As Washington, D.C., prepares for a Halloween weekend filled with spooky jump scares and trick-or-treaters, residents received a special unexpected fright on Thursday evening: a low-altitude, short-notice military aircraft flyover.
The Qatari-donated jet, known as Air Force One when President Donald Trump is on boar,d flew over D.C. in celebration of Halloween, giving residents pause with its low altitude.
As the White House opened its doors for the annual tradition of welcoming trick-or-treaters, the Boeing 747-8i flew overhead as shown in a video posted on social media, surprising guests and residents across the District.
Following the flyover, the D.C. Council remarked online that they, the Pentagon and the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were only granted a 15-minute heads-up, saying “It startled many, including us.”
Around 5:20 p.m., AlertDC issued a notice to residents that the flyover would occur over the National Mall area during the next hour.
A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson told Military Times that the flyover was coordinated with the agency but declined to comment on when they were made aware of the flight.
The jet flew over the White House twice, flying low above buildings and houses in the city and even below the Washington Monument before going right above the White House, as seen in videos posted on social media.
The Washington Post reported that the jet flew at an altitude between 400 and 1,000 feet across D.C. For reference, the Washington Monument stands tall at around 555 feet.
The low altitude over some areas of the city prompted residents to comment on social media, saying it unsettled and even scared them, with one posting online saying they thought a plane was going to crash.
The low-level flight comes a year after a fatal crash between an American Airlines flight and an Army Black Hawk UH-60 helicopter that collided midair over the Potomac River near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, leaving 67 people dead.
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