2008-02 · NASA ASRS report 775014
LIGHT SPORT PILOT IN PLANNED FORMATION FLIGHT; REPORTS EVASIVE DESCENT WHEN FORMATION TURNS TOO STEEPLY IN HIS DIRECTION. REPORTER DESCENDS WITHIN 250 FEET OF POPULATED AREA BEFORE RECOVERY.
THE PREARRANGED FORMATION FLT TOOK PLACE WITHIN A CLASS C CTL ZONE AND WAS COORDINATED BY THE PLT OF THE LEAD ACFT OF THE OVERALL FORMATION. THIS LEAD ACFT WAS ASSIGNED A DISCRETE CODE AND WAS IN COM WITH APCH CTL DURING THE FLT. EACH FLT HAD TO POS ITSELF TO ARRIVE OVER THE TARGET IN TRAIL AND WITHIN A REASONABLE DISTANCE OF THE FLT AHEAD. THE FLT WAS FULLY BRIEFED BY ALL PLTS PRIOR TO TKOF. THE LAST FLT WAS THE SLOWEST OF THE 6 FLTS AND HAD TO CIRCLE INSIDE OF THE FLT PATHS OF THE OTHER FLTS. THE SUBJECT ACFT WERE ON THE R WING ON THE INSIDE OF A CLOCKWISE TURN. THE LEAD ACFT INCREASED ITS BANK ANGLE SIGNIFICANTLY TO COMPLETE THE TURN AND AS A RESULT REDUCED SPD. THIS LED TO THE SUBJECT ACFT; THE INNERMOST OF THE 6 ACFT; BEING UNABLE TO REDUCE SPD QUICKLY ENOUGH ON THE INSIDE OF THE TURN WITH THE VISIBILITY OF THE FORMATION BECOMING BLOCKED BY THE HIGH WING OF THE SUBJECT ACFT. THE PLT OF THE SUBJECT ACFT TOOK EVASIVE ACTION AS PREVIOUSLY BRIEFED AND RADIOED THAT HE WAS LEAVING THE FORMATION. THE EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN WAS TO RAPIDLY DSND AWAY FROM THE OTHER ACFT. AS A RESULT THE ACFT CAME WITHIN 250 FT OF THE GND/STRUCTURES FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE VISUAL CONTACT WAS REGAINED WITH THE FORMATION AND POS REJOINED. NO PERSONS OR STRUCTURES WERE ENDANGERED DESPITE THE LOWER THAN PLANNED ALT AND THE EVASIVE MANEUVERS WERE COMPLETED SAFELY AS BRIEFED.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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