The Federal Aviation Administration said it is looking into reports of an aircraft flying low over residential areas near Lake Hamilton on Thanksgiving Day.
The Garland County Communications Center received five 911 calls shortly after 5 p.m. on Nov. 22 about an aircraft flying at altitudes of 50 to 100 feet in the Arkansas 7 south and Trabecca Circle areas, Under Sheriff Jason Lawrence said.
"[The communications center] notified [Hot Springs Memorial Field] on-duty personnel, and dispatchers notified the patrol supervisor for the Garland County Sheriff's Department and the Hot Springs Police Department to see if an officer could intercept the pilot," Lawrence said in an email. "To my knowledge, the suspected pilot was not encountered."
Airport Director Glen Barentine said he referred the matter to the FAA's Flight Standards and District Office in Little Rock. He said the person suspected of piloting the single-engine plane had left the airport before authorities arrived.
Lynn Lunsford, the FAA's mid-state public affairs manager, said he could not comment on the incident but confirmed the agency is looking into it. He said federal regulations require manned aircraft to maintain a minimum altitude of 1,000 feet over populated areas except during landing and takeoff.
"Under no circumstances is buzzing houses considered safe or a good idea," he said in an email.