FAA Issues Safety Alert For Mass Demonstrations At Airshows

Today, just a few days before the start of EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the FAA posted a Safety Alert For Operators (SAFO) driven by the catastrophic fatal accident on Nov. 12, 2022, involving a World War II-vintage B-17 bomber and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra fighter. The subject of the SAFO is “Mass Aircraft Demonstrations at Aviation Events.”

The stated purpose of the filing is to “ensure that appropriate well-defined procedures are established when conducting mass aircraft demonstrations at air shows.” Under “Background,” the document notes that on the day of the collision at the Wings Over Dallas airshow that killed six people (five on the B-17 and the solo pilot of the P-63 fighter), “The two formations consisted of dissimilar aircraft operating in close proximity to one another. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) preliminary report stated there were no altitude deconfliction briefed before the flight or while the airplanes were in the air. This accident highlights the complexity of mass aircraft demonstrations, and the critical importance of safety protocols to provide separation and enhance situation awareness.”

The notice cites concerns for mass aircraft demonstrations, including: participation of dissimilar aircraft, complex flight patterns (e.g., dog bone shaped flight paths), communication protocols/management/requirements and number of aircraft involved. To appropriately mitigate risk, the FAA recommends “continual assessment [that] allows pilots, air bosses, and event organizers to detect emerging safety issues, assess the level of risk, and address those risks through mitigations.”

Specifically, the SAFO mentions paying attention to the experience levels of air bosses and proper training, credentialing and recent experience for pilots. “Formations should utilize experienced flight leads that have demonstrated their ability to manage their formation element.”

Referencing the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) Multi Aircraft Demonstration Best Practices document, the SAFO goes on to mention structure, deconfliction strategies and “simplification.” For example: “Mass aircraft demonstrations should use simple racetrack patterns to avoid complex maneuvering and loss of visual separation. Avoidance procedures should be clear to all participants and easily executed in the event of an emergency.”