Narrative:

My squadron was tasked to provide a fly-by on sep/xa/98. The fly-by would take place at a stadium. The prior day, myself and a wing man, made several practice runs to determine run-in line, obstacles in the local area, exact elevation of the stadium and ground references in order to acquire the stadium. The stadium is surrounded by numerous buildings which make it very difficult to acquire until you are only 2 mi away. On each of the practice runs, I was not able to acquire the stadium until late in the run and I always had to make a final correction to align properly with the center of the stadium. On sunday we briefed and prepared for the flight just like the squadron has done for numerous other fly-bys. I brought to everyone's attention the numerous towers in the local area and the difficulty in acquiring the stadium. We held at 3500 ft MSL north of the stadium for a north to south run-in. It was at this time I noticed at least two and possibly three small aircraft towing banners around the stadium. My representative on the ground also brought these aircraft and a helicopter operating in the are to my attention. I was never told by approach control or tower about this traffic operating around the stadium. We began our push to arrival over the stadium at the prebriefed time and 1000 ft AGL. I followed the ground references and run-in line to place the division over the center of the field. I was xchking my INS for timing and to assist in the general location of the stadium. With the drift in our INS system I could not go totally on INS information or I could possibly miss the stadium by 0.5 to 1 mi. As I got closer I began to lower the nose in order to see over the long nose of the F18 and to remain clear of the small aircraft towing banners. Inside 15 seconds to the stadium my ground representative stated to abort this run and spin the flight. The ceremony had been delayed on the ground because of mechanical problems. I was now very concerned about the numerous towers in the area, specifically three towers to the west, in our direction of turn, and the location of the small aircraft towing banners. In the turn, I determined we would clear the towers but I did not know the location of the banner aircraft in the last few mins. I therefore decided to remain low in order to ensure adequate clearance for my flight. The ground rep now stated we had 30 seconds to be on time so I turned the division back towards the stadium. I immediately began a search for the stadium, my ground references, xchk the INS, timing, maintaining a stable platform for my wingmen to follow and the location of the banner aircraft. Again finding the stadium was difficult over the long nose of the F18 and I descended slightly to obtain a better picture. I acquired the stadium inside 2 mi, made one quick correction for line-up and completed the fly-by. This entire event from abort to the actual fly-by took place in roughly 60 seconds. I processed a tremendous amount of information from the aircraft, surrounding areas and the ground rep to maintain a safe separation from the other aircraft and obstacles in the area. At no time did I feel I endangered any of my wingmen, people on the ground or other aircraft in the air. I deviated as necessary to avoid other aircraft in the in a safe and professional manner. Approach control/tower never informed me of the additional aircraft in the stadium area or where they might possibly be during our portion of the fly-by. This would have helped to deconflict all aircraft and with altitude avoidance. Supplemental information from acn 414544: the next day, our squadron received a telephone call from an FAA representative who informed us that the flight had proceeded below the minimum 1000 ft AGL restr. Supplemental information from acn 413791: the flight lean's preflight preparation allowed him to make an altitude deviation, intentional or not, without compromising the safety of his flight element or civilians on the ground.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A MIL FORMATION FLT OF 4 FA18'S PASSES OVER A STADIUM BELOW 500 FT AGL INSTEAD OF THE AGREED TO AND REQUIRED ALT OF 1000 FT AGL. THE FLT LEADER WAS IN A MANEUVER TO STAY CLR OF BANNER TOWING ACFT AND OBSTACLES SUCH AS BUILDINGS AND TWRS. ATC DID NOT PROVIDE ANY TFC INFO.

Narrative: MY SQUADRON WAS TASKED TO PROVIDE A FLY-BY ON SEP/XA/98. THE FLY-BY WOULD TAKE PLACE AT A STADIUM. THE PRIOR DAY, MYSELF AND A WING MAN, MADE SEVERAL PRACTICE RUNS TO DETERMINE RUN-IN LINE, OBSTACLES IN THE LCL AREA, EXACT ELEVATION OF THE STADIUM AND GND REFS IN ORDER TO ACQUIRE THE STADIUM. THE STADIUM IS SURROUNDED BY NUMEROUS BUILDINGS WHICH MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT TO ACQUIRE UNTIL YOU ARE ONLY 2 MI AWAY. ON EACH OF THE PRACTICE RUNS, I WAS NOT ABLE TO ACQUIRE THE STADIUM UNTIL LATE IN THE RUN AND I ALWAYS HAD TO MAKE A FINAL CORRECTION TO ALIGN PROPERLY WITH THE CTR OF THE STADIUM. ON SUNDAY WE BRIEFED AND PREPARED FOR THE FLT JUST LIKE THE SQUADRON HAS DONE FOR NUMEROUS OTHER FLY-BYS. I BROUGHT TO EVERYONE'S ATTN THE NUMEROUS TWRS IN THE LCL AREA AND THE DIFFICULTY IN ACQUIRING THE STADIUM. WE HELD AT 3500 FT MSL N OF THE STADIUM FOR A N TO S RUN-IN. IT WAS AT THIS TIME I NOTICED AT LEAST TWO AND POSSIBLY THREE SMALL ACFT TOWING BANNERS AROUND THE STADIUM. MY REPRESENTATIVE ON THE GND ALSO BROUGHT THESE ACFT AND A HELI OPERATING IN THE ARE TO MY ATTN. I WAS NEVER TOLD BY APCH CTL OR TWR ABOUT THIS TFC OPERATING AROUND THE STADIUM. WE BEGAN OUR PUSH TO ARR OVER THE STADIUM AT THE PREBRIEFED TIME AND 1000 FT AGL. I FOLLOWED THE GND REFS AND RUN-IN LINE TO PLACE THE DIVISION OVER THE CTR OF THE FIELD. I WAS XCHKING MY INS FOR TIMING AND TO ASSIST IN THE GENERAL LOCATION OF THE STADIUM. WITH THE DRIFT IN OUR INS SYS I COULD NOT GO TOTALLY ON INS INFO OR I COULD POSSIBLY MISS THE STADIUM BY 0.5 TO 1 MI. AS I GOT CLOSER I BEGAN TO LOWER THE NOSE IN ORDER TO SEE OVER THE LONG NOSE OF THE F18 AND TO REMAIN CLR OF THE SMALL ACFT TOWING BANNERS. INSIDE 15 SECONDS TO THE STADIUM MY GND REPRESENTATIVE STATED TO ABORT THIS RUN AND SPIN THE FLT. THE CEREMONY HAD BEEN DELAYED ON THE GND BECAUSE OF MECHANICAL PROBS. I WAS NOW VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE NUMEROUS TWRS IN THE AREA, SPECIFICALLY THREE TWRS TO THE W, IN OUR DIRECTION OF TURN, AND THE LOCATION OF THE SMALL ACFT TOWING BANNERS. IN THE TURN, I DETERMINED WE WOULD CLR THE TWRS BUT I DID NOT KNOW THE LOCATION OF THE BANNER ACFT IN THE LAST FEW MINS. I THEREFORE DECIDED TO REMAIN LOW IN ORDER TO ENSURE ADEQUATE CLRNC FOR MY FLT. THE GND REP NOW STATED WE HAD 30 SECONDS TO BE ON TIME SO I TURNED THE DIVISION BACK TOWARDS THE STADIUM. I IMMEDIATELY BEGAN A SEARCH FOR THE STADIUM, MY GND REFS, XCHK THE INS, TIMING, MAINTAINING A STABLE PLATFORM FOR MY WINGMEN TO FOLLOW AND THE LOCATION OF THE BANNER ACFT. AGAIN FINDING THE STADIUM WAS DIFFICULT OVER THE LONG NOSE OF THE F18 AND I DSNDED SLIGHTLY TO OBTAIN A BETTER PICTURE. I ACQUIRED THE STADIUM INSIDE 2 MI, MADE ONE QUICK CORRECTION FOR LINE-UP AND COMPLETED THE FLY-BY. THIS ENTIRE EVENT FROM ABORT TO THE ACTUAL FLY-BY TOOK PLACE IN ROUGHLY 60 SECONDS. I PROCESSED A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF INFO FROM THE ACFT, SURROUNDING AREAS AND THE GND REP TO MAINTAIN A SAFE SEPARATION FROM THE OTHER ACFT AND OBSTACLES IN THE AREA. AT NO TIME DID I FEEL I ENDANGERED ANY OF MY WINGMEN, PEOPLE ON THE GND OR OTHER ACFT IN THE AIR. I DEVIATED AS NECESSARY TO AVOID OTHER ACFT IN THE IN A SAFE AND PROFESSIONAL MANNER. APCH CTL/TWR NEVER INFORMED ME OF THE ADDITIONAL ACFT IN THE STADIUM AREA OR WHERE THEY MIGHT POSSIBLY BE DURING OUR PORTION OF THE FLY-BY. THIS WOULD HAVE HELPED TO DECONFLICT ALL ACFT AND WITH ALT AVOIDANCE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 414544: THE NEXT DAY, OUR SQUADRON RECEIVED A TELEPHONE CALL FROM AN FAA REPRESENTATIVE WHO INFORMED US THAT THE FLT HAD PROCEEDED BELOW THE MINIMUM 1000 FT AGL RESTR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 413791: THE FLT LEAN'S PREFLT PREPARATION ALLOWED HIM TO MAKE AN ALTDEV, INTENTIONAL OR NOT, WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE SAFETY OF HIS FLT ELEMENT OR CIVILIANS ON THE GND.

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.