Elon Musk‘s SpaceX January Starship explosion reportedly posed a greater danger to aircraft than publicly known, with fiery debris raining across the Caribbean for approximately 50 minutes.
Aircraft Declare Fuel Emergencies
Three flights carrying approximately 450 people total faced the quandary, according to Federal Aviation Administration records reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Two planes, one operated by Iberia Airlines and a private jet, declared fuel emergencies and traveled through the temporary no-fly zone, the records show.
An air-traffic controller told a JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ:JBLU), the third flight involved, crew continuing to San Juan would be “at your own risk.”
According to the report, all landed safely. Controllers only became aware of the explosion after pilots reported seeing debris, rather than through SpaceX’s required official hotline notification.
Controller Workload Increased
Air-traffic controllers were forced to rapidly reroute aircraft to avoid falling debris, creating what an FAA report described as a “potential extreme safety risk.”
FAA Safety Review Suspended
FAA leaders convened an expert panel in February to re-examine debris risks. The panel identified high aviation-safety risks by May.
According to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, FAA officials suspended the safety review in August.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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