A NR MIDAIR COLLISION OCCURRED APRX 38 MI SE OF THE NASHVILLE METRO ARPT AS A BOEING 737, PIEDMONT FLT 488, WAS DSCNDG THRU APRX 12,000' & A FLT OF 4 F-4'S, CALL SIGN PEACH 41, WERE JOINING. FLT 488 WAS INBND TO NASHVILLE ON AN IFR CLNC & MEMPHIS ARTCC HAD CLRD IT TO DSCND TO 6000'. PEACH 41 HAD JUST COMPLETED A LOW-LVL HI-SPD FLT ON MIL TRNG ROUTE VR-1051.THE 1ST ELEMENT (#1 & #2) BGN A LEFT CLIMBING TURN FOR THE TRAILING ELEMENT (#3 & #4) TO JOIN & CALLED ARTCC FOR AN IFR CLNC. ARTCC TOLD PEACH 41 TO MAINT VFR & ADVISED BOTH FLTS OF EACH OTHER'S PSN. FLT 488 HAD SEEN THE F-4'S & WAS CLRD TODEVIATE TO THE LEFT. PEACH 41 LEADER OBTAINED RADAR CONTACT WITH FLT 488 & CLIMBED ABV 13,000'. THE 2ND ELEMENT OF F-4'SSAW FLT 488 & REMAINED LOW TO PASS UNDER THE AIRLINER. THE CREW OF FLT 488 DID NOT TAKE EVASIVE ACTION; THEY RPRTD 'NO ROOM EXISTED FOR US TO MANEUVER OUT OF THEIR FLIGHT PATH.'

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this incident to be:

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