Narrative:

Friend and I departed redlands municipal in am. We flew southeast toward yucaipa at 3500' MSL. We cruised down the san timeteo canyon toward redlands community hospital. After turning right to 040 degrees, I proceeded in this direction until approximately 1 mi from the redlands senior high school. I initiated a violent slip until I was approximately 1000' AGL. This altitude is a complete estimation, because the elevation of my immediate surroundings was not stated. My personal estimate was near that of redlands airport, 1572' MSL. After I reached this altitude over redlands high school, my friend dropped a stack of approximately 500 paper flyers that were 4'x4' in size. After doing so, full power was applied and a 900 FPM climb was established until we were level at 3500' MSL. We were at 1000' AGL for approximately 10-15 seconds. Then proceeded toward redlands airport. Halfway en route I heard redlands unicom trying to reach me on radio. Unable to communication with them because no microphone in the aircraft. Then entered the pattern at redlands airport and landed. Approximately 10 mins later, mr. Xyz from the redlands police department arrived at the airport. He then began to question me. He did not read me my rights. He asked me what kind of aircraft I was flying and how many hours I had to date. I replied that I had 5 yrs of licensed flying time, 400 hours of unlogable high performance time and 100 hours of logable private pilot time. He asked me to tell him exactly what I did. I did so and he took notes. Then told me he had some flying experience in small aircraft and was rusty on his far's. He then stated how low I was at the time of the drop. He asked specifically if I was lower than 1000' AGL. I answered it was possible, because I was not aware of the exact elevation at my position. He then asked if I was aware of the far stating the 1000' minimum elevation over populated areas. I answered that I was aware of that fact. He then asked me the size of the flyers and I explained. He then stated that far's say nothing is to be thrown from the aircraft at any time. I agreed, but was not clearly known by myself as to what is safe and what is unsafe. I then told him that there was no harm deliberated toward anyone and that I was not out to cause any deliberate problems. He asked more questions about my altitude. A second police officer arrived and said behind officer xyz. He said he had wwii flying experience. Mr. Xyz asked me from which direction and for how long I was at that altitude. I said from the southwest. Then stated I was at that altitude for approximately 20-30 seconds. He again asked how low I was at the lowest point. I said, 'I cannot give you an exact altitude because of the....' I was then interrupted by mr. Xyz, who said, 'with 6 yrs and many hours of flying experience, you cannot tell me how low you were.' I was then advised by the FBO owner, who is a pilot, to tell the officer my altitude in relation to various positions in the common traffic pattern. I said I was about halfway through my base leg--maybe 800'. The second officer interrupted and said he was on the freeway to the north and was looking down upon me. I laughed, but if I was that low I would have been about 20' above the ground. I had no idea what he was looking at. Mr. Xyz then got very angry and said, 'the worst thing you can do right now is lie to me, because if you are I will call the FAA right now.' I told them both that I would not lie to them, but they did not seem to be satisfied with my answers. I then said, 'what do you want me to tell you! If you want me to say I was below 800', then fine.' I was very frustrated. The second officer said, 'well, the barn storming days are over, pal. I'm out of here.' he then left. Officer xyz then began to explain he was going to send a report to the FAA when he got around to it. He gave me his card and I shook his hand and told him that I in no way meant to cause problems and was sorry. He then left. I was advised by the FBO owner to go the riverside that day and talk to the FAA about the incident and file a report if necessary. I did just that and visited the riverside FAA office in 6/91, and was very pleased with the attitude and the advice mr. Abc had to give me. Far 91.15 seems to apply here. No hazard existed to persons or property. The flyers were all picked up before the school day was over. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter states he had received a 10 day letter from the FAA. His father's aviation lawyer has told him to respond briefly and courteously. No problem re: dropping the flyers, just the altitude. Reporter intends to request remedial training in lieu of suspension.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT DROPPING FLYERS OVER HIGH SCHOOL FLIES BELOW 1000'.

Narrative: FRIEND AND I DEPARTED REDLANDS MUNI IN AM. WE FLEW SE TOWARD YUCAIPA AT 3500' MSL. WE CRUISED DOWN THE SAN TIMETEO CANYON TOWARD REDLANDS COMMUNITY HOSPITAL. AFTER TURNING RIGHT TO 040 DEGS, I PROCEEDED IN THIS DIRECTION UNTIL APPROX 1 MI FROM THE REDLANDS SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL. I INITIATED A VIOLENT SLIP UNTIL I WAS APPROX 1000' AGL. THIS ALT IS A COMPLETE ESTIMATION, BECAUSE THE ELEVATION OF MY IMMEDIATE SURROUNDINGS WAS NOT STATED. MY PERSONAL ESTIMATE WAS NEAR THAT OF REDLANDS ARPT, 1572' MSL. AFTER I REACHED THIS ALT OVER REDLANDS HIGH SCHOOL, MY FRIEND DROPPED A STACK OF APPROX 500 PAPER FLYERS THAT WERE 4'X4' IN SIZE. AFTER DOING SO, FULL PWR WAS APPLIED AND A 900 FPM CLB WAS ESTABLISHED UNTIL WE WERE LEVEL AT 3500' MSL. WE WERE AT 1000' AGL FOR APPROX 10-15 SECS. THEN PROCEEDED TOWARD REDLANDS ARPT. HALFWAY ENRTE I HEARD REDLANDS UNICOM TRYING TO REACH ME ON RADIO. UNABLE TO COM WITH THEM BECAUSE NO MIC IN THE ACFT. THEN ENTERED THE PATTERN AT REDLANDS ARPT AND LANDED. APPROX 10 MINS LATER, MR. XYZ FROM THE REDLANDS POLICE DEPT ARRIVED AT THE ARPT. HE THEN BEGAN TO QUESTION ME. HE DID NOT READ ME MY RIGHTS. HE ASKED ME WHAT KIND OF ACFT I WAS FLYING AND HOW MANY HRS I HAD TO DATE. I REPLIED THAT I HAD 5 YRS OF LICENSED FLYING TIME, 400 HRS OF UNLOGABLE HIGH PERFORMANCE TIME AND 100 HRS OF LOGABLE PVT PLT TIME. HE ASKED ME TO TELL HIM EXACTLY WHAT I DID. I DID SO AND HE TOOK NOTES. THEN TOLD ME HE HAD SOME FLYING EXPERIENCE IN SMA AND WAS RUSTY ON HIS FAR'S. HE THEN STATED HOW LOW I WAS AT THE TIME OF THE DROP. HE ASKED SPECIFICALLY IF I WAS LOWER THAN 1000' AGL. I ANSWERED IT WAS POSSIBLE, BECAUSE I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE EXACT ELEVATION AT MY POS. HE THEN ASKED IF I WAS AWARE OF THE FAR STATING THE 1000' MINIMUM ELEVATION OVER POPULATED AREAS. I ANSWERED THAT I WAS AWARE OF THAT FACT. HE THEN ASKED ME THE SIZE OF THE FLYERS AND I EXPLAINED. HE THEN STATED THAT FAR'S SAY NOTHING IS TO BE THROWN FROM THE ACFT AT ANY TIME. I AGREED, BUT WAS NOT CLEARLY KNOWN BY MYSELF AS TO WHAT IS SAFE AND WHAT IS UNSAFE. I THEN TOLD HIM THAT THERE WAS NO HARM DELIBERATED TOWARD ANYONE AND THAT I WAS NOT OUT TO CAUSE ANY DELIBERATE PROBS. HE ASKED MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT MY ALT. A SECOND POLICE OFFICER ARRIVED AND SAID BEHIND OFFICER XYZ. HE SAID HE HAD WWII FLYING EXPERIENCE. MR. XYZ ASKED ME FROM WHICH DIRECTION AND FOR HOW LONG I WAS AT THAT ALT. I SAID FROM THE SW. THEN STATED I WAS AT THAT ALT FOR APPROX 20-30 SECS. HE AGAIN ASKED HOW LOW I WAS AT THE LOWEST POINT. I SAID, 'I CANNOT GIVE YOU AN EXACT ALT BECAUSE OF THE....' I WAS THEN INTERRUPTED BY MR. XYZ, WHO SAID, 'WITH 6 YRS AND MANY HRS OF FLYING EXPERIENCE, YOU CANNOT TELL ME HOW LOW YOU WERE.' I WAS THEN ADVISED BY THE FBO OWNER, WHO IS A PLT, TO TELL THE OFFICER MY ALT IN RELATION TO VARIOUS POSITIONS IN THE COMMON TFC PATTERN. I SAID I WAS ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH MY BASE LEG--MAYBE 800'. THE SECOND OFFICER INTERRUPTED AND SAID HE WAS ON THE FREEWAY TO THE N AND WAS LOOKING DOWN UPON ME. I LAUGHED, BUT IF I WAS THAT LOW I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT 20' ABOVE THE GND. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT HE WAS LOOKING AT. MR. XYZ THEN GOT VERY ANGRY AND SAID, 'THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW IS LIE TO ME, BECAUSE IF YOU ARE I WILL CALL THE FAA RIGHT NOW.' I TOLD THEM BOTH THAT I WOULD NOT LIE TO THEM, BUT THEY DID NOT SEEM TO BE SATISFIED WITH MY ANSWERS. I THEN SAID, 'WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO TELL YOU! IF YOU WANT ME TO SAY I WAS BELOW 800', THEN FINE.' I WAS VERY FRUSTRATED. THE SECOND OFFICER SAID, 'WELL, THE BARN STORMING DAYS ARE OVER, PAL. I'M OUT OF HERE.' HE THEN LEFT. OFFICER XYZ THEN BEGAN TO EXPLAIN HE WAS GOING TO SEND A RPT TO THE FAA WHEN HE GOT AROUND TO IT. HE GAVE ME HIS CARD AND I SHOOK HIS HAND AND TOLD HIM THAT I IN NO WAY MEANT TO CAUSE PROBS AND WAS SORRY. HE THEN LEFT. I WAS ADVISED BY THE FBO OWNER TO GO THE RIVERSIDE THAT DAY AND TALK TO THE FAA ABOUT THE INCIDENT AND FILE A RPT IF NECESSARY. I DID JUST THAT AND VISITED THE RIVERSIDE FAA OFFICE IN 6/91, AND WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THE ATTITUDE AND THE ADVICE MR. ABC HAD TO GIVE ME. FAR 91.15 SEEMS TO APPLY HERE. NO HAZARD EXISTED TO PERSONS OR PROPERTY. THE FLYERS WERE ALL PICKED UP BEFORE THE SCHOOL DAY WAS OVER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR STATES HE HAD RECEIVED A 10 DAY LETTER FROM THE FAA. HIS FATHER'S AVIATION LAWYER HAS TOLD HIM TO RESPOND BRIEFLY AND COURTEOUSLY. NO PROB RE: DROPPING THE FLYERS, JUST THE ALT. RPTR INTENDS TO REQUEST REMEDIAL TRNING IN LIEU OF SUSPENSION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.