The United States Federal Aviation istration (FAA) is investigating a flyby of four United States Army helicopters.
The fact occurred on November 14, when two AH-64 Apache, a UH-60 Black Hawk and a CH-47 Chinook made a low over the Nissan Stadium, in Nashville (Tennessee), at the opening of the American football game between the Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints.
According to The War Zone, the channel's investigative journalism team NewsChannel 5 was the first to speak about the FAA's low-flying investigation. The agency is already in with the 101st Airborne Division, which operates the helicopters. The military organization is based at Fort Campbell in the neighboring state of Kentucky.
The Stadium flyby took place on November 14, 2021 as part of a “Salute to Service” for men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces that the Titans organization incorporated into the game that day.
"The unit that conducted the flyby is in with the FAA Nashville", Army Lieutenant Colonel Kari McEwen, spokesperson for the 101st Division, told the NewsChannel 5 Investigates. "At this time, there is no scheduled review."
“The FAA is accompanying the military on this overflight,” an agency spokesman said in another statement.
The ing of the helicopters certainly brought cheers and applause from many fans in the game and others who saw the footage. In contrast, the shorter than normal height also generated discussions.
Some raised points of potential concern including the possibility that the helicopters had hit some part of the stadium when flying overhead. Video filmed from the cockpit of one of the AH-64s shows that the helicopter was below the highest point of the stadium during the flyby. Some kind of mechanical failure at such a low height was another concern, notes the portal.
From inside the @ 101stAASLTDIV military flyover #SaluteToService ???????? pic.twitter.com/aErsRxfR17
—Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 16, 2021
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A video reviewed by NewsChannel 5 it seemed to show the helicopters ing over a cable. When the outlet asked for comment, a Tennessee Titans spokesperson stated that this was just an "optical illusion," which appears to be the case.
FAA regulations require that military overflights “be performed 1.000 feet above the highest obstacle”, Larry Williams, a retired aviation safety inspector, told the NewsChannel 5 Investigates. If civil aircraft were involved, “most likely these pilots would have their licenses suspended or revoked”, he added.
That said, this is a recurring problem for the U.S. Armed Forces and disciplinary actions were taken against pilots who have flown fixed-wing aircraft at low altitude over sporting events in violation of these regulations in the past.
However, a “Low-flying aircraft guideavailable on the FAA website says: “Helicopter operations may be conducted below the defined minimum altitudes for fixed-wing aircraft. The reason: they have unique operational characteristics, the most important of which is their ability to perform punctual emergency landings during power failure emergencies.”
The guide also which includes a warning says that “helicopters may be operated below the prescribed minimum … [in this section] if the operation is conducted without danger to persons or property on the surface.” It's unclear whether any Army regulations applied in this case, other than the FAA's guidelines for rotary-wing flyovers, or whether any exemptions were granted in advance.
In response to questions from NewsChannel 5 Investigates, the FAA replied saying that “We do not comment on pending investigations.” This makes it clear that your response to this flyby has now entered a new phase.
General Joseph McGee, Chief of the 101st Airborne Division “directed [a] preliminary investigation into this event,” said US Army Lieutenant Colonel Terence Kelley, spokesman for the Force, separately to Army Times.
