A viral video shows a Boeing 777 freighter coming so close to the ground during an unusual flyover in Texas on Wednesday that people think it must be AI.
The footage is real, with the plane’s wingtip appearing to come within feet of the pavement as bystanders stood just yards away. The maneuver, now under review by multiple bodies, has veteran pilots scratching their heads.
“The 777’s wingspan is 200 feet across, so if the pilot clipped a wing, the plane could very likely tumble,” Retired Delta Air Lines captain Mark Stephens told Business Insider. “This was reckless and could have been a huge disaster.”
The aircraft’s owner, a privately held company called Jetran LLC, which specializes in aircraft leasing and passenger-to-freighter conversions, said in a Thursday statement that the maneuver does “not reflect operational standards” and that it expects the “relevant parties and authorities to investigate.”
The company has a few dozen employees and has been involved in cargo aircraft programs for about 45 years.
Jetran also said the flyover occurred during a test flight ahead of the 777’s planned delivery to Qatar Airways Cargo, the freight division of the Doha-based company. It added that the 777 was not owned by Qatar Airways, and Qatar Airways pilots were not flying. Qatar Airways referred Business Insider to Jetran’s statement.
These freighters are in high demand as Boeing winds down its 777F program by the end of 2027; its engines don’t meet carbon-emissions standards.
The International Bureau of Aviation, a consultancy firm for global aviation, estimated that a converted 777 will likely cost upward of $80 million. Extra engine work could put that closer to $100 million.
The plane came within feet of the ground
Flightradar24 data shows the 777, a former Delta jet registered as N705DN, was flying from Indiana to Dallas-Fort Worth when it took an extremely low-altitude detour over Horseshoe Bay Resort Jet Center near Austin, which is also the home of Jetran.
Adjusting for airfield elevation and local air pressure, radar shows the jet at between 0 and 25 feet at its lowest point — a figure supported by the video.
Veteran test and ferry pilot Steve Giordano posted his reaction to the event on X, calling it an “insanely bad” idea: “Inches from disaster and for what? Stupid stupid stupid,” he wrote.
Stephens, who conducted special delivery, ferry, and demo flights during his decades of civil and military flying, said aircraft often perform low passes during tests and air shows. The US Navy’s highly skilled Blue Angels acrobatics team’s lowest stunt is 50 feet.
Stephens said the pilots must be specially trained with specific licenses, and the operators and crew must work within strict federal parameters, including the lowest altitude at which they can fly.
Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
“I picked up planes like the [McDonnell Douglas] MD-11, and we usually had to do tests before delivery, but we were never going down to those levels,” Stephens said. “I demoed an F-4 for the troops in Quantico and only went down to 1,000 feet.”
He said it’s possible that the pilots on the 777 had the credentials, but it’s unclear whether they had the necessary permissions.
The Federal Aviation Administration told Business Insider it’s “aware” of the extremely low pass and is “looking into it.” Mammoth Freighters, the company that completed the 777’s conversion, said in a statement that it was not involved in the flight.
After Mammoth’s statement came out, retired TAP Air Portugal pilot and now CNN Portugal commentator José Correia Guedes posted his thoughts on X: “All that’s left is the plane’s owner, who’s now in a fine mess with the FAA knocking on his door any day now.”
In the event of a violation, the FAA could impose a civil fine of a few thousand dollars on a pilot and potentially revoke their license. There could also be regulatory violation fines against the operator, which could total hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.
