"Just got a major streak going from at least 60 miles with all these different colors," one unidentified pilot told air traffic controllers on the ground in San Juan, Puerto Rico. "It looked like it was coming towards us just letting you know." This pilot's account highlights the immediate confusion and concern following the rocket explosion, capturing the critical moment in which chaos unfolded in the airspace nearby.
In response to another pilot's confusion about the lights, a controller asked if they could provide an estimate on how far away it was. The incident showcases the unusual circumstances that air traffic controllers had to navigate, as they tried to make sense of the situation while ensuring the safety of flights and passengers.
The situation escalated when the pilot of Silver Airways flight 127 reported seeing red lights, saying, "I don't know what it is, it's red lights I don't know what it is," prompting controllers to advise lowering altitude and altering the flight path. This highlights the urgency and need for rapid decision-making in response to unexpected airborne phenomena.
"Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!" SpaceX founder Elon Musk wrote on his social media platform X, sharing a video of the incident, suggesting a light-hearted approach to an otherwise chaotic and serious aerospace mishap.
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