'Shakes on a plane' students say flight attendants were in on their mid-air 'Harlem Shake' as Feds investigate the flash mob at 30,000ft

Members of the Colorado College Ultimate Frisbee Team say the flash mob was organized with help of flight attendants



Students admit not knowing if pilot of flight knew of dance going on inside



The FAA is investigating the incident to establish if there was a danger to the safety of the plane and the passengers



A group of college students under federal investigation for doing the 'Harlem Shake' on an airplane say their flight attendants not only gave them permission to jump in the aisles mid-flight but helped them.



Sophomore Colorado College student Matt Zalin said the Frontier Airlines attendants were 'genuinely very excited' when asked if the entire flight from Denver to San Diego could get up and perform the rambunctious dance in an interview with Today.

'We talked to the flight attendants the whole time and we were really aware of whatever they were telling us was OK and what they were telling us wasn't OK,' student Conor Crowley said.



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Freaky dancing: The video starts with a signature lone dancer in the aisle of the plane Suddenly everyone is dancing including one guy dressed as a banana and another person wearing an Abraham Lincoln mask

They say they weren't sure if the pilot was aware of their activity behind the cockpit but say, 'I would assume so, it is his flight, but I really can't speak for him.'



In a statement from Frontier Airlines to Today, the company defended itself saying: 'We have a policy not to comment on things that are under investigation by the FAA, but I can tell you that all safety measures were followed and the seat belt sign was off.'

Asked if the students had any hesitation over safety - being thousands of feet in the air and not knowing how other passengers would handle it - all three said no.



'...we really were in touch with everybody so if something was going wrong with someone we would have been ready for it and the flight attendants were in on this, it wasn't the kind of thing that it was just happening,' Gavin Nachbar said.

The PA system was also said to have been provided to communicate with all of the passengers to make sure they understand what was about to happen.

No regrets: Gavin Nachbar, left, Conor Crowley, center, Matt Zelin, right are the members of a college Ultimate Frisbee team under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration

'For us, it was never about anything but trying to have fun,' said Mr Nachbar

As for reaction to the investigation now launched by the Federal Aviation Administration the students say they still have no regrets.



While the video has gone viral with more than 450,000 views on YouTube, safety experts have voiced concerns that the prank unnecessarily put the entire plane in jeopardy.



The flash mob was organized by the three members of the Colorado College Ultimate Frisbee Team who were on their way to a tournament in San Diego over President's Day weekend.



Somehow they managed to convince fellow passengers of all ages to get up and pump their fists to the dance tune by DJ Baauer.



The video starts with a signature lone dancer in the aisle of the plane. As the beat rises to a crescendo, almost all of the plane's passengers join the freaky dancing, including one guy dressed as a banana and another person wearing an Abraham Lincoln mask.



Spokesman Allen Kenitzer confirmed on Thursday that the FAA is investigating and are particularly keen to confirm what phase the flight was in during the dancing in the aisles.



Young and old are involved in the flash mob including this small boy

According to aviation expert Glen Winn, carrying out such a prank at 30,000 feet raises safety concerns and isn’t advisable.



‘It's evident to me that one, the crew lost control in the cabin… I'm just amazed the crew let this happen,’ he told 10News .

Winn said there were several serious safety concerns for those on the plane, including loss of pressurization.



‘You have a weight and balance issue because that many people moving around in an aircraft, you could have the plane potentially losing control and its very, very dangerous,’ he said.



The video was shot by Mr Zelin who claims they didn’t do anything wrong and had checked with staff before carrying out the prank.



‘I don't see there being any reason why this should cause any trouble. We asked the staff and they said it was safe,’ he told Colorado College student newspaper The Catalyst .

WATCH THE INTERVIEW HERE:



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