Yudar Grau was taking a midday nap when he heard what sounded like an explosion in the living room of his Whittier rental home.
He rushed in to discover a hole in the ceiling and large chunks of dirty ice scattered across the floor and on a table. On the arm of the sofa, where he had been seated just minutes before retreating into his bedroom for a few minutes of shut-eye, was a block of brown and white ice.
The source of the ice remains a mystery, but the homeowner, Thania Magana, told NBC4 she suspects it originated from an aircraft that was flying over the home right around the time the frozen mass made its crash landing at 11:18 a.m. Friday.
“I keep replaying it and just thinking of the what if,” she told the outlet, adding that she’s grateful Grau decided to nap in his bedroom that day. “The first thing that comes to mind is that he probably wouldn’t be here with us.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn on Tuesday wrote a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration urging the agency to investigate the incident.
“While such incidents are rare, the potential consequences are extremely serious,” Hahn wrote. “Whether the material originated from aircraft systems, waste leakage, or another source, this event raises important concerns about aviation safety over densely populated communities in Los Angeles County.”
Hahn said she decided to reach out to the FAA after Magana contacted her office asking for help ensuring officials get to the bottom of what happened and “take whatever steps necessary to prevent it from happening again.”
Ian Gregor, a spokesperson for the FAA, said the agency investigates “every report we receive alleging ice fell from an airplane and damaged property.”
Ice can form on the outside of a plane while it’s cruising at high altitude. As it descends into warmer air, chunks can break away and fall, but the phenomenon is rare, according to Heathrow Airport’s website.
There have also been incidents in which the hose valve that’s used to empty toilet waste from a plane leaks fluid that freezes and results in discolored “blue” ice from the treatment liquids in airplane toilets.
But there’s also a chance the ice didn’t come from an airplane at all.
Scientists are also studying the formation of unusually large ice chunks called megacryometeors that can fall from the sky even on clear, sunny days.
