YouTuber Roman Atwood has claimed that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded his helicopter following an investigation into a viral stunt video featuring fitness influencer Ashton Hall.
In a detailed video from Atwood, he said that his helicopter had been grounded because of an expired certificate that was uncovered during the FAA probe.
The FAA was prompted because of a video that amassed more than 20 million Instagram views within 48 hours, showing Hall jumping from Atwood’s moving helicopter before sprinting alongside it while another rider on a dirtbike followed nearby.
Atwood said that the investigation intensified after an anonymous complaint was reportedly filed following Atwood publicly expressing frustration that Hall did not tag him in the original Instagram upload.
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Helicopter grounded after investigation into viral video
Atwood shared a video updating his followers about his helicopter was grounded after the anonymous tip led the FAA to open an investigation.
“My helicopter is now grounded because of you, I hope you know,” Atwood said in the video. He added, “But you will not win, I will win. I will get my helicopter back.”
He further updated his followers that he will not be able to fly, not because of the anonymous tip or by any fault of him, but because of lack of paperwork.
He said, “The worst part is that the helicopter is grounded solely because of paperwork that isn’t filed properly. It has nothing to do with me.” He continued, “The phone call called an investigation of me. They are gonna dig into the aircraft, airworthiness and the limitations.”
Atwood further attributes the situation as a “good thing” and something that he can “learn” from. He said, “I am meeting with the FAA on the 27th. This is going to be a good thing and I am going to be able to adjust my limitations airwothiness certificate and limitations to make it work better for us.”
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FAA scrutiny intensifies after viral helicopter video
In a vlog published days after the stunt went viral, Atwood revealed that the FAA had already begun contacting the mechanics responsible for servicing his helicopter.
According to Dexerto, the agency requested maintenance logs, inspection documentation and the helicopter’s airworthiness certificate to determine whether the aircraft complied with federal regulations.
twood defended himself by insisting he did not profit directly from the flight. “I’m a private pilot. I cannot charge anybody to fly this helicopter. I didn’t charge him, his team, a business, or an 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 maintained that all inspections were current. But the latest claim that the helicopter was grounded contrdicts his previous statement.
Atwood himself acknowledged that his online visibility likely played a role in drawing federal attention.
“Everything I do, there’s a handful of people that watch me that specifically their only job is to make sure everybody knows,” he said in the vlog, describing the downside of being a high-profile creator.
