Low-flying plane buzzes Downtown Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Downtown workers and residents may have been surprised by a low-flying plane late Wednesday morning.

Around 11 a.m., a small, twin-propeller plane made several passes directly over Downtown Austin. This was the beginning of a government effort to keep residents and visitors safe during Formula 1 weekend, which starts on Friday.

The aircraft, belonging to the Environmental Protection Agency , is equipped with scientific instruments that measure specific amounts of chemicals and radiation.

The plane flew in several straight lines bisecting the skies over downtown, first at 2,800 feet above the ground, then again at a much more noticeable 500 feet.

The plane then headed southeast to fly the same pattern over the Circuit of The Americas track.

Officials say that this preliminary sampling of the air quality over Austin gives them an idea of the normal conditions here, so when flights over the track are repeated during Formula One weekend, it will be easier to spot anything out of the ordinary.

“This just helps us verify what we know is out there,” Travis County Emergency Management coordinator Pete Baldwin said. “They fly over it, there’s nothing new; our first responders then don’t have to worry about anything like that.”

According to the EPA, this type of air quality sampling is standard procedure for large public events, and has been done every year at the Superbowl.