YouTuber Roman Atwood claims the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has his helicopter grounded following an investigation into a viral video of a stunt by fitness influencer Ashton Hall.
In a detailed video from Atwood, he said his helicopter had been grounded because an expired certificate was discovered during an FAA investigation.
FAA prompted after video hits more than 20 million views Instagram Views from 48 hours show Hall jumping from Atwood’s moving helicopter and sprinting along it while another rider on a dirt bike followed nearby.
Atwood said the investigation intensified after an anonymous complaint was reportedly filed after Atwood publicly expressed dissatisfaction with Hall for not tagging him in the original Instagram upload.
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Helicopters grounded after investigation into viral video
Atwood shared a video updating his followers about his helicopter being grounded after an anonymous tip led to an FAA investigation.
“My helicopter is grounded right now because of you, and I want you to know that,” Atwood said in the video. “But you’re not going to win, I’m going to win. I’m going to get my helicopter back.”
He further informed his followers that he would not be able to fly, not due to an anonymous tip or any fault of his, but due to a lack of paperwork.
“The worst part is that the helicopter was grounded just because the paperwork wasn’t filed properly. It had nothing to do with me,” he said. “This call requires an investigation into me. They’re going to look into the aircraft, the airworthiness and the limitations in depth,” he continued.
Atwood further attributed the situation to “a good thing” and that he could “learn” from it. He said, “I will be meeting with the FAA on the 27th. It will be a good thing and I will be able to adjust my airworthiness certificate and limitations to make it work better for us.”
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FAA steps up scrutiny after helicopter video goes viral
In a vlog posted days after the stunt went viral, Atwood revealed that the FAA had begun contacting the mechanics responsible for servicing his helicopter.
According to Dexerto, the agency requires maintenance logs, inspection documents and the helicopter’s airworthiness certificate to determine whether the aircraft complies with federal regulations.
Teward defended himself, insisting he did not profit directly from the flight. “I’m a private pilot. I can’t charge anyone to fly this helicopter. I didn’t charge him, his team, the business or the LLC. Zero dollars. It was all on me,” he said in the vlog.
Atwood also said the helicopter was registered as an experimental aircraft and insisted all inspections were up to date. But the latest claims about the grounding of the helicopters contradict his previous claims.
Atwood himself acknowledged that his online popularity may have played a role in drawing federal attention.
“Everything I do, I have a handful of people watching me, especially since their only job is to make sure everyone knows,” he said in a vlog, describing the downsides of being a high-profile creator.
