Jet Pilots Say They Saw North Korean Missile in Flight
restricted American carriers from that slice of North Korean airspace as well, citing the "hazardous situation created by North Korean military capabilities and activities, including unannounced North Korean missile launches and air defense weapons systems." Flight Service Bureau recommended in early August
that operators consider rerouting "over the Japanese landmass or east of it." But even that flight path would not have been completely out of range of recent North Korean tests.
The flight crew of Cathay Pacific Flight 893 from San Francisco to Hong Kong last Wednesday saw
"what is suspected to be the re-entry" of the North Korean missile, the airline said this week.
" he wrote, "may have looked like an explosion that caused the missile to fall apart." Korean Air said it was unclear how far the apparent missile re-entry was from its own planes, whose flights originated in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
that Ignition of the second stage rocket engine and separation of the first stage,
In addition, the pilots of two Korean Air flights bound for Incheon International Airport near Seoul, South Korea’s capital, saw "a flash
and everyone is assuming it should be the missile because of the timing," said a Korean Air spokesman who asked not to be named, citing company policy.
5, 2017
HONG KONG — Pilots of three commercial jets reported seeing what appeared to be the missile
that North Korea launched last week, raising questions about the possible risk to civilian flights from the North’s weapons program.