Watch: Boeing 777 performs risky manoeuvre in US, avoids disaster by inches

On June 24, a converted Boeing 777 freighter performed an unusually low pass over a Texas airfield before banking sharply. The video spread rapidly online, drawing criticism over the risks involved.

In Short

• Video showed aircraft’s right wing nearing ground during bank
• Owning firm clarifies aircraft remained under testing, not Qatar control
• Aviation company Jetran says Qatar Airways pilots were not onboard aircraft

A converted Boeing 777-200LR freighter destined for Qatar Airways Cargo came alarmingly close to disaster during a low pass over a private Texas airfield, with video showing the aircraft’s right wing appearing to pass within inches of the ground during a banking manoeuvre, reports said.

The incident unfolded on Wednesday, June 24, when the widebody freighter flew unusually low over Horseshoe Bay Resort Airport in Texas before entering a right turn at minimal altitude.

Footage of the flyby quickly spread online, drawing sharp criticism from aviation observers who described the manoeuvre as exceptionally risky for an aircraft of that size.

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 777-200LR converted into freighter configuration and painted in Qatar Airways Cargo colours, prompting initial speculation that the airline was directly involved.

However, developments that followed clarified that the aircraft had not yet entered Qatar Airways service.

Jetran, the Texas-based leasing company that owns the aircraft, later issued a statement distancing both Qatar Airways and the airline’s pilots from the event.

The company said the aircraft remained under its ownership and was being operated as part of a final pre-delivery test flight before planned induction into the Qatar Airways Cargo fleet.

According to the company, as reports had, the pilots onboard were not affiliated with Qatar Airways and the aircraft was not registered to or operated by the airline at the time of the flyover.

Jetran said the manoeuvre shown in the footage did not reflect expected operational standards and indicated that the matter should be thoroughly examined by relevant authorities and stakeholders.

Reports further claimed that the aircraft had been operating a ferry flight from Indiana to Fort Worth Alliance Airport in Texas but made a detour over Horseshoe Bay, where Jetran is based. The low pass was understood to have been intended as a symbolic flyover before delivery.

What elevated concern was not simply the low altitude but the timing of the bank. As the aircraft rolled right while remaining close to the surface, the right wingtip appeared to approach the ground with almost no visible margin.

Aviation specialists note that aircraft with a wingspan exceeding 200 feet become increasingly unforgiving at low altitude, where small changes in bank angle, wind or control inputs can dramatically reduce clearance.

No contact with the ground has been confirmed, and the aircraft completed the flight safely, later landing at Fort Worth Alliance Airport without incident, media reports said.

Although low passes are not uncommon during demonstrations, delivery events or testing, they are normally conducted under tightly controlled procedures and with clear safety margins.

A manoeuvre involving a large converted freighter at such a low height has raised questions over planning, approvals and adherence to standard operating practices.

Attention is now expected to shift toward whether regulators open a formal review and whether flight data, crew actions and operational approvals support the maneuver that was carried out. Any findings could determine whether disciplinary or procedural action follows.

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