This is the terrifying moment two airliners appeared to nearly hit a packed sports stadium in South Africa during a ‘dangerous’ low-level pre-game flyover.
Footage shows two Airlink Embraer E-Jets soaring over the 55,000-seat DHL Stadium in Cape Town ahead of a rugby match on Saturday afternoon.
The jets – an Embraer E190 and an Embraer E195 – were around 41 to 46 feet above the top of DHL Stadium, which stands roughly 164 feet tall near sea level, according FlightRadar.
Flight tracking data from Simple Flying revealed that one of the jets likely came within 50 feet of the stadium roof.
It was a nail-biting start to the game between the South African Springboks and the New Zealand All Blacks, which is part of a 8-match tour called ‘Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry’.
In multiple clips, the aircraft zipped through colourful pyrotechnics blasting off the stadium’s roof as the crowd loudly cheered.
Different angles displayed the back of the planes seemingly coming very close to grazing the roof of the stadium.
In a particularly frightening manoeuvre, the leading jet pitched up as it passed over the last stand, dropping its tail near the roofline while the second followed closely behind.
Airlink is an official partner of the series and praised the ‘spectacular scenes’ it put on at the match. It has since claimed both jets flew within ‘approved and rehearsed safety altitude and speed limits’.
However, social media users were left aghast at the scenes, calling the stunt ‘dangerous’ and ‘moronic’.
Footage shows the Airlink Embraer E-Jets skimming along the roof of DHL Stadium In Cape Town
Video captured on Saturday at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, appeared to show an extremely low pre-game flyover
The Airlink Embraer E-Jets jets breezed through colourful pyrotechnics let off at the top of the stadium
Despite the apparent proximity, there was never any indication that a dangerous incident could have happened because of the low-altitude flyover
One online commenter called the flyovers ‘absolutely unnecessary and dangerous.’
‘That was close,’ a second user added, sharing a video where a jet’s wing looked to nearly strike the stadium.
The two jets used in Saturday’s flyover were registered as ZS-YAE and ZS-YDE, according to CPT Aviation.
Both were painted in special green and black colors, respectively, for the occasion.
Another user opined that the flyover ‘could’ve been a MAJOR disaster.’
Another added: ‘I mean, cool but how is that safe?’
Other commenters insisted that the stunt was ‘too dangerous’ and that ‘too many people’s lives were put at risk’ as a result.
‘Some of these people travelled internationally to enjoy the games,’ one user wrote.
But despite the shocked reactions, there was never any indication that anyone was in danger during the awe-inspiring stunt.
In another angle, it looked like the back of one of the jets was close to clipping the 55,00-seat stadium
A photo of the flyover before the game between South Africa and New Zealand. Flyovers have been common for important rugby games in South Africa going back to the 1990s
The jets used during Saturday’s flyover, seen pictured here, were painted in green and black colors especially for the match
Airlink touted the flyover on Saturday after it happened, writing on X: ‘Planning. Precision. Performance.’
Low-altitude flyovers are relatively common for big rugby games in South Africa going back to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final.
While many viewers were stunned, others defended the flyover calling it ‘beautiful’ or ‘spectacular.’
‘Only the weak of heart and mind will criticise this, but then again, those dudes need a license to go crap in the woods whilst camping,’ another said.
Part of the Embraer E-Jet family, the E195 is a stretched version of the E190. Both entered service in late 2004.
The latter holds 96 to 114 passengers where as the former carries between 100 and 124 passengers.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Airlink and DHL Stadium for comment.
