January 6, 2008
The pilot of a jet carrying passengers to Logan International Airport
reported yesterday that a model rocket appeared to have been fired toward
his craft, a Federal Aviation Administration official said. The pilot of
AirWisconsin flight 180A saw what appeared to be a spark or firework in
front of the plane around 12:26 p.m., after the jet had descended to 500
feet and was preparing to land, said FAA spokeswoman Holly Baker. The model
rocket did not hit the aircraft, Baker said, and the 40-passenger plane,
which had three crew members, landed safely. A State Police spokesman said
the plane was flying over the Winthrop-Revere area at the time and the
rocket was believed to have been fired from the vicinity of the Belle Isle
Marsh Reservation. The state reservation is about a half-mile northeast of
two of the airport's runways. State Police are investigating the incident,
Benson said.