NZ Pilot Punished for Flying Too Low

Iowa City, IA (AP) – An Air Force pilot who led a group of jets on a spectacular flyover before an Iowa football game has been punished for flying too low and too fast, and is giving up his
right to fly military aircraft, the Air Force said Wednesday.

Major Christopher Kopacek was the flight leader when four Talon T-38 Trainer jets performed the flyover in front of 70,000 fans before Iowa hosted Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium on November 20. The jets were at an altitude 16 feet above the press box, the stadium’s
highest point, and cleared the scoreboard by just 58 feet, an Air Force investigation found.

“While I understand that fans attending the game enjoyed the flyover, rules are in place to ensure everyone’s safety,” 71st Flying Training Wing Commander Colonel Russell Mack said in a
statement issued by Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma. “We appreciate the opportunity to perform flyovers and thank the University of Iowa for the chance to showcase our abilities.
However, this was a serious breach of flight discipline and it was necessary to take administrative action against all of the members involved.”

Mack called for the investigation days after the game as video of the flyover started circulating on the Internet. Spectators said they were amazed by the jets’ speed and precision and how close they came to the top of the stadium. Fans erupted in cheers and later gave the pilots an ovation when they were introduced during the game.

The aircraft flew at about 176 feet above ground level, far below the 1,000-feet rule set for a flight over a congested area such as a stadium, the Air Force said. Spokeswoman Katie Roling
said their speed approached 400 knots, far above the limit of 300 knots for the flight.

The Air Force found Kopacek violated rules by flying too fast during three practice runs and the actual flyover, flying too close to ground level above a congested area, failing to report the
altitude and speed deviation from the flight plan to superiors and making a false statement during the investigation.

Kopacek has been punished under the code of military justice, the Air Force said. Roling said he has submitted a request to give up his aeronautical rating, or his “wings” that give him the
ability to fly military aircraft, and is in the process of leaving the Air Force.

Roling said three other pilots and two ground controllers involved in the flyover also were disciplined, but they all remain with the Air Force and able to fly.

By

NEHA JAIN

      

   

     

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