Before the University of Texas Longhorns dropped their second straight game of the 2026 season, a crew of U.S. Army helicopter pilots conducted a flyover above Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, as is often customary. As the band concluded its playing of the “Star Spangled Banner,” the three choppers flew over to add to the spectacle.
Ahead of the flyover, the helicopter crew members opened the doors of their crafts to show their Longhorns flags to the fans below. Unfortunately for one pilot, that maneuver cost him a special hat that he’s hoping someone somewhere in Austin can retrieve.
U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Josh Muehlendorf with the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade based in Fort Hood, was one of the pilots who conducted the flyover Saturday, under a mostly clear blue sky. His friend Matthew (McConaghey) even waved to him, according to a Linkedin post.
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However, Muehlendorf wrote on Facebook late Saturday evening that his 1st Calvary Division Stetson, which he bought at the Hat Store in Houston as new warrant officer in 2004, flew right out of the chopper while preparing to address the crowd from overhead. The Stetson took to the air, then dropped “somewhere about 3 miles straight north of DKR Stadium,” he wrote.
Muehlendorf, a Houston native who graduated from Lamar High School, told Chron the hat had been hanging by its chinstrap on a hook behind his seat.
“I thought ‘It’ll be windy, but it’ll stay on the hook,'” he said. They flew with the cabin doors closed most of the way, but once the helicopters got into formation for the flyover, about three miles north of the stadium, they slowed enough to open the doors so folks could see their flags. That’s when the hat flew out, and the other crew members in the helicopter (three along with Muehlendorf, who was piloting) began looking around frantically for the Stetson.
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All the while Muehlendorf had no idea his hat had flown to the earth below, as he was focusing heavily on staying in formation. They did the flyover, then landed at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and got picked up by UT so they could enjoy the game at the stadium. After landing, the crew told Muehlendorf, a senior aviation leader at this point in his career, that his hat had disembarked the craft.
The Texas Longhorns band performs ahead of the game against Florida at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 in Austin. The Longhorns lost 27-24.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
“It’s very sad, but in the midst of a cool day we got to do the flyover and go to the game,” he said. “It’s hard to get heartbroken about it.”
Search is on for the black Stetson
Still, it’s an old hat that’s been with the pilot since he joined the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade. Muehlendorf joked that he considers himself a “cheesy old man,” so little things like that Stetson matter a bit more these days. So, now, the pilot is asking Austinites and University of Texas at Austin supporters to help look for his black Stetson.
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“If you live, work, or walk around the neighborhoods a few miles north of the stadium, please keep your eyes peeled for a black Cavalry Stetson in a yard, on a roof, or in the street,” Muehlendorf wrote. He told Chron the hat could be somewhere around the Texas Department of Public Safety at Lamar Boulevard. Or maybe it’s just south of that, maybe around The Triangle.
He’s hoping whoever finds the hat will get in touch with him and orchestrate a safe return. And maybe then there’s an even better story to tell.
Unfortunately for the Longhorns, the Stetson’s fall from the sky seemed eerily prescient. Once top-ranked earlier in the season, Texas lost Saturday to the University of Florida, 27-24.
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