We’ve all heard the term “wing man,” but aviators in California are suddenly buzzing about the mysterious appearance of someone flying in “wingsuit” at 4,000 feet above Los Angeles International Airport Sunday afternoon.
Audio of pilots talking with air traffic controllers at LAX reveals the fascinating exchange at 2:33 p.m. Pacific time:
“On approach, SAM 741 just had a potential skydiver around 4,000 feet.”
“What was that?”
“Uh, SAM 741 we just had somebody cross above us around 4,000 feet in a wingsuit.”
“Are you SERIOUS?”
“Affirm, sir.”
“American 2041, did you copy that?”
“We did. We’re looking for him.”
USAF jet landing LAX reports man in a “wing suit”
SAM741 (Gulfstream C-37) was on approach to LAX from Nellis Air Force Base when they spotted a man in a “wing suit” pass above them. 😳
Audio via @theATCapp pic.twitter.com/wbYsvTkD8R
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) June 14, 2026
Buzz Patterson, a pilot and New York Times bestselling author who once carried America’s nuclear football during President Bill Clinton’s term, noted: “An Air Force jet on final sees a guy in a wingsuit ABOVE them. I’ve seen a lot of things in my 35 years in the air, but I’ve never seen this! Volume up!”
This is not the first time there have been reports of people possibly flying in the skies above LAX.
In 2020 and 2021, there were at least four sightings reported by pilots lining up to land there.
NBC Los Angeles reports: “One was on August 30, 2020, 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 30, 2020 by an American Airlines flight crew on final approach to LAX.
“Another happened nearly two months later, on Oct. 14, when the pilot of a China Airlines flight said there was an object sighted at around 6,000 feet over Culver City or Century City, and responded yes when an air traffic controller asked if the object resembled a jet pack.
“The third, earlier this year on July 28, [2021,] occurred at approximately 6:10 p.m., when the pilot of a Kalitta Air Cargo 747 on approach to LAX over the Santa Fe Springs and Whittier areas told air traffic controllers he could see the ‘jet man’ off his right wing at an altitude of approximately 5,000 feet.”
Both the Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Bureau of Investigation looked into the previous sightings, and told the NBC affiliate: “The FAA has worked closely with the FBI to investigate every reported jetpack sighting. So far, none of these sightings has been verified. One working theory is that pilots might have seen balloons.”
In fact, an LAPD helicopter captured images of an inflatable that appeared to be a life-sized ‘Jack Skellington,’ the main character in Tim Burton’s 1993 movie “A Nightmare Before Christmas.”
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