Boeing 777-200LR Freighter Makes Dangerously Low Pass Over Texas Resort

A Boeing 777-200LR freighter, registration N705DN, performed an extremely low, gear-up pass over the runway at Horseshoe Bay Resort Airport (KHOБ/KDB) in Texas on June 24, 2026. The aircraft — a former Delta Air Lines jet recently converted to a freighter and painted in Qatar Airways Cargo livery — appeared to fly within feet of the runway surface before banking sharply left, bringing its right wingtip perilously close to the ground, according to multiple video accounts and Flightradar24 analysis.

Flightradar24 data shows the aircraft's altitude dropped to approximately 950 feet AMSL — effectively ground level when corrected for local elevation and barometric pressure. The maneuver occurred during a ferry flight from Grissom Aeroplex in Indiana to Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, during which the pilot deviated nearly 200 miles south of the direct route to reach Horseshoe Bay. Reports indicate the aircraft was registered to a private LLC and had not yet been formally added to Qatar Airways' air operator certificate at the time of the flight.

Aviation analysts from Simple Flying and One Mile at a Time described the event as being "inches from disaster," noting that the retracted landing gear and steep bank angle left virtually no margin for error and could have resulted in a catastrophic wing strike. While neither the FAA nor the NTSB has publicly announced a formal investigation, commentators say the maneuver likely implicates FAA regulations prohibiting careless or reckless operation of an aircraft. Neither Boeing nor Qatar Airways has issued a public statement.