Source: AP

A Continental airliner might have been only a minute away from colliding with what the pilot described as a model rocket that shot past his cockpit window, Federal Aviation Administration records obtained by the Houston Chronicle show.

On Memorial Day, the Continental pilot reported being startled by his encounter with this object that "went straight up" and left a long white vapor trail.

Yet the trail to identifying this object has appeared to run cold since the FAA and the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force launched their investigation into the episode.

For starters, the radar at George Bush Intercontinental Airport was unable to detect any unusual object in the sky when Flight 1544 took off. A video recording, acquired from the FAA through a Chronicle open record request, shows the radar detected nothing but dozens of airplanes.

FAA authorities said this is not surprising because airport surveillance radar is designed to track the departure and arrival of planes, and officials want to avoid clutter. It would usually not pick up a small object such as a model rocket that is going straight up, the FAA said.

The radar data also show the plane carrying 148 passengers to Cleveland never detoured from its route.

Just minutes after takeoff, as the plane was headed over Lake Houston, the pilot acknowledged spotting the object. The plane had then reached 4,750 feet elevation and was traveling at 277 mph, records show.

'Is that a rocket launch?'

But radio conversation between the plane and air traffic control showed the pilot's surprise at encountering something in his airspace.

"Can you tell me what this is on my 12 o'clock (in front of his plane)? It's climbing about 20 miles up. Is that a rocket launch?" he asks.

The control tower responds: "I am unaware of any activity in your vicinity."

Later, the pilot adds, "Oh, it's going straight up!"

As a precautionary measure, for about an hour, the FAA placed a temporary flight restriction over the area where the object was seen.

Some residents reported seeing F-16 fighter jets across the area, but the Air National Guard did not return phone calls about the jets.

The air traffic controller also was recorded asking other pilots flying in the area what they saw.

"On your climb out, did you happen to see any rocket launches in your vicinity?" the tower dispatcher asks.

"Negative," said a pilot on Flight 2168.

"OK. Just checking on something."

Flight 1544's pilot soon chimes in to say again: "It went straight up!"

Later, the dispatcher asks another pilot if he saw a "rocket launch" about "three to four miles out."

"Don't mean to alarm you, but there might be a possibility that you will see it," the dispatcher said.

That pilot answers, "See some contrail up here, but that's about it."

At another point, the air traffic dispatcher asks another pilot to radio crew members of Continental 1544 and ask them for a better description, such as the object's size and if it resembled a model rocket.

"We're trying to figure out a location to see if this is a problem for us," the dispatcher said.

He tells another pilot who spotted the contrail that "we're keeping you south of that suspected area."

At the speed the plane was flying, the aircraft was only about a minute away from a collision if the plane and object were four miles apart, authorities said.

The dispatcher has indicated the object was about three or four miles from the plane, while an FBI spokesman Rich Kolkohas estimated "a mile or two."

Public's help welcome

FBI spokeswoman Shauna Dunlap, who said her agency routinely looks into suspicious activity involving aircraft, said agents have not yet identified what the pilot saw.

She could not discuss the specifics of the investigation, but said the agency would welcome anyone who might have information about the incident.

No hobby clubs had requested or been granted clearance to launch any high-powered model rockets on the May 26 holiday.

Rocketeers, as the hobbyists call themselves, must obtain special waivers from the FAA to fly rockets in controlled airspace.

In addition, they are fingerprinted and undergo background checks by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives before they can buy the high-powered engines that propel such rockets.

FAA rules also would have prohibited this launch because it was located too close to an airport, authorities said.

When asked whether a model rocket could seriously damage an airliner, FAA spokesman Roland Herwig has declined to speculate. "There are so many variables. It depends on the circumstances. How fast is it going? How big is it? Is it coming at them or are they chasing it?"

Marlene McClinton, spokeswoman for Houston Airport System, said, "We have no idea if such a model rocket could be dangerous. But common sense tells you that anything hitting a plane is not good."

Model rockets are equipped with parachutes and other devices to bring them safely to the ground for reuse.

They can be made of anything from cardboard to aluminum.

Jenni Etgen, treasurer of the Houston Chapter of Tripoli Rocketry Association, said some models that soar the highest can weigh 150 pounds, stand 11 feet tall and be 6 inches in diameter.

She wondered whether the object might have been some sort of fireworks.

cindy.horswell@chron.com