On Wednesday 24 June 2026, a converted Boeing 777-200 freighter destined for Qatar Airways Cargo stunned onlookers when it dropped into a dangerously low pass over a private Texas airfield, its right wing sweeping within feet of the ground as it banked. The widebody — registered N705DN and owned by aircraft trader Jetran — was performing a symbolic flyover of Jetran's base at the Horseshoe Bay Resort Jet Center (DZB), rather than operating as an in-service Qatar flight.
The aircraft had earlier flown as a Delta Air Lines passenger jet before its conversion to a freighter. On the day of the incident it was operating a ferry flight from Grissom Aeroplex (GUS) in Indiana to Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AFW) in Texas, detouring to buzz Horseshoe Bay before continuing on. It landed safely at Fort Worth Alliance just before 3:00 PM local time.
Just how low the pass was is striking. According to Flightradar24, the lowest ADS-B altitude logged during the flyover was 950 feet above mean sea level — but once adjusted for local barometric pressure and field elevation, that figure works out to roughly zero feet above the ground. Footage of the manoeuvre shows the jet rolling into the turn with its wingtip skimming perilously close to terrain.
The Boeing 777-200F is a long-range, wide-body freighter derived from the passenger 777-200, capable of hauling roughly 100 tonnes of cargo over intercontinental distances. Qatar Airways Cargo operates one of the world's largest dedicated freighter fleets, and this airframe was being positioned to eventually join that operation — making the reckless display all the more eyebrow-raising.
Ferry flights — non-revenue positioning flights flown without cargo or passengers — are governed by exactly the same safety rules as scheduled missions. Low-altitude manoeuvres rank among aviation's highest-risk flight regimes because they slash reaction time and leave little room for recovery. A wing that contacts the ground at speed can trigger a loss of control or catastrophic structural failure, which is why minimum safe altitudes are enforced so strictly.
The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to investigate the flyover, and the pilot is likely to face disciplinary action. Formal details from regulators remain limited at this developing stage, but the footage alone has already drawn sharp criticism from across the aviation community, with experts describing the pass as inches from disaster.
Sources: Simple Flying, Paddle Your Own Kanoo. Featured image: AI-generated by AviationShop. By Elena Vargas.
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