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FAA looking after pilot drops turkeys on Arkansas festival

FAA looking after pilot drops turkeys on Arkansas festival | iNFOnews.ca
A young boy attempts to shove a turkey off a downtown tin roof on the Yellville square during the opening day of the 72nd Annual Turkey Trot Festival, Friday, Oct. 13, 2017, in Yellville, Ark. During the first few hours of the festival, a few turkeys were released from downtown buildings with no sightings of the controversial figure known as the "phantom pilot," who in years past dropped turkeys from a plane. (Josh Dooley/The Baxter Bulletin via AP)

YELLVILLE, Ark. – The Federal Aviation Administration says it will check to see whether any laws or regulations were broken when a low-flying pilot dropped live turkeys onto an Arkansas festival over the weekend.

The annual Yellville Turkey Trot in northern Arkansas has included a turkey drop for more than five decades , though sponsors in recent years have distanced themselves from the practice.

Several birds were dropped Saturday and then chased by festival-goers.

Local animal rights activist Rose Hilliard has filed a formal complaint with the sheriff. She alleges the pilot “terrorized” the birds and violated state laws against animal cruelty and animal abandonment.

Festival organizers say they’ve received similar complaints, as they have in past years from animal activists.

The FAA said Monday it was aware of Saturday’s drop. The agency hasn’t intervened in past years because the birds aren’t considered projectiles.

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