Officials: Airplane left large vapor trail, not missile

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon said an airplane, not a missile launch, was the likely cause of a large vapor trail in the skies off Southern California's coast.

On Monday, a CBS affiliate videotaped the vapor trail that many viewers thought resembled the cloudy track of a missile in flight. But military officials said they did not know of any rockets being launched in the area.

Defense Department spokesman Col. Dave Lapan said officials are satisfied the phenomenon was an airplane vapor trail distorted by camera angle, winds and other environmental factors.

He said military experts studied the video and talked to all the government agencies that might have been involved in a missile launch and none reported having launched one. - AP