Dangerous Airplane Stunt Caught on Tape
An online video showing a fast-moving biplane coming within feet of a person maneuvering an all-terrain vehicle is getting more than YouTube attention.
The 19-second video, uploaded Tuesday and already claiming more than 80,000 views, has attracted the attention of the Federal Aviation Administration, according to ABC affiliate WFAA in Dallas/Fort Worth.
The station calls the close call, which took place at a North Texas airport, "no accident." The stunt might have been a practice run for an upcoming show shot at the Lancaster Municipal Airport.
The station did not release the name of the suspected pilot but said the city had looked into the background of the person believed to have been in the pilot's seat.
"He does have an FAA aerobatic waiver," said Lancaster City Manager Opal Mauldin Robertson. "We are required to keep a copy of the waiver on file. We do have a copy of that waiver and have verified it's currently valid."
But the FAA has not been able to put its hands on that document. In a statement to the station, the agency said it could "not immediately locate a waiver tied to the pilot, the airport or the plane seen in the stunt."
"The city will be fully cooperating with the Federal Aviation Administration in reviewing the activities of that pilot," Robertson said.