[meteorite-list] Fireball Sparks Plane Crash Alert in England

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon Aug 21 12:13:19 2006
Message-ID: <200608211610.JAA16161_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/5270598.stm

Fireball sparks plane crash alert
BBC News
August 21, 2006

A meteor shower sparked fears a large aircraft was crashing into the sea
off the Hebrides.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency in Stornoway received dozens of calls
on Friday night about a fireball falling from the sky.

Lifeboat crews in the Western Isles were alerted as emergency services
prepared for a large scale disaster.

However, the cause of the fireball was linked to meteor shower Kappa
Cygnid which peaked at the weekend.

A coastguard spokesman said: "We received numerous 999 calls with around
40 alone on Friday night.

"People were reporting seeing something like a plane going down with a
tail of smoke behind it.

"It would have been a shooting star from meteor activity."

Five meteors

The spokesman added: "We discussed the situation with RAF Kinloss and
other sources and concluded it was meteor activity."

Kappa Cygnid is active between 15-22 August.

Five meteors can be seen in an hour but it can also result in bright
yellow-blue fireballs, according to the British Astronomical
Association's website.

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http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1225042006

Spectacular shower of meteors sparked fear of air crash
MURDO MACLEAN
The Scotsman

COASTGUARDS were inundated with frantic phone calls at the weekend after
a bright fireball was seen plunging from the sky over the Hebrides,
prompting fears of a plane crash.

Seven shore rescue teams were scrambled from the Butt to Barra in a
search of the islands' coastline.

A large-scale disaster was initially expected following the 999 calls.

But the emergency response was called off before any lifeboats were
launched after an unusually spectacular meteor shower was deemed
responsible for the fireworks in the sky.

A coastguard spokesman said: "We received numerous 999 calls with around
40 alone on Friday night.

"People were reporting seeing something like a plane going down with a
trail of smoke behind it.

"It would have been a shooting star from the meteor activity. We
discussed the situation with RAF Kinloss and other sources and concluded
it was meteor activity.

"We got calls from all over such as Stoer on Skye and from Barra to
Barvas."

The incident coincided with the Kappa Cygnid meteor stream which peaked
at the weekend and continues for another fortnight.

Every seven years it may emit a series of bright fireballs.

Meteor showers can be caused by comets passing through space, leaving a
trail of dust and ice.

If the Earth crosses this trail the comet fragments burn up in the
atmosphere.

They appear from the ground as jets of bright light shooting across the sky.
Received on Mon 21 Aug 2006 12:10:32 PM PDT