Narrative:

On sep/sun/94, after the greeley/weld airshow, another pilot from colorado springs asked myself and another formation qualified pilot to accompany him on a formation flyover of his parents' house on our return to our home airport. The pilot is a commercial rated pilot and we had flown with him numerous times before, although his formation experience is limited. We agreed to the flyover and conducted a pre-flight briefing. At the briefing, we discussed radio frequencys, formation signals, and formation positions for all aircraft. The pilot who requested the flight would be the flight leader. I would be his wingman and would fly on his left wing. The third pilot would be the second element lead and fly on his right wing. (The second element consisted of only the element lead.) on the way to colorado springs, we flew 'en route' formation positions which is a looser formation with greater spacing between aircraft and allows all pilots to fly more relaxed and divide their attention between maintaining position on the flight leader and performing normal cockpit duties. After leaving denver's class B airspace, the flight leader climbed to 9500 ft to clear the high terrain north of colorado springs. I normally fly at 8000 ft over this area and was concerned that the flight leader might not descend below 8500 ft in time to be below the colorado springs class C airspace. Finally, he began a descent and about the same time, gave the signal to move into a close 'finger tip' formation. I moved into the finger tip position and my concentration from that point on was focused on maintaining that position which placed me below to the left, and slightly behind the leader. Spacing between aircraft was approximately 15 ft. From this position, I was looking slightly upward and at 45 degrees to my right. I was aware that we were descending, but my attention was highly focused on maintaining position on the lead aircraft. (When flying this close, one never takes his eyes off his leader.) since we had started at around 9500 ft and I expected that we would descend to around 7300 ft for the flyover, I was unconcerned with the continuing descent. From cues in my peripheral vision, however, I suddenly realized that we were well below what I considered a normal altitude for a formation flyover and the flight leader was still descending. I broke from the formation and began an immediate climb. As I climbed away from the flight leader, I looked toward the third aircraft and saw that he had also broken off from the flight at the same time. The third pilot had begun a right climbing turn and I turned and climbed with him. The third aircraft and I then returned to our home airport and landed. In analyzing the incident, I've concluded that we probably descended below the minimum required altitude over a populated area and the situation was caused by poor judgement on the part of the lead pilot. In the future, before taking part in a formation flight, I will be sure that flyover altitudes are discussed and understood during the pre-flight briefing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A SMT SEL DSNDED WHILE IN FORMATION FLT BELOW THE MINIMUM REQUIRED ALT OVER A POPULATED AREA.

Narrative: ON SEP/SUN/94, AFTER THE GREELEY/WELD AIRSHOW, ANOTHER PLT FROM COLORADO SPRINGS ASKED MYSELF AND ANOTHER FORMATION QUALIFIED PLT TO ACCOMPANY HIM ON A FORMATION FLYOVER OF HIS PARENTS' HOUSE ON OUR RETURN TO OUR HOME ARPT. THE PLT IS A COMMERCIAL RATED PLT AND WE HAD FLOWN WITH HIM NUMEROUS TIMES BEFORE, ALTHOUGH HIS FORMATION EXPERIENCE IS LIMITED. WE AGREED TO THE FLYOVER AND CONDUCTED A PRE-FLT BRIEFING. AT THE BRIEFING, WE DISCUSSED RADIO FREQS, FORMATION SIGNALS, AND FORMATION POSITIONS FOR ALL ACFT. THE PLT WHO REQUESTED THE FLT WOULD BE THE FLT LEADER. I WOULD BE HIS WINGMAN AND WOULD FLY ON HIS L WING. THE THIRD PLT WOULD BE THE SECOND ELEMENT LEAD AND FLY ON HIS R WING. (THE SECOND ELEMENT CONSISTED OF ONLY THE ELEMENT LEAD.) ON THE WAY TO COLORADO SPRINGS, WE FLEW 'ENRTE' FORMATION POSITIONS WHICH IS A LOOSER FORMATION WITH GREATER SPACING BTWN ACFT AND ALLOWS ALL PLTS TO FLY MORE RELAXED AND DIVIDE THEIR ATTN BTWN MAINTAINING POS ON THE FLT LEADER AND PERFORMING NORMAL COCKPIT DUTIES. AFTER LEAVING DENVER'S CLASS B AIRSPACE, THE FLT LEADER CLBED TO 9500 FT TO CLR THE HIGH TERRAIN N OF COLORADO SPRINGS. I NORMALLY FLY AT 8000 FT OVER THIS AREA AND WAS CONCERNED THAT THE FLT LEADER MIGHT NOT DSND BELOW 8500 FT IN TIME TO BE BELOW THE COLORADO SPRINGS CLASS C AIRSPACE. FINALLY, HE BEGAN A DSCNT AND ABOUT THE SAME TIME, GAVE THE SIGNAL TO MOVE INTO A CLOSE 'FINGER TIP' FORMATION. I MOVED INTO THE FINGER TIP POS AND MY CONCENTRATION FROM THAT POINT ON WAS FOCUSED ON MAINTAINING THAT POS WHICH PLACED ME BELOW TO THE L, AND SLIGHTLY BEHIND THE LEADER. SPACING BTWN ACFT WAS APPROX 15 FT. FROM THIS POS, I WAS LOOKING SLIGHTLY UPWARD AND AT 45 DEGS TO MY R. I WAS AWARE THAT WE WERE DSNDING, BUT MY ATTN WAS HIGHLY FOCUSED ON MAINTAINING POS ON THE LEAD ACFT. (WHEN FLYING THIS CLOSE, ONE NEVER TAKES HIS EYES OFF HIS LEADER.) SINCE WE HAD STARTED AT AROUND 9500 FT AND I EXPECTED THAT WE WOULD DSND TO AROUND 7300 FT FOR THE FLYOVER, I WAS UNCONCERNED WITH THE CONTINUING DSCNT. FROM CUES IN MY PERIPHERAL VISION, HOWEVER, I SUDDENLY REALIZED THAT WE WERE WELL BELOW WHAT I CONSIDERED A NORMAL ALT FOR A FORMATION FLYOVER AND THE FLT LEADER WAS STILL DSNDING. I BROKE FROM THE FORMATION AND BEGAN AN IMMEDIATE CLB. AS I CLBED AWAY FROM THE FLT LEADER, I LOOKED TOWARD THE THIRD ACFT AND SAW THAT HE HAD ALSO BROKEN OFF FROM THE FLT AT THE SAME TIME. THE THIRD PLT HAD BEGUN A R CLBING TURN AND I TURNED AND CLBED WITH HIM. THE THIRD ACFT AND I THEN RETURNED TO OUR HOME ARPT AND LANDED. IN ANALYZING THE INCIDENT, I'VE CONCLUDED THAT WE PROBABLY DSNDED BELOW THE MINIMUM REQUIRED ALT OVER A POPULATED AREA AND THE SIT WAS CAUSED BY POOR JUDGEMENT ON THE PART OF THE LEAD PLT. IN THE FUTURE, BEFORE TAKING PART IN A FORMATION FLT, I WILL BE SURE THAT FLYOVER ALTS ARE DISCUSSED AND UNDERSTOOD DURING THE PRE-FLT BRIEFING.

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.