{"id":20894,"date":"2025-10-01T23:16:36","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T23:16:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/?p=20894"},"modified":"2026-01-08T17:04:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T17:04:28","slug":"fbi-releases-lax-jetpack-case-files-pilot-interview-contradicts-jetpack-description","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/fbi-releases-lax-jetpack-case-files-pilot-interview-contradicts-jetpack-description\/","title":{"rendered":"FBI Releases LAX \u201cJetpack\u201d Case Files; Pilot Interview Contradicts Jetpack Description"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A screengrab from a video posted Dec. 23, 2020, which shows an object flying through the air off the coast of California. Sling Pilot Academy<\/a>\/YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The FBI has released a detailed set of investigative files on the so-called \u201cJetpack Man\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

When the sightings first made headlines<\/a> in 2020 and 2021, they were widely portrayed as encounters with a person flying a jetpack near commercial aircraft. Yet the FBI\u2019s 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 \u201cjetpack\u201d told investigators on reflection that \u201che did not believe it resembled the shape and size of a human\u201d and noted that \u201cthere were no propellers or jet propulsion devices attached to the object.\u201d<\/p>\n

The records released mark the first \u201cinterim\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

How the Investigation Began<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The FBI\u2019s 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 \u201ca person with a jet pack flying approximately 300 yards to the left of them\u201d as they descended to land at LAX at about 3,000 feet. According to the records, \u201capproximately one minute later, JetBlue flight 23 was approaching LAX and a pilot possibly saw the same person flying with the jet pack\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Bureau\u2019s records show the FBI\u2019s Los Angeles Resident Agency opened a file (164B-LA-3313857) on September 1, 2020 to investigate the sightings.<\/p>\n

October 2020: Pilot Describes Object in Detail<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u20136,500 feet over Culver City during descent. The pilot described it as moving horizontally and only visible for two seconds:<\/p>\n

\u201cHe called out the sighting to the co-pilots\u2026 The object was approximately 100-200 meters away from the left wing tip when it went past the plane\u201d.<\/p>\n

At first, the October 14, 2020, sighting was linked to the idea of a jetpack or \u201cfly suit.\u201d But after an FBI interview, the China Airlines captain made a crucial clarification. He told investigators that, on reflection, \u201che did not believe it resembled the shape and size of a human.\u201d He added that there were \u201cno propellers or jet propulsion devices attached to the object.\u201d<\/p>\n

This reversal is noteworthy. The incident was widely described in headlines<\/a> as another \u201cjetpack man<\/a>\u201d 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\u2019s testimony underscores the unresolved nature of what was seen that night.<\/p>\n

Social Media Tips and Public Leads<\/strong><\/p>\n

The files show that tips poured in through the FBI\u2019s National Threat Operations Center (NTOC). One December 2020 e-tip accused a Los Angeles graffiti \u201ctagger\u201d of being the jetpack flyer, alleging he had \u201cposted about this on social media \u2014 knowing the FBI was looking into this\u201d and that he \u201cclearly has no remorse\u2026 and finds it funny that he has got away with it so far\u201d.<\/p>\n

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The tipster urged the FBI to \u201cfind out his real name, his cell phone, IG use location\u2026 and charge him appropriately\u201d because \u201che is scaring people by being able to operate a jetpack\u201d. No evidence in the released files confirms that lead produced results.<\/p>\n

May 2021: Cessna Pilot Reports Jetpack-Like Figure Near Van Nuys<\/strong><\/p>\n

On May 9, 2021, a student pilot in a Cessna 172 with an instructor at Van Nuys Airport<\/a> reported seeing \u201cwhat appeared to be a person on a jetpack\u201d for about six seconds at 2,400 feet, 400\u2013500 feet from the plane:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe person was going the opposite direction from the plane\u2026 standing up straight\u2026 wearing black and red clothing\u201d.<\/p>\n

The pilot compared the sighting to a prior photo and video and said it was \u201cexactly the same\u201d in shape and build, but with different colors.<\/p>\n

July 2021: Cargo Pilot Describes \u201cReddish\u201d Object<\/strong><\/p>\n

The July 28, 2021 incident involved a Kalitta Air cargo flight on final approach to LAX. The captain told the FBI he saw an \u201cunidentified object\u201d at 5,000 feet, initially thinking it was \u201ca guy with a jet pack\u201d but later noting it was \u201clarger than a balloon and smaller than a helicopter or small airplane\u201d.<\/p>\n

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He described the object as \u201creddish in color and 5 to 7 feet tall, similar to the height of a person\u201d 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 \u201cthe color was wrong\u201d \u2014 the comparison image showed black and white, not red.<\/p>\n

(See other documents at: Jetpack Man Sighting over Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), July 28, 2021<\/a>)<\/p>\n

August 2021: Drone Sighting Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In November 2021, an individual reported seeing a man at San Pedro\u2019s Lookout Point Park flying \u201ca fast, advanced looking drone that landed on his arm like a hawk\u201d and speculated it could be connected to the jetpack sightings.<\/p>\n

No Definitive Conclusion in FBI Files<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

One record shows agents retrieved at least one CD containing \u201cvideo recording\u201d evidence in December 2020 but the contents were not included in the FOIA release.<\/p>\n

The FBI\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Future releases will be highlighted on The Black Vault, and linked below, when available.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

Document Archive<\/h3>\n

FBI Release Package #1 – October 1, 2025<\/a> – [147 Pages, 4MB]<\/p>\n