Posted 3/20/2010 11:51:00 AM by Douglas

The pilot that buzzed the beach has been identified and is under investigation.

The owner of a Jefferson County company acknowledged Friday that he is the pilot accused of buzzing a crowded beach on the Bolivar Peninsula last week and is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

“It was taken straight to the mechanic's shop,” he said. “At this time the plane is not airworthy.”

So was the plane flying low because it's not airworthy, or is it not airworthy because it was flying low over the beach?

Asked if the low passes over the beach were the result of mechanical problems, the spokesman said, “That's going to be in the FAA report. You can draw your conclusions from there.”

What conclusions could you draw from the report?

Witnesses said the aircraft did not appear to be suffering from mechanical problems when it buzzed two large groups of Jeep enthusiasts on a beach outing.

Nunez said the aircraft made at least four passes and came in so low that he ducked and those beside him threw themselves onto the sand.

Making four passes over a crowd of people then flying 90 miles home doesn't sound like mechanical trouble to me.

“There are just a couple of people in that Jeep club who are trying to get their 15 minutes of fame,” he said. “There's two sides to every story.”

There sure are.