Air Safety

Since early 2017, the Los Altos Rod and Gun Club has observed several low-altitude overflights of aircraft, some of which were low enough to interfere with its operation and endanger the aircraft and people on the surface.

According to federal law (14 CFR §91.119), the minimum safe altitude for airplanes is 1000 feet above ground level (AGL).

Title 14: Aeronautics and Space
PART 91–GENERAL OPERATING AND FLIGHT RULES
Subpart B–Flight Rules
§91.119 Minimum safe altitudes: General.
Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft below the following altitudes:

Anywhere. An altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.

Over congested areas. Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft.

Over other than congested areas. An altitude of 500 feet above the surface, except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.

Helicopters, powered parachutes, and weight-shift-control aircraft. If the operation is conducted without hazard to persons or property on the surface—

A helicopter may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed in paragraph (b) or (c) of this section, provided each person operating the helicopter complies with any routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the FAA; and

A powered parachute or weight-shift-control aircraft may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed in paragraph (c) of this section.

[Doc. No. 18334, 54 FR 34294, Aug. 18, 1989, as amended by Amdt. 91-311, 75 FR 5223, Feb. 1, 2010]

Source: 14 CFR §91.119 at Government Publishing Office (GPO)

The Range's shooting stations are approximately 2800 feet above mean sea level (MSL).

Timeline

2017 APR 15 (Sat) 15:55: On Saturday April 15, 2017 around 15:55, a helicopter flying at approximately 250 feet above the Manual Trap Range caused us call cease fire until after it passed.
2017 SEP: By September 2017, about half of the problematic low-flying aircraft we identified were Cal Fire, including a formation of three airplanes that flew southbound over the main range on September 9 aroud 16:19, causing the tower to call cease fire. By September 14, we escalated the problem to Cal Fire division chief Richard Sampson. The next day, he visted the range (arriving before the gate opened) and we have not observed problems with Cal Fire aircraft since then.
2017 SEP 21 (Thu): To help identify low-flying aircraft, we installed an ADS-B receiver at the range office on September 21, 2017. The data from our receiver feeds into FlightAware's Live Flight Tracking system.
2017 OCT 13 (Fri): On Friday October 13, we had a scheduled meeting with the FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) manager of San Jose and Fresno divisions Thomas (Thom) Holden and airworthiness inspector Stephen (Steve) Rowell. During their visit, Mr. Holden outlined a risk-mitigation plan with two parts: to increase awareness of our range among local aviators and to identify and prosecute the worst violators.
2017 OCT 17 (Tue) 19:14: The FAA issued the below Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for the area near the San Jose International Airport (KSJC):
!SJC 10/049 SJC AIRSPACE SMALL ARMS FIRING WI AN AREA DEFINED AS 1NM RADIUS OF SJC210011.5 SFC-1000FT AGL 1710171914-PERM
CREATED: 17 Oct 2017 19:14:00
SOURCE: KOAKYFYX
2018 FEB 09 (Fri) 11:58: On Friday February 9, 2018 around 11:58, an airplane flew northbound over our manual trap range out of the treetops at less than 100 feet above the shooting stations, likely into the path of shotgun fire. This was the most dangerous low-altitude overflight to date. By calling the local airports, we were able to determine that the airplane landed at the San Carlos airport (KSQL) around 12:05, and the San Carlos airport was able to identify the tail number the following day, and the airport reported it to the FAA FSDO. The FAA FSDO interviewed the pilot, and said that the pilot had shot at the Range before, and that the FAA would take no action against the pilot.
2018 APR 14 (Sat) 13:28: On Saturday April 14, 2018 around 13:28, a helicopter flying at approximately 300 feet above the main ranges caused us to extend a cease fire until after it passed.
2018 MAY 19 (Sat) 11:32: On Saturday May 19, 2018 around 11:32, a helicopter flying at approximately 200 feet above the Manual Trap Range caused us to call cease fire until after it passed.