U.S. Navy investigating Green Bay Packers unscheduled flyby

Richard Ryman and Doug Schneider | Green Bay Press-Gazette

GREEN BAY – The U.S. Navy continues to look into a two-helicopter training flight that passed close to Lambeau Field on Thursday in an unscheduled flyby that surprised many..

“Two U.S. Navy MH-60R Seahawks were in the area conducting a training flight. Our investigation in this matter is ongoing," Cmdr. Ronald Flanders, spokesman for Naval Air Forces command in San Diego, said Monday.

The two MH-60R Seahawks flew in a circle around Lambeau Field about 20 minutes after the Packers-Pittsburgh Steelers preseason game started..

A Packers spokesman on Monday said the team had no information on the event.

RELATED: Lambeau Field helicopters' flyby surprised everyone -- including Green Bay Packers, police

No flyover was scheduled for the night game, which was why the appearance of the aircraft came as a surprise. The Navy and other military branches often provide aircraft for flyovers at football and baseball events, but those are scheduled well in advance.

Paul Ebel, the Green Bay Police commander who oversees game-day policing and security at the stadium, said neither law enforcement nor the team had been told that military aircraft would be flying near the field during the game.

A video posted to Twitter shows the helicopters flying slowly to the south, just east of the stadium. Some of the people in the crowd of 74,434 cheer and point, and one fan flashes a peace sign.

Lambeau Field is near the flight path to Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport, which is about five miles to the west.

Ebel said air traffic controllers granted the helicopter pilots "permission to exit the airspace heading east."

"They just happened to make a side trip," he said.