Military rules Geneseo F-15 flyover was unauthorized

GENESEO, Ill. -- An F-15 pilot has been disciplined because he failed to get permission for a February flyover that sent a prewar scare through this western Illinois city, military investigators have ruled.

The two-month probe also found that Maj. Whitney Sieben did not violate any flight safety regulations and that witness reports of acrobatic maneuvers were unfounded, military officials said Thursday.

Sieben, a pilot with the Oregon Air National Guard's 173rd Fighter Wing, flew the jet over his hometown Feb. 13 as a tribute to his ailing grandmother, Jean Sieben of Geneseo. She died less than two weeks later.

Witnesses reported that the F-15 made four low-flying passes over the town of 6,400 and performed a series of stunts. With America on the verge of war, the impromptu air show alarmed some residents, who flooded police with more than 100 phone calls.

Oregon Air National Guard investigators ruled the flyover did not include aerial maneuvers and broke no military safety guidelines, such as air speed and altitude, said Maj. Megan Erickson, community manager for the guard unit, based in Klamath Falls, Ore.

Military jets have different standards than civilian aircraft, and what looked like acrobatics could be within military regulations, according to aviation officials.

However, Sieben was disciplined for failing to get required military clearance for the flyover, Erickson said. Approval is required for any nonmilitary use of planes, such as air shows or patriotic celebrations, she said.

Erickson declined to specify the punishment, but said discipline can range from a reprimand to discharge from the military. She said Sieben has not been discharged.

Sieben, who buzzed his hometown while flying from Denver to an Air National Guard base in Springfield, did not return a call for comment Thursday.

The Federal Aviation Administration also is investigating to determine whether any general aviation regulations were violated in the flyover which involved the military jet and a smaller aircraft piloted by Sieben's uncle, state Sen. Todd Sieben.

FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said that probe will include whether the pilots maintained the proper distance between their planes.

The FAA could impose sanctions against the senator if the investigation determines aviation regulations were broken, Cory said. Any findings about Maj. Sieben would be forwarded to the military, she said.