Roaring Navy Fighter Jet Over Berkeley Broke No Rules
BERKELEY (CBS SF) -- The Navy has determined a low-flying Navy fighter jet buzzing over Berkeley earlier this year, alarming many residents, broke no federal rules.
Officials said Monday that the Jan. 27 flyover complied with all Federal Aviation Administration rules and Navy safety regulations.
The Los Angeles Times says the Navy's report finds the pilot, reportedly flown by the brother of a UC Berkeley graduate student, had FAA clearance for his elevation and flight path.
The afternoon flyover — estimated at between 2,500 to 3,000 feet — frightened some people. Several residents on Twitter reported that the loud, low-flying jet was noisy enough to set off car alarms, wake babies and scare office workers.
Shortly after a story was posted on local news website Berkeleyside, a commenter posting as "TheCulprit" said the pilot was his brother.
"It was an awesome show," he wrote. Berkeleyside confirmed the man is a UC Berkeley student. In an email, he said his brother is moving to Texas in a couple of days and, "...thought it would be cool to fly over campus while I was there before he left. Not that much to the story unfortunately."
But other residents were not so enthusiastic.
A local resident identified as JG wrote: "What happened this afternoon terrified me and my children. They were in their classrooms at BHS and Longfellow the the plane screamed over their heads. In my younger child's class, children began screaming out of fear."
Officials said the Boeing F-18 Super Hornet, an extremely powerful twin-engine jet fighter, traveled from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
