Cathay Pacific fires pilot after fly-by

A Cathay Pacific Airways pilot was fired after he buzzed a U.S. airfield without permission while taking delivery of a Boeing 777-300ER passenger jet, the Hong Kong airline said Wednesday.

The carrier — which would not identify the pilot — was still investigating the Jan. 30 fly-by event at the Boeing plant near Seattle, Cathay spokeswoman Carolyn Leung said.

Leung said the pilot was dismissed last week because he did not seek or obtain approval for the fly-by, which has been done several times before at air shows with the airline's permission.

An airline statement said another pilot on the plane has been subject to disciplinary proceedings, but Leung would not elaborate on the case or other details.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported Sunday that the airline's chairman, Christopher Pratt, was on the plane when the pilot, Capt. Ian Wilkinson, swooped back over the Boeing plant shortly after taking off.

Images of the stunt were posted on YouTube and the Web site of a Seattle-area plane spotter, Matt Cawby.

The 777-300ER is 242 feet long, weighs about 350 tons and is listed at $264 million.