HOUSTON, Texas USA — FBI officials say a Continental Airlines pilot told air traffic controllers that an object with a flaming tail and a trail of smoke flew in front of the plane shortly after take-off.

The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is involved in the investigation, but officials say they believe the object seen by the pilot just east of Houston's airport yesterday was a model rocket.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig says officials are unsure how high the object flew or how close it came to the plane.

The Boeing 737 was carrying 148 passengers. Scott Wilson, a spokesman for the FBI's Cleveland office, says the plane was never in danger and landed safely.

The FBI routinely looks into any suspicious activity that involves an airplane.

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