Swiss Air Force accidentally makes commemorative flight over yodeling festival

In an embarrassing moment for the Swiss Air Force's demo team, the Patrouille Suisse squadron made a low-altitude pass over a yodeling festival when it was supposed to be making a commemorative flight honoring a local aviator a few miles away.

The Swiss aerial display team was expected to fly over an event marking the 100th anniversary of the death of aviation pioneer Oskar Bider in Langenbruck, but the team missed their mark by about four miles, flying over the nearby Muemliswil instead, The Aviationist first reported.

The obsolete F-5E Tiger II fighters flown by the demo team are not equipped with GPS, and the team did not have a man on the ground, as is often the case for these types of events. As the team was approaching the intended destination, the team leader spotted a festival area with tents and incorrectly assumed they were in the right place for the show.

The Patrouille Suisse.

Spokesman for the Swiss military Daniel Reist, local media reported, explained that the instruments in the aircraft flown by the display team are over four decades old. "Navigation is done with a map, a feeling and sight," he said in a statement, adding that these aircraft are no longer suitable for combat and would never be used in a crisis.

"Unfortunate circumstances led to the mistake" the spokesman said. Switzerland's Ministry of Defense said that the demonstration team had not had a chance to practice the maneuver prior to the event, explaining that the team was distracted, The Associated Press reported.

The commander of the Swiss demo team has apologized for the error.

This article originally appeared on Business Insider. Follow @BusinessInsider on Twitter.