The Pentagon appears to have intervened to lift the suspensions of eight South Carolina Army National Guard pilots, who were recorded flying AH-64 Apache helicopters low over a crowded beach on the Fourth of July.
The pilots were suspended immediately after landing, a source close to one of the airmen told WPDE-TV in Florence, South Carolina.
“Effective immediately, the suspension of all involved South Carolina pilots has been lifted,” chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, an assistant and senior adviser to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, wrote on X Friday morning. “Carry on Patriots.”
The pilots were flying the Apaches as part of South Carolina’s annual Salute From the Shore July Fourth celebration. This year’s celebration was the first to include the venerable attack helicopters, per The Guardian. The event covers about 187 miles of coastline and featured F-16s from the state’s Air National Guard as well as civilian-owned T-34s and T-6s.
The Apaches could be seen on video flying over a crowd of spectators at low altitude.
After news of the suspensions broke, condemnation was swift. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, Representative Russell Fry, and State Representative Tim McGinnis all pushed for the suspensions to be overturned.
On Thursday evening, Hegseth himself weighed in.
“We’ll fix this,” he wrote in a social media post. “Carry on, Patriots.”
The South Carolina Army National Guard on Thursday clarified that the pilots’ temporary suspension was a “routine, non-punitive safety measure” and “not a disciplinary action.” It added that the pilots remained in good standing and continued to perform their non-flying duties.
The Guard said it was “aware of the public feedback and concerns” around the suspended pilots but that the procedure is standard and performed whenever a flight profile is under review.
“The South Carolina Army National Guard holds its aviators to the highest standards of professional conduct and aviation regulations,” it wrote in a statement. “Our absolute top priority is, and always will be, the safety of our personnel and the communities we fly over. Conducting thorough reviews when questions arise is how we maintain those high safety standards and ensure we can safely participate in future public events.”
The reversal is reminiscent of another incident earlier this year, during which Hegseth intervened to lift the suspension of U.S. Army pilots who flew past the residence of musician Kid Rock during a training mission. The Army suspended the pilots, but Hegseth said they would face no investigation or punishment.
On Saturday in Washington, D.C., NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman flew his personal F-5 Tiger II fighter jets over the National Mall, despite the FAA’s objections due to safety concerns. Isaacman transferred control of the jets from his company to the space agency, allowing him to circumvent the FAA’s oversight.