SKY SCARE

Delta Pilot Given Terrifying Rocket Launcher Warning Mid-Flight

An anonymous caller triggered a brief but alarming security alert.

A Delta Air Lines pilot preparing to land at New York’s LaGuardia Airport was warned to use “extreme caution” after an anonymous caller falsely reported a possible rocket launcher nearby. The scare unfolded as Delta Flight 2604, arriving from Detroit with more than 100 people on board, was on approach to LaGuardia. Air traffic controllers issued a MANPAD alert at 8:27 p.m. “MANPAD alert issued at LaGuardia Airport at 0027. Use extreme caution,” a controller said in audio obtained by CBS News. The pilot, apparently startled by the warning, asked what a MANPAD was. The tower responded that it stood for “a manned portable air defense system.” “Basically, it was a report of a rocket launcher,” the controller added. Within about a minute, controllers called off the alert after Port Authority police determined the report was a hoax. “No need to respond, Delta 2604,” the controller told the pilot. “Port Authority police reported it was a non-credible threat.” The Boeing 737 landed safely without incident.

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