Several passenger planes flying over the Caribbean Sea were in serious danger due to the explosion of the SpaceX Starship spacecraft. The incident happened in January 2025, report Wall Street Journal.
The publication covers previously unpublished documents from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The documents say that SpaceX did not immediately notify the FAA of the explosion, as required by regulations. As a result, the January 16 incident “posed a greater danger to aircraft in the air than the public was aware of.”
Two passenger planes and one business plane (a total of 450 people) found themselves in the area with debris from the spacecraft. At the same time, air traffic controllers were aware of the threat from the pilots. Pilots had to choose: “no fuel over the ocean” or fly over the danger zone “at your own risk and danger.”
The planes landed safely. However, a collision with rocket debris could result in damage to the aircraft and death of passengers.
In January, it was reported that the FAA had asked SpaceX to complete an investigation into the incident before it could fly Starship again.
