Mysterious Rocket Firing Update

Investigators believe model rocket buzzed Continental jet | Front page | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "Investigators believe the object that narrowly missed a Continental Express jet a week ago was a civilian-made rocket — described as a white cylinder about 5 to 7 feet long with triangular fins on its tail — rather than a military missile.

The description came from debriefing the jet’s pilot and copilot who spotted a rocket with a long white vapor trail headed directly toward their cockpit at 16,000 feet shortly after they took off from George Bush Intercontinental Airport about 8 p.m. on May 29, authorities said. The flight was carrying 23 passengers to Greenville, S.C.

This is the second time in little over a year that a Continental plane has encountered a rocket-like object in its air space shortly after taking off from Houston Intercontinental.

The first incident occurred last year on Memorial Day. It involved a Continental plane which was only a minute away from colliding with a rocket that shot past the cockpit window. The plane, which was carrying 148 passengers to Cleveland, was much lower in the sky — about 4,750 feet — than the Express jet."