AN investigation has been launched after a pilot flew dangerously low over his home town while making his final ever journey.
The veteran pilot sought to celebrate his retirement by guiding a Boeing 757 just metres above homes in Keflavik, Iceland.
The actions of this audacious aviator have since been branded as reckless by fellow pilots.
A chief pilot with Icelandair, Linda Gunnarsdóttir, said: “This is not standard practice; this is a very serious matter that we will review internally.”
The pilot in question is Captain Ólafur Bragason.
After more than forty years in the industry, the 65-year-old was reportedly embarking on his final journey.
He was piloting a commercial flight from Frankfurt to the frozen Icelandic town.
At one point, the aircraft flew over the volcanic archipelago of Vestmannaeyjar.
Just off the southern coast of Iceland, Bragason regularly frequented its challenging terrain as a kid.
As the aircraft approached the urban area, residents reportedly became alarmed, fearing the plane was about to crash.
The pilot reportedly requested permission from Avians, which provides air navigation services, to change his flight path.
“During descent, the aircraft leaves controlled airspace, usually around 3000ft, and is then in uncontrolled airspace, which means that the pilot-in-command makes his own decisions about the flight,” the organisation said.
Thankfully, nobody was injured and Bragason eventually touched down at Keflavik International Airport.
Unsurprisingly, Icelandair bosses were not impressed by the pilot’s sheer stupidity.
They claim Bragason performed the daring stunt without the knowledge or consent of the airline.
“In aviation, everything is tightly governed by procedures and checklists in normal passenger operations, and this does not fall within that framework”, Gunnarsdóttir said.
She added that while celebratory flyovers do happen from “time to time, it is by no means standard practise and not something we would have authorised”.
“We apologise to the residents of Vestmannaeyjar if they have been disturbed,” Gunnarsdóttir said.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16218969/pilot-flies-jet-low-over-hometown/
