Flare Scare: Another UFO Near Miss on Landing Jet at Philadelphia International Airport (KPHL), Pennsylvania

A runway at Philadelphia International Airport was closed for about a half hour Tuesday afternoon after a pilot reported a possible flare being shot near his plane as he landed, US Airways told NBC10.

Airport police told NBC10 that the plane was about a mile and a half from the airport when the pilot saw a pop and a trail of smoke.

Piedmont Airlines (US Airways Express) flight 4321 from Elmira, N.Y. wasn't hit. The aircraft landed safely on runway 17 and taxied normally to the gate, the airline said.

None of the 34 passengers and three crew members on board the Dash 8 aircraft at the time of the incident were hurt, US Air said.

The alleged flare came from the area of Bartram and Island Avenues near the airport. As of 4:30 p.m. investigators had yet to find any evidence of a flare. 

Runway 17 was closed just after 2 p.m. and remained closed for around 25 to 30 minutes, the airport said.

The FAA reported no major delays following the incident.

Philadelphia Police also say they received a 911 call from someone claiming they saw a person at Lindbergh and Island Avenue near the airport shooting off a flare gun. Police went to the scene and say they found nothing.

If the person responsible for the alleged flare is caught they could be charged with risking a catastrophe, police said. The FBI is currently investigating. An FBI spokesman told NBC10 the incident is a non-event and they don't expect anything more to come of it.

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com