Large fireball that streaked across sky above Oregon and crashed was likely a meteor and not a plane

A 911 call of a plane crash and pictures of a large fireball streaking across the sky had officials in Oregon on a massive search for wreckage last week.

However, it turns out nothing was found, no plane was reported missing, and there was a recent meteor shower in the area, says the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

‘That’s what it was more likely attributed to, or what was seen’, Sgt. Mark Robertson tells DailyMail.com, referring to the meteor shower that coincided with Thursday’s sighting. 

The caller triggered massive search, but by day’s end, authorities were scaling back their efforts. No plane had been reported missing and investigators were sure it was not a plane

 The fireball appears to have fizzled in the above image. Authorities searching for where it may have crashed say it was likely a meteor because the fireball’s appearance coincided with a recent meteor shower

‘We’re not 100 per cent sure’, he adds.

Authorities sprung into action when a local resident made the 4:50 p.m. 911 call Thursday to report what they thought was a plane crash. 

The sheriff’s office posted on its Facebook page that it did not know the location of the potential crash. A helicopter was sent out to search, but nothing turned up. The Federal Aviation Administration also wasn’t reporting any missing aircraft.

By 9 p.m. the sheriff’s office posted an update to say it was ‘scaling back resources’ because ‘the exact location of the fireball is unknown’.

Sending aircraft back into the region on Friday to search by day also produced no fireball.

‘We really believe it was a meteor’, Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton told Newsweek on Friday, adding ‘there was a somewhat rare meteor shower in our area as well,’.

While fireballs are commonly spotted and revealed to be meteors, it isn’t always the case. 

A fireball which was spotted over Los Angeles in March and which sent residents into a panic was in fact a pair of winged jumpers who were performing a Red Bull stunt.

While fireballs are commonly spotted and revealed to be meteors, it isn’t always the case. A fireball which was spotted over Los Angeles in March and which sent residents into a panic was in fact a pair of winged jumpers who were performing a Red Bull stunt (pictured)

Andy Farrington and Jon Devore are all smiles after a successful wingsuit jump over the Supermoon in downtown Los Angeles on March 20

The men were filmed plunging towards downtown L.A., leaving a trail of sparks and smoke behind them as they hurtled closer to the ground.

Confused residents took to Twitter to ask what the fireball was.

Many thought it was a meteor and begged authorities and fellow Twitter users for answers.

‘What is this flying item on fire above downtown Los Angeles?’ one man asked.

‘WAS THAT A METEOR, DTLA?! Caught this from my balcony— it burned out right behind the InterContinental!’ said another user.

What they saw was three members of the Red Bull Air Force jumping from a helicopter, 4,000ft in the air, as part of a stunt to mark the third supermoon of the year.

They wore custom winged suits which had pyrotechnics and LED lights fitted to them and which sparkled as the men flew through the air at 120mph before activating their parachutes. 

Skydivers John Devore, Mike Swanson, Andy DeVore were who took part in the stunt.

A crowd gathered to watch the men soar down from the helicopter and land next to the InterContinental hotel.

Even the LAPD joined in on the conversation.

‘PSA: A meteor did not crash into Downtown Los Angeles, and no, it’s not an alien invasion…just a film shoot. This is Tinseltown after all’.