TV - The Invisible Pilot

A new HBO documentary series from Executive Producer Adam McKay is a stranger-than-fiction tale involving crop-dusting, cocaine smuggling, and the CIA. Watch the trailer for The Invisible Pilot...

Press Release

The HBO Original The Invisible Pilot, a three-part documentary series by Emmy®-winning filmmakers Phil Lott and Ari Mark, is a tale of a charismatic, daredevil husband and father who unexpectedly jumped off a bridge in 1977, despite a seemingly happy home life and a lucrative career as a pilot. His small-town Arkansas community searches for his body in vain while family and friends seek answers. Years later, a mysterious story emerges involving hypnosis, secret identities and a double life of dangerous missions and law-breaking. And that’s just the beginning…

From Adam McKay (HBO’s Succession and Q: Into The Storm) comes a labyrinthine story that begins in Hazen, Arkansas and ends up as part of one of the biggest political scandals of our time.

The Invisible Pilot unfolds in three chapters, each one divulging new, shocking surprises. When Gary Betzner, a father of three, unexpectedly commits suicide the mystery surrounding his death deepens and unfurls a caper-filled tale involving a clandestine world of drug smuggling, gun running, and involvement in a covert war conducted at the highest level of the U.S. government.

With a wealth of colorful archival material and shaped by vibrant storytelling by Gary’s wife, ex-wife, children, friends and associates, public defenders, law officers and journalists, The Invisible Pilot is a cautionary tale of unchecked power and covert operations, centered around a small-town man with outsized dreams.



The Invisible Pilot debuts on Monday April 4th (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT) with new episodes airing subsequent Mondays at the same time. The series will debut on HBO and be available to stream on HBO Max.

HBO Documentary Films Presents an Ample Entertainment and Hyperobject Industries production THE INVISIBLE PILOT. Directed by Phil Lott and Ari Mark; executive producers, Adam McKay, Todd Schulman, Ari Mark, Phil Lott, Craig Hodges, Jon Bryant Crawford; co-executive producer, Ben Selkow; producers, Martine Phelan-Roberts, David Tillman; co-producer, Madison Passarelli. For HBO: senior producer, Tina Nguyen; executive producers, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller.

Image - HBO