FAA Probes Boeing 777 Dangerous Low Pass Over Texas Airport

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into a Boeing 777-200LR that performed an extremely low-altitude pass over the Horseshoe Bay Resort Jet Center in Central Texas on June 24, 2026. Viral footage shows the widebody aircraft in a clean configuration — no flaps or landing gear extended — rolling into a sharp right bank that reportedly brought the wingtip within feet of the runway surface.

The aircraft, registration N705DN, was operating under an experimental — normal airworthiness certificate at the time of the incident. Although the jet wore Qatar Airways Cargo livery, Texas-based lessor Jetran LLC clarified the flight was a pre-delivery test flight and that Qatar Airways neither owned nor operated the aircraft. Jetran said the maneuver "does not reflect operational standards" and expressed full support for a thorough investigation.

Former NTSB Chair Robert Sumwalt called the stunt "stupid pilot tricks," saying there was no legitimate operational justification for the maneuver. ABC News aviation analyst Steve Ganyard characterized it as "flat-hatting" — an industry term for dangerous low-level showboating. Experts warn that the combination of the aircraft's high gross weight and extremely low altitude created catastrophic risk, and that the pilots involved could face suspension of their airman certificates for reckless operation.