National guard pilots return to duty after 4 July low-level beach flyover in South Carolina

Helicopter pilots were suspended from duty after a low-level stunt over beachgoers during holiday aviation show

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Eight South Carolina national guard helicopter pilots have been returned to flying duties following a suspension over a low-flying sweep over beachgoers as part of a Fourth of July event honoring service members.

“Effective immediately, the suspension of all involved South Carolina pilots has been lifted,” the Pentagon spokesperson, Sean Parnell, wrote on Friday morning on social media. “Carry on Patriots.”

The suspension followed “Salute from the Shore”, a Fourth of July tradition honoring service members in South Carolina since 2010 that features vintage and modern military aircraft flying along the 187-mile (300km) length of the state’s shoreline, with the intent of sparking patriotism among thousands of beachgoers gathered for the holiday.

This year’s salute included F-16s with the South Carolina air national guard’s 169th Fighter Wing out of McEntire Joint Base, as well as a C-17 from the 437th Airlift Wing based at Joint Base Charleston. For the first time, Apache helicopters joined the air parade, which also featured civilian-owned vintage planes such as T-34s and T-6s.

Numerous attenders often post video on social media of the display, but this year, online images of the Apaches flying at what appeared to be a low height over crowded beaches sparked concern with the South Carolina national guard, which launched a review of the event and temporarily suspended the eight pilots from flying duties while that was ongoing, later clarifying the suspension was “a routine, non-punitive safety measure, not a disciplinary action”.

Late on Thursday night, the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth , noted on social media that the Pentagon was getting involved, writing: “We’ll fix this. Carry on, Patriots.”

South Carolina Republicans rebuked the suspension, too. The US representative Russell Fry, who represents the Myrtle Beach area, said on Thursday that the pilots “should be celebrated, not sanctioned”.

Less than two hours before Parnell’s post noting the suspension had been lifted, the state’s Republican governor, Henry McMaster – who serves as commander-in-chief of the state’s national guard – said on Friday he trusted the pilots’ acumen, writing in a social media post that guardsmen fly in wartime.

“Surely, they know how to safely navigate the coast of South Carolina – and her scores of cheering residents and tourists on our 250th anniversary,” McMaster wrote.

Officials with McMaster’s office and the South Carolina national guard did not immediately return messages seeking comment on Friday, including whether McMaster – a longtime ally of Donald Trump – had directly intervened. The Pentagon declined to comment beyond Parnell’s statement.