FAA Investigates Missile Fired at ExpressJet Flight Near Houston

The FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Liberty County Sheriff’s Department met Tuesday to compare notes on an unidentified flying object reported late last week by an ExpressJet Airlines pilot.

The pilot reported a “missile or rocket” flying near his airplane Friday at 8:09 p.m., shortly after takeoff from Bush Intercontinental Airport, according to sheriff’s officials.

“The FAA then contacted the Liberty County department dispatcher and reported their pilot reported an object flying straight at his aircraft and passed 100 feet under it,” said Ken DeFoor, chief deputy for the Liberty County Sheriff’s Department.

FBI spokeswoman Shauna Dunlap said the agency was aware of the sighting.

“While we have no information to indicate there was a criminal act we certainly do not rule anything out and certainly would not want to speculate on what it may or may not have been,” she said.

The flight was over the southern edge of Liberty County flying at 13,000 feet when the incident occurred, officials said. ExpressJet flies regional routes for Continental Airlines as Continental Express.

“We haven’t found anything yet — either something on the ground where it launched or on the ground where it came down,” said Liberty County Sheriff’s Cpl. Hugh Bishop.

While some have suggested that a hobbyists rocket may have been involved, that seems highly unlikely. This incident happened at 13,000 feet. The surrounding countryside is barely above sea level. Hobbyists rockets generally don't come close to those kinds of altitudes.

Homeland Security seems uninterested in the incident at this point. While there is no evidence that points toward terrorism, a terrorist act seems like a fairly likely possibility.

Of course, as our favorite Bloviating Zeppelin pointed out on his blog...

Do you really expect Homeland Security to divert resources from the "Great Tea Party Investigation" to check on a possible missile being fired at an airplane? Are you kidding? Didn't you hear how those radical right wingers want the government to be more responsible with our money? I'm sorry, but if Homeland Security needs to make a choice between tracking down possible missile launches or trailing minivans with a Jesus fish and a FairTax.org bumper sticker, I'm going to have to say the minivans are the priority.