Report: Fighter pilots who flew over uptown were ‘careless and reckless'

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Channel 9 obtained a lengthy preliminary report from the FAA after four fighter jets flew incredibly close over Bank of America stadium and uptown Charlotte in August.

The FAA report shows the A-10C Thunderbolt II jets from the 74th Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base were only 500 feet above the ground.

It called the operation “careless and reckless.”

The flight was not authorized by the FAA and it was not in compliance with regulations. The report said the pilots requested the low-level flights over uptown Charlotte, but they hadn’t received a waiver.

The pilots were grounded after the flights until the investigation was finished.

The low-flying fighter jets rattled people from uptown to Huntersville.

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