Pilots decry Boeing 777 freighter's near-ground stunt over Texas

A viral video shows a Boeing 777 freighter flying extremely low over Texas, its wingtip appearing to come within feet of the pavement as bystanders stood just yards away. The footage is real. Flightradar24 data shows the jet, a former Delta 777 registered N705DN on a flight from Indiana to Dallas-Fort Worth, took a detour over Horseshoe Bay Resort Jet Center near Austin; adjusting for airfield elevation and local air pressure, radar places its lowest point between 0 and 25 feet.

Veteran pilots called the maneuver reckless. Retired Delta captain Mark Stephens said, "The 777's wingspan is 200 feet across, so if the pilot clipped a wing, the plane could very likely tumble," and added, "This was reckless and could have been a huge disaster." Test and ferry pilot Steve Giordano posted that the pass was an "insanely bad" idea and wrote, "Inches from disaster and for what?

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