Terrified spectators were left clutching their seats after two Airlink passenger jets thundered so low over Cape Town's DHL Stadium that they appeared to skim the roof, with one aircraft's tail dipping even closer as it pulled up.
Shocking new footage circulating online shows just how little room for error there was during the pre-match flyover before South Africa's Springboks took on the New Zealand All Blacks.
The specially painted Embraer jets, one in Springbok green, the other in All Blacks black, roared over the 55,000-capacity venue on Saturday afternoon as fireworks exploded around them. From some camera angles, they look close enough to touch.
One clip posted by Breaking911, showing a different viewpoint, has viewers calling it "madness" and "a light gust of wind away from disaster."
The flyover was part of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series and followed a similar stunt at Ellis Park the previous week. Airlink, the official airline for the tour, had teased fans to "get your cameras ready."South Africa won the match 33-26, but much of the post-game conversation was about the planes rather than the score.
Social media erupted with a mix of awe and alarm."That was a butt pucker," one user wrote. Another joked about 9/11 survivors in the stands. A third insisted it was "no issue with well-trained pilots" and called the video "pretty amazing."Aviation data later painted a slightly less dramatic picture. Flight tracking showed a barometric altitude of around 50 metres over the stadium. After accounting for local pressure and the stadium's 164-foot height, analysts estimated the jets cleared the roof by roughly 50 feet in the tightest moment.
Airlink pushed back against claims it was reckless. In a statement, the airline said the flypast was "carefully planned and rehearsed," flown at around 150 knots by highly experienced crews, three senior captains on each jet, and approved by the South African Civil Aviation Authority.
"The flight data recorded by both aircraft confirms that the flights were performed within the SACAA's approved and rehearsed safety altitude and speed limits," the company said.
Low stadium flyovers have been a South African rugby tradition since the 1995 World Cup final, when a South African Airways 747 famously passed over Ellis Park. Airlink has leaned into the spectacle as official carrier for this series.
Still, the videos, especially the tightest angles, have left many wondering how close is too close when tens of thousands of people are sitting underneath.
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