Thunderbolt Jets Made 'Low Altitude Pass' Over Downtown Charlotte
Startled residents took to twitter before officials said there was no emergency.
— -- The U.S. Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating an incident that startled many residents in Charlotte late Monday morning.
Four A-10C Thunderbolt jets, typically used for low-altitude combat, made a "low altitude pass" over Bank of America Stadium in downtown Charlotte, according to the FAA and Air Force, sparking a series of tweets from confused and worried residents.
City fire officials even chimed in online, tweeting that there was no emergency.
The FAA told ABC News air traffic controllers approved the pilots' request to fly over the stadium. They had departed from Charlotte Douglas International Airport at 11:35 am, headed to Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Ga.
They added that an FAA employee had previously incorrectly told a Charlotte airport official that the flight was a practice flyover for a football game.
In a statement, Moody Air Force Base said the aircraft were not participating in any kind of NFL fly-over, although they do "provide flyover support to the NFL to showcase our air power and aircraft capabilities."
The base said they were performing "routine navigation training."
FAA regulations say, "Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons" that aircraft must maintain "an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle."
Zakk Zwier posted a video on Twitter showing one of the A-10C Thunderbolts soaring over the Carolina Panthers home stadium.
A representative for the Carolina Panthers did not respond to ABC News' request for comment.
According to the Charlotte Observer, Panthers coach Ron Rivera told reporters that he was surprised by the planes.