Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship explosion in January turned out to be more dangerous for commercial aviation than initially disclosed, according to Federal Aviation Administration records reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Fiery debris scattered across the Caribbean for about 50 minutes, creating what regulators described as a "potential extreme safety risk."

Emergency Situations at 30,000 Feet

Three commercial flights carrying roughly 450 passengers total got caught in the chaos. Two planes—one operated by Iberia Airlines and a private jet—declared fuel emergencies and flew through the temporary no-fly zone anyway, FAA records show. A third flight, operated by JetBlue Airways (JBLU), received a warning from air traffic control that continuing to San Juan would be "at your own risk."

All three flights landed safely, but here's the concerning part: controllers only found out about the explosion because pilots reported seeing debris falling from the sky. SpaceX apparently didn't use its required official hotline to notify aviation authorities.

Controllers Scrambling to Reroute Traffic

Air traffic controllers had to rapidly redirect aircraft around falling debris zones, significantly increasing their workload during what became an unexpectedly hazardous situation.

Safety Review Started, Then Stopped

The FAA assembled an expert panel in February to take a fresh look at debris risks from commercial space launches. By May, that panel had identified high aviation safety risks. But according to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, FAA officials suspended the safety review in August.