Narrative:

While climbing on a 275 degree heading the captain and I sighted a rocket or a missile climbing through our altitude off of our left wing. The object continued on a heading of 180 degrees. The sighting lasted in excess of 30 seconds. The smoke/exhaust plume was quite large (bluish white), filling up 1/3 of the captain's side window from my vantage point. After the rocket/missile climbed through our altitude it appeared to level off slightly or flatten its trajectory somewhat. The object was moving extremely fast, was highly visible, and was sighted by other aircraft. I reported the incident to ZNY as I was witnessing it. Please follow up and contact me reference this. It is a very serious matter that needs immediate attention. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter stated that ARTCC was informed of the sighting by them, another company aircraft, and a gulfstream also sighted the rocket or missile. The actual rocket body was not visible, but the trailing smoke was thick and made the rocket sighting easy to see. The rocket climbed above reporter's aircraft, then began to level off. Another aircraft at FL330 stated it flew under them so the maximum altitude achieved seems to be under FL330. There is no airspace in that area that might fire such a device. Reporter never received any other information regarding the sighting. Supplemental information from acn 363442: while listening to a flight describe a missile sighting the first officer saw, out of the right window, a green light level and then descend just slightly below our altitude. I looked and saw a bright white light moving rapidly and then extinguishing after 1 or 2 seconds. A gulfstream reported a similar sighting to ZNY, as well as our flight report. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states they were just departing lga and upon switching frequency heard the description of a missile launch. The other crew indicated they had seen missiles launched in las vegas and this looked just like it. Reporter and first officer did indicate that the bright light had a tail which shortly extinguished but it looked more bright green. Reporter was not able to tell exact direction of movement but felt it remained at the same altitude below them. They know it was not the comet hale bopp because they had been looking at that earlier. The other flcs were quite positive of a north/south movement. A few days later reporter had a safety representative on jump seat who had been to meetings with NTSB and other government agencies to discuss this sighting. It seemed there was good cooperation among the various groups. Reporter is quite willing that his report be used in any way to help with follow-up in this incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A ROCKET OR MISSILE FLIES BY A DC9 WHILE UNDER ARTCC OF ZNY, FL270. FLC DESCRIBES A BRIGHT WHITE GREENISH LIGHT MOVING RAPIDLY AND THEN EXTINGUISHING AFTER A BRIEF TIME. ANOTHER ACR AND A GULFSTREAM CREW RPT A SIMILAR SIGHTING.

Narrative: WHILE CLBING ON A 275 DEG HDG THE CAPT AND I SIGHTED A ROCKET OR A MISSILE CLBING THROUGH OUR ALT OFF OF OUR L WING. THE OBJECT CONTINUED ON A HDG OF 180 DEGS. THE SIGHTING LASTED IN EXCESS OF 30 SECONDS. THE SMOKE/EXHAUST PLUME WAS QUITE LARGE (BLUISH WHITE), FILLING UP 1/3 OF THE CAPT'S SIDE WINDOW FROM MY VANTAGE POINT. AFTER THE ROCKET/MISSILE CLBED THROUGH OUR ALT IT APPEARED TO LEVEL OFF SLIGHTLY OR FLATTEN ITS TRAJECTORY SOMEWHAT. THE OBJECT WAS MOVING EXTREMELY FAST, WAS HIGHLY VISIBLE, AND WAS SIGHTED BY OTHER ACFT. I RPTED THE INCIDENT TO ZNY AS I WAS WITNESSING IT. PLEASE FOLLOW UP AND CONTACT ME REF THIS. IT IS A VERY SERIOUS MATTER THAT NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR STATED THAT ARTCC WAS INFORMED OF THE SIGHTING BY THEM, ANOTHER COMPANY ACFT, AND A GULFSTREAM ALSO SIGHTED THE ROCKET OR MISSILE. THE ACTUAL ROCKET BODY WAS NOT VISIBLE, BUT THE TRAILING SMOKE WAS THICK AND MADE THE ROCKET SIGHTING EASY TO SEE. THE ROCKET CLBED ABOVE RPTR'S ACFT, THEN BEGAN TO LEVEL OFF. ANOTHER ACFT AT FL330 STATED IT FLEW UNDER THEM SO THE MAX ALT ACHIEVED SEEMS TO BE UNDER FL330. THERE IS NO AIRSPACE IN THAT AREA THAT MIGHT FIRE SUCH A DEVICE. RPTR NEVER RECEIVED ANY OTHER INFO REGARDING THE SIGHTING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 363442: WHILE LISTENING TO A FLT DESCRIBE A MISSILE SIGHTING THE FO SAW, OUT OF THE R WINDOW, A GREEN LIGHT LEVEL AND THEN DSND JUST SLIGHTLY BELOW OUR ALT. I LOOKED AND SAW A BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT MOVING RAPIDLY AND THEN EXTINGUISHING AFTER 1 OR 2 SECONDS. A GULFSTREAM RPTED A SIMILAR SIGHTING TO ZNY, AS WELL AS OUR FLT RPT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THEY WERE JUST DEPARTING LGA AND UPON SWITCHING FREQ HEARD THE DESCRIPTION OF A MISSILE LAUNCH. THE OTHER CREW INDICATED THEY HAD SEEN MISSILES LAUNCHED IN LAS VEGAS AND THIS LOOKED JUST LIKE IT. RPTR AND FO DID INDICATE THAT THE BRIGHT LIGHT HAD A TAIL WHICH SHORTLY EXTINGUISHED BUT IT LOOKED MORE BRIGHT GREEN. RPTR WAS NOT ABLE TO TELL EXACT DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT BUT FELT IT REMAINED AT THE SAME ALT BELOW THEM. THEY KNOW IT WAS NOT THE COMET HALE BOPP BECAUSE THEY HAD BEEN LOOKING AT THAT EARLIER. THE OTHER FLCS WERE QUITE POSITIVE OF A N/S MOVEMENT. A FEW DAYS LATER RPTR HAD A SAFETY REPRESENTATIVE ON JUMP SEAT WHO HAD BEEN TO MEETINGS WITH NTSB AND OTHER GOV AGENCIES TO DISCUSS THIS SIGHTING. IT SEEMED THERE WAS GOOD COOPERATION AMONG THE VARIOUS GROUPS. RPTR IS QUITE WILLING THAT HIS RPT BE USED IN ANY WAY TO HELP WITH FOLLOW-UP IN THIS INCIDENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.