He decided to fly over the airfield.

But not only did he decide to do it, but he decided to do it, but he decided to do it at just TWENTY-EIGHT FEET over the runway, landing gear and flaps fully retracted, and fairly close to stall speed (where the plane loses lift and control).

The pilot must have been wishing he could have been a fighter pilot...like Maverick in Top Gun, flying past the control tower, spilling the coffee over the control tower chief's lap. However, this plane, a 910,000 pound behemoth, was no fighter, and likely was very close to crashing.

One of the issues with flying down low like this plane did, and flying with the flaps fully retracted, is that the plane was relying on speed and ground effect (a thicker layer of air that sits on the ground, and helps lifts planes into the air), and if the plane hit any turbulance, if the pilot made even the slightest error, and even if the plane was going too slow, could have spelt disaster. Not to mention that the tower did not give permission to even consider it.

Fortunately for all involved, the pilot did the maneuver perfectly. And, everything was fine for the pilot...until he was fired soon after for it. The FAA is investigating.

Although 'buzzing the tower' like this is a tradition among pilots, and though this pilot had done similar stunts during actual airshows with the airline, doing so with a large airliner, full of passengers (executives in this case), full of fuel, and so low is just foolhardy. People on the ground said the plane flew lower than any other they've ever seen during a flyby, in all the time that they remember.

What may be even more shocking, is that before a video of the flyby was captured and posted onto YouTube (which forced the company's hand), the big-wigs on the flight in fact toasted the pilot for the maneuver...

Sources: (Articles) http://www.wtop.com/?nid=104&sid=1353085 http://www.kansascity.com/451/story/507665.html http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2008-02-27-cathay-pilot_N.htm http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080227/BIZ/741951543/1005/biz http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004203734_cathay26.html http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8V2NQO80&show_article=1 http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Feb27/0,4670,FlybyFiring,00.html

(Video link with very detailed excerpt about the VIP's) http://timworstall.typepad.com/timworstall/2008/02/matt-cawby.html

(Video link with good description) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a1ZrNnveIs

(Image capturing the flyby) http://media.kansascity.com/smedia/2008/02/27/09/Flyby_Firing.sff.standalone.prod_affiliate.81.jpg

(Additional photos) http://blog.seattle-deliveries.com/2008/01/cathay-777-b-kpf-delivery.html

Permalinked from the typepad link:

------------------------------------- Matt Cawby took this series of photos which are now looped into this video:

Matt Cawby just happened to be plane spotting when Cathay Pacific took delivery of the new 777 and then the pilot did a very low flyby. It's probably fair to say that if Cawby hadn't been there, and the film had never been shown, that the pilot would have kept his job.

It's not unprecedented for pilots taking delivery of new jets to take off from the Boeing delivery center at Paine Field and loop back around for a final lap above the airport.

"There have been a few of those in the past, but in the memory of anybody at Paine Field, this was the lowest one," said Christopher Schwarzen, spokesman for Snohomish County, which owns and operates Paine Field.

Images of the stunt were posted on YouTube.com and on the Web site of Matt Cawby, a Mountlake Terrace plane spotter. On YouTube, search for "777" and "Paine."

Capt. Ian Wilkinson, according to the airline, flew as low as 28 to 30 feet off the ground after taking delivery of a 777-300ER passenger jet. He is appealing his firing, according to reports in The Times of London, the South China Morning Post of Hong Kong and Flight International, an industry publication. Co-pilot Ray Middleton was suspended and also is appealing.

The reason I think this?

Cathay spokeswoman Carolyn Leung says the pilot was dismissed last week because he did not seek or obtain approval for the flyby, which has been done several times before at air shows with the airline's permission.

An airline statement said another pilot on the plane has also been subjected to disciplinary proceedings, but not details were disclosed.

Images of the stunt were posted on YouTube and the website of a Seattle-area plane spotter, Matt Cawby.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported Sunday that the airline's chairman, Christopher Pratt, was on the plane when the pilot, Capt. Ian Wilkinson, swooped back over the Boeing plant shortly after taking off.

The Chairman was on the plane and knew what had happened. But the suspension didn't happen until the movie surfaced on you tube. Meaning that they got embarassed about it, and that's why they pulled the pilot.

It's a big damn plane, too:

The 777-300 ER is 242 feet long, weighs around 350 tons and is 61 feet 5 inches high at the tail. It lists for $264 million.

Images of the Jan. 30 stunt appeared on YouTube and on the Web site of a local plane spotter, Matt Cawby.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Mike Fergus said "the circumstances are being looked into and investigated by the FAA." A Paine Field spokesman had no comment.

Submitted on 02/27/2008

Submitted by: James
Reference: Various - See Story / February 27th, 2008

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Neutral: Other
I'm reluctant to issue an award to this one, but because you did such a bang-up job writing it up, James, I will give it the benefit of a "neutral" vote! There's a fine line between mere recklessness and outright stupidity. Obviously, this fellow was being reckless, but he also very much knew what he was doing, and took the risk willingly. The video shows a low-flying airplane to be sure, but not much else. I cannot see any truly egregious stupidity (ie he didn't try a victory roll or anything like that), just an unnecessary but otherwise well-executed stunt. We'll see what the other mods think!

Bruce said:
Definitely Toss: No Self-Selection
I'm much more reluctant than James on this one, in part because my brother is a private pilot that I've flown with and gone to air shows with on many occasions. This pilot has apparently done similar flybys at air shows so he's had at least some experience doing it. Flybys like this are actually fairly commonplace and reportedly quite safe, but it does require approval and coordination with the FAA. The pilot was sacked only because he failed to follow corporate and FAA rules in this particular case, not because he put anybody in danger. Since he really only exhibited recklessness as far as his job goes (anybody who breaks corporate policies or federal regulations should pretty much expect to be fired), I really don't see this as worthy of an award. Thanks anyway, James.

Chip said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
I have to differ with my fellow moderators on this one. Flying a jetliner at 30 feet altitude with landing gear up is foolhardy. Unfortunately he was endangering the lives of many others as well. Having worked at Boeing on those very same airplanes I can tell you that way too many things can happen at 30 feet to make this one a walk in the park, regardless of the pilot's skills. Chills went down my spine when I saw this one on the news. Thanks, James.

Jorge said:
Neutral: Other
I agree with Bruce and James on this one.

Shadow said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
with all the neutrals i am willing to let Darwin weigh in on this one, i work for the airlines but in customer service it doesnt seem like a bright stunt

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