Airlines captain flying from Taipei to Los Angeles told FBI agents he saw an object at 6,000–6,500 feet over Culver City during descent. The pilot described it as moving horizontally and only visible for two seconds:
“He called out the sighting to the co-pilots… The object was approximately 100-200 meters away from the left wing tip when it went past the plane”.
At first, the October 14, 2020, sighting was linked to the idea of a jetpack or “fly suit.” But after an FBI interview, the China Airlines captain made a crucial clarification. He told investigators that, on reflection, “he did not believe it resembled the shape and size of a human.” He added that there were “no propellers or jet propulsion devices attached to the object.”
This reversal is noteworthy. The incident was widely described in headlines as another “jetpack man” encounter, yet the pilot himself cast doubt on that very interpretation. If the object did not look like a human, and carried no visible propulsion system, it leaves open the possibility that it was not a balloon, not a drone, and not a man in flight gear. The FBI documents stop short of offering an alternative explanation, but the pilot’s testimony underscores the unresolved nature of what was seen that night.
Social Media Tips and Public Leads
The files show that tips poured in through the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center (NTOC). One December 2020 e-tip accused a Los Angeles graffiti “tagger” of being the jetpack flyer, alleging he had “posted about this on social media — knowing the FBI was looking into this” and that he “clearly has no remorse… and finds it funny that he has got away with it so far”.
The tipster urged the FBI to “find out his real name, his cell phone, IG use location… and charge him appropriately” because “he is scaring people by being able to operate a jetpack”. No evidence in the released files confirms that lead produced results.
May 2021: Cessna Pilot Reports Jetpack-Like Figure Near Van Nuys
On May 9, 2021, a student pilot in a Cessna 172 with an instructor at Van Nuys Airport reported seeing “what appeared to be a person on a jetpack” for about six seconds at 2,400 feet, 400–500 feet from the plane:
“The person was going the opposite direction from the plane… standing up straight… wearing black and red clothing”.
The pilot compared the sighting to a prior photo and video and said it was “exactly the same” in shape and build, but with different colors.
July 2021: Cargo Pilot Describes “Reddish” Object
The July 28, 2021 incident involved a Kalitta Air cargo flight on final approach to LAX. The captain told the FBI he saw an “unidentified object” at 5,000 feet, initially thinking it was “a guy with a jet pack” but later noting it was “larger than a balloon and smaller than a helicopter or small airplane”.
He described the object as “reddish in color and 5 to 7 feet tall, similar to the height of a person” and said he observed it for seven to eight seconds, first trying to determine if it posed a collision risk before attempting to identify it. He was later sent a photo and video of a similar object but said “the color was wrong” — the comparison image showed black and white, not red.
(See other documents at: Jetpack Man Sighting over Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), July 28, 2021)
August 2021: Drone Sighting Tip
In November 2021, an individual reported seeing a man at San Pedro’s Lookout Point Park flying “a fast, advanced looking drone that landed on his arm like a hawk” and speculated it could be connected to the jetpack sightings.
No Definitive Conclusion in FBI Files
The released records contain no definitive identification of the object or person. Instead, they show a mix of pilot testimony, public tips, and FBI investigative activity, including interviews with flight instructors, pilots, and possible industry contacts.
One record shows agents retrieved at least one CD containing “video recording” evidence in December 2020 but the contents were not included in the FOIA release.
The FBI’s decision to initially withhold the records for years under exemption (b)(7)(A) signals how seriously the Bureau took the reports and their investigation. Yet the eventual release leaves the mystery unresolved. Pilots repeatedly described objects that appeared humanoid at altitudes and distances difficult for current consumer jetpacks, and the files reveal the Bureau explored but did not prove links to drones or social media personalities.
What the files do show, for the first time in an official release, is how pilots, airline crews, and tipsters perceived the incidents, and how the FBI documented them in its case file. The records also confirm that federal authorities obtained at least some video evidence but have not released it publicly.
Future releases will be highlighted on The Black Vault, and linked below, when available.
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This post was published on October 1, 2025 11:16 pm
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