Narrative:

Flight of two restored warbirds, an fgt X and an fgt Y in formation, with the flight X in the lead, flown by two experienced former USMC pilots arrived at L08, to perform an exhibition military formation fly-by, then land for static display. On arrival at the airport, we entered a 4500' orbit, awaiting instructions to enter the pattern for the fly-by, and it was evident from radio xmissions on unicom 122.8 that there was extensive GA traffic inbound and landing at the airport. Contact was established with the airport manager on 122.8 who advised, 'to be alert and heads-up as there were several 'crazies' in the air traffic area.' as flight leader, I acknowledged and advised we would attempt to enter the pattern on his request and dependent upon aircraft spacing and sep. The airport manager then made a general broadcast on 122.8 requesting aircraft entering, or in the traffic pattern, to give way in order to permit the warbirds to make their fly-by and land for static display, followed by a request for the flight, to enter the pattern. I acknowledged and announced on 122.8 that we would enter a right hand downwind for a fly-by down runway 07, the active runway. On the right downwind for the 360 degree overhead approach, several xmissions were made by the airport manager on 122.8 requesting aircraft to give way or go around to permit the warbirds to land. Turning off the right base in tight, left echelon formation I observed an small aircraft Z at the 90 degree position and I transmitted that, if possible, he execute a right 360 degree turn so that we could continue our approach, the pilot acknowledged immediately in the affirmative and executed a right turn. We passed well clear to his left, on approximately a 1 1/2 mi straight-in for a 360 degree overhead approach for a right 'fan' break, at a safe altitude and airspeed, for a right downwind to land on runway 07. Shortly thereafter, I observed an aircraft on an apparent straight-in approach to the active runway. We were converging rapidly from his rear, and no acknowledgement was received from this aircraft to xmissions by the airport manager, or myself, as to his intentions. I suspect that he was not radio equipped. Realizing that this aircraft was probably going to continue his approach, but that his intentions were unclr, I determined that an evasive turn to the right, of approximately 12-15 degree, followed by a turn back to the left, to regain runway centerline, after passing the aircraft, was the safest and most prudent course of action in order to maintain visibility contact an avoid subjecting that aircraft to severe airflow disturbance and excessive propwash had we turned left and overflown him. There was a quartering crosswind from the left. Throughout this maneuvering my wingman maintained an excellent left echelon, parade formation position. We passed well clear of the aircraft to his right, with approximately 200' horizontal and 250-300' vertical above clearance. The subsequent 'fan' break to right downwind and landing on runway 07 was uneventful. I believe this situation resulted from a non-radio equipped aircraft entering an air traffic area with a very high density of air traffic arriving for a special event, and not being detected until he was on straight-in final approach to the active runway. I would recommend that to prevent a recurrence of this situation that high aviation participation events occurring at non-tower controled airfields be notamed with specific arrival procedures for all aircraft published, which specifically preclude random entry into the air traffic area by arriving aircraft from any direction which they may choose to do so, such as a geographic entry point to be overflown prior to entering the downwind, and that positive two-way radio communication with the airport owner/manager be required, in order to land for the event. This situation is reported with the paramountcy of aviation safety in mind and the hope that positive action and planning will prevent a recurrence in the future. This fly-in to borrego springs was well organized and executed, I just believe that the volume of participating air traffic overwhelmed the organizers and permitted an unsafe situation to develop.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CONFLICT ON APCH FOR FLYBY AT AIRSHOW, NON-TWR ARPT.

Narrative: FLT OF TWO RESTORED WARBIRDS, AN FGT X AND AN FGT Y IN FORMATION, WITH THE FLT X IN THE LEAD, FLOWN BY TWO EXPERIENCED FORMER USMC PLTS ARRIVED AT L08, TO PERFORM AN EXHIBITION MIL FORMATION FLY-BY, THEN LAND FOR STATIC DISPLAY. ON ARR AT THE ARPT, WE ENTERED A 4500' ORBIT, AWAITING INSTRUCTIONS TO ENTER THE PATTERN FOR THE FLY-BY, AND IT WAS EVIDENT FROM RADIO XMISSIONS ON UNICOM 122.8 THAT THERE WAS EXTENSIVE GA TFC INBND AND LNDG AT THE ARPT. CONTACT WAS ESTABLISHED WITH THE ARPT MGR ON 122.8 WHO ADVISED, 'TO BE ALERT AND HEADS-UP AS THERE WERE SEVERAL 'CRAZIES' IN THE ATA.' AS FLT LEADER, I ACKNOWLEDGED AND ADVISED WE WOULD ATTEMPT TO ENTER THE PATTERN ON HIS REQUEST AND DEPENDENT UPON ACFT SPACING AND SEP. THE ARPT MGR THEN MADE A GENERAL BROADCAST ON 122.8 REQUESTING ACFT ENTERING, OR IN THE TFC PATTERN, TO GIVE WAY IN ORDER TO PERMIT THE WARBIRDS TO MAKE THEIR FLY-BY AND LAND FOR STATIC DISPLAY, FOLLOWED BY A REQUEST FOR THE FLT, TO ENTER THE PATTERN. I ACKNOWLEDGED AND ANNOUNCED ON 122.8 THAT WE WOULD ENTER A R HAND DOWNWIND FOR A FLY-BY DOWN RWY 07, THE ACTIVE RWY. ON THE R DOWNWIND FOR THE 360 DEG OVERHEAD APCH, SEVERAL XMISSIONS WERE MADE BY THE ARPT MGR ON 122.8 REQUESTING ACFT TO GIVE WAY OR GO AROUND TO PERMIT THE WARBIRDS TO LAND. TURNING OFF THE R BASE IN TIGHT, L ECHELON FORMATION I OBSERVED AN SMA Z AT THE 90 DEG POS AND I XMITTED THAT, IF POSSIBLE, HE EXECUTE A R 360 DEG TURN SO THAT WE COULD CONTINUE OUR APCH, THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED IMMEDIATELY IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND EXECUTED A R TURN. WE PASSED WELL CLR TO HIS L, ON APPROX A 1 1/2 MI STRAIGHT-IN FOR A 360 DEG OVERHEAD APCH FOR A R 'FAN' BREAK, AT A SAFE ALT AND AIRSPD, FOR A R DOWNWIND TO LAND ON RWY 07. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, I OBSERVED AN ACFT ON AN APPARENT STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO THE ACTIVE RWY. WE WERE CONVERGING RAPIDLY FROM HIS REAR, AND NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT WAS RECEIVED FROM THIS ACFT TO XMISSIONS BY THE ARPT MGR, OR MYSELF, AS TO HIS INTENTIONS. I SUSPECT THAT HE WAS NOT RADIO EQUIPPED. REALIZING THAT THIS ACFT WAS PROBABLY GOING TO CONTINUE HIS APCH, BUT THAT HIS INTENTIONS WERE UNCLR, I DETERMINED THAT AN EVASIVE TURN TO THE R, OF APPROX 12-15 DEG, FOLLOWED BY A TURN BACK TO THE L, TO REGAIN RWY CTRLINE, AFTER PASSING THE ACFT, WAS THE SAFEST AND MOST PRUDENT COURSE OF ACTION IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN VIS CONTACT AN AVOID SUBJECTING THAT ACFT TO SEVERE AIRFLOW DISTURBANCE AND EXCESSIVE PROPWASH HAD WE TURNED L AND OVERFLOWN HIM. THERE WAS A QUARTERING XWIND FROM THE L. THROUGHOUT THIS MANEUVERING MY WINGMAN MAINTAINED AN EXCELLENT L ECHELON, PARADE FORMATION POS. WE PASSED WELL CLR OF THE ACFT TO HIS R, WITH APPROX 200' HORIZ AND 250-300' VERT ABOVE CLRNC. THE SUBSEQUENT 'FAN' BREAK TO R DOWNWIND AND LNDG ON RWY 07 WAS UNEVENTFUL. I BELIEVE THIS SITUATION RESULTED FROM A NON-RADIO EQUIPPED ACFT ENTERING AN ATA WITH A VERY HIGH DENSITY OF AIR TFC ARRIVING FOR A SPECIAL EVENT, AND NOT BEING DETECTED UNTIL HE WAS ON STRAIGHT-IN FINAL APCH TO THE ACTIVE RWY. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE OF THIS SITUATION THAT HIGH AVIATION PARTICIPATION EVENTS OCCURRING AT NON-TWR CTLED AIRFIELDS BE NOTAMED WITH SPECIFIC ARR PROCS FOR ALL ACFT PUBLISHED, WHICH SPECIFICALLY PRECLUDE RANDOM ENTRY INTO THE ATA BY ARRIVING ACFT FROM ANY DIRECTION WHICH THEY MAY CHOOSE TO DO SO, SUCH AS A GEOGRAPHIC ENTRY POINT TO BE OVERFLOWN PRIOR TO ENTERING THE DOWNWIND, AND THAT POSITIVE TWO-WAY RADIO COM WITH THE ARPT OWNER/MGR BE REQUIRED, IN ORDER TO LAND FOR THE EVENT. THIS SITUATION IS RPTED WITH THE PARAMOUNTCY OF AVIATION SAFETY IN MIND AND THE HOPE THAT POSITIVE ACTION AND PLANNING WILL PREVENT A RECURRENCE IN THE FUTURE. THIS FLY-IN TO BORREGO SPRINGS WAS WELL ORGANIZED AND EXECUTED, I JUST BELIEVE THAT THE VOLUME OF PARTICIPATING AIR TFC OVERWHELMED THE ORGANIZERS AND PERMITTED AN UNSAFE SITUATION TO DEVELOP.

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.