A US Air Force pilot drew a flight pattern that appears to resemble a penis — in what the military says was a total accident.
Plane buffs noticed that the KC-135 aerial tanker flying near a Russian base in Syria Wednesday left a strange configuration on flight radars.
The aircraft looped tightly in the waters between Cyrus and Lebanon, creating an oval shape before making two smaller circles at the base and looking back at the top of the oval a second time, according to FlightRadar24.
The seemingly phallic shape resulting from the sporadic path was not intentional, a USAFE spokesperson told military paper Task & Purpose.
“The KC-135 Stratotanker (RAKE71) operating in the Eastern Mediterranean adjusted between multiple different flight tracks during the course of the mission,” Capt. Ryan Goss said in a statement.
“While these adjustments and movements appear to create a vulgar outline, there was no intent by the pilots or the unit to do so. As we continue to look into this, USAFE-AFAFRICA, AMC [Air Mobility Command] and the USAF will continue to maintain the highest standards of professionalism and airmanship.”
Air Force Col. Damien Pickart, the top spokesman for Air Mobility Command, told the paper that the agency is grilling the crew for details on the incident, but doesn’t believe they acted inappropriately.
Despite the miliary’s objections, it wouldn’t be the first time its members have pulled genital-themed aerial pranks.
In 2017, two Navy airmen decided to use the jet’s contrails to draw a giant “sky penis” over Central Washington because it “would be awesome.”
Navy officials originally recommended a disciplinary hearing for the pilots, but ended up recommending “non-punitive letters of instruction.”