Fly-over prank could result in charges

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A Huntersville, N.C., high school student may face charges after he pulled off a fly-over prank in a small plane at a school football game.

The 17-year-old Hopewell High student, accompanied by two teenage passengers in the single-engine Cessna 172, flew the length of the field three times and reportedly passed within feet of a flag pole, the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer reported Monday.

“It was a dare,” said Vincent Cesena, head of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools law enforcement. “They knew they were very much breaking the law. He’s a registered pilot and knows the consequences of this.”

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen told the Observer the pilot's license could be suspended or revoked if he is found to have broken rules.

The pilot and his two passengers were detained at the airport for questioning when they returned the plane but no charges had been filed as of Sunday, the newspaper said.