Streaks in Sky Possibly Hobby Rocket, Jet Probers Say

Some national security experts believe the streaks in the sky witnessed by scores of people on Long Island before Trans World Airlines Flight 800 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in July could have been a rocket launched by a hobbyist.

Government research has determined that a number of active amateur rocketeers live near where the plane plunged into the ocean, killing all 230 people on board.

Amateur rocketeers said it was virtually impossible that a nonmilitary projectile hit the plane, and even if it did, no damage would have occurred.

But an official involved in the TWA investigation said that large projectiles fired by amateur rocketeers easily could be mistaken from a distance for military missiles.

The theory that a missile downed the jet has been bolstered by the eyewitness reports of streaks in the sky. The possibility that witnesses really viewed a hobby rocket is an intriguing new factor that could strengthen the other two theories of what caused the crash: mechanical failure or a bomb placed aboard the craft.

So far, no hobbyist has admitted to firing a rocket, the official said, and no military or civilian missile parts have been recovered by divers combing the bottom for debris.

Federal regulations require people planning to launch high power rockets weighing more than 3.3 pounds to receive permission before the flight from the Federal Aviation Administration. In some cases, it is necessary to notify the nearest air traffic control center before smaller rockets are sent aloft.

An FAA spokesman said Friday the agency’s files were being reviewed to determine whether anyone had requested permission to fire a rocket on July 17, the night the plane went down.

When the Boeing 747 exploded, it was flying at 13,500 feet. That is within the range of some high power amateur rockets, but “to do damage to a 747 is impossible,” said Mark Bundick, president of the National Assn. of Rocketry. He noted that most amateur missiles are made of Fiberglas, wood and paper, have no active guidance on board and slow down after burnout.

Some amateur rockets stand almost 6 feet tall and are boosted by advanced propellants. Hobbyists launching these projectiles must receive a permit from the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.

Researcher John Beckham in Chicago contributed to this story.