FAA investigates low-flying Qatar Airways cargo jet near Texas airport

The FAA is investigating a Qatar Airways cargo jet seen in viral video flying extremely low near Horseshoe Bay Resort Jet Center in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. The clip, which circulated on Wednesday, June 25, showed a Boeing 777 freighter in Qatar Airways Cargo colors making a pass so low that it quickly drew safety concerns far beyond the spectacle of the footage.

Flight-data references identified the aircraft as a Boeing 777-200LR freighter, registration N705DN, a plane formerly associated with Delta Air Lines. Aviation reporting also says air traffic control audio captured the pilot telling the controller they would be making a “low approach,” a detail that matters because the FAA’s review will turn on whether the maneuver matched the clearance, the intended flight profile, and the conditions at the airport.

Jetran LLC said the flyby was part of a marketing video, but that the pilots flew lower than expected. Mammoth Freighters said the aircraft was not owned or operated by Qatar Airways, did not carry a Qatar Airways registration, and was not being flown by Qatar Airways pilots, despite the Qatar Airways Cargo livery that made the aircraft look, on video, like an airline-branded operation.

That gap between what social media sees and what investigators examine is the heart of the case. A dramatic clip can make a pass look reckless even when the question for regulators is narrower: how high the jet actually flew, whether the approach path stayed inside approved limits, whether weather or wind affected the maneuver, and whether the crew and airport procedures supported the operation safely. If the aircraft was intentionally flown low for filming, investigators will still look at whether the crew complied with the terms of the approach and any rules tied to the private airstrip.

Aviation analysts and industry observers have said the pass appeared unusually low, with some reporting that the right wing may have been only feet, or even inches, above the runway surface. The FAA said it was “aware and looking into” the incident, as heightened national attention continues around low-flying aircraft and near-miss events that can look identical online but carry very different safety implications in formal review.