What happened
On September 26, 2018, a Robinson R66 helicopter (registration SP-XXX) was conducting a Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flight from Warszawa-Babice Airport (EPBC) to the Polinaru airstrip near Krakow. The pilot departed at 11:13 local time and established contact with Warsaw Flight Information Service (FIS) at Warsaw-Okęcie Airport (EPWA), confirming his position at the Foxtrot waypoint.
As the aircraft approached TRA 158, a designated military training area near Nowe Miasto nad Pilicą (EPNM), FIS Warsaw issued a warning regarding active airspace and instructed the pilot to switch to the frequency for Nowe Miasto Airport (126.700 MHz) to coordinate transit. The pilot admitted in his report that he entered the active zone late because the airspace boundaries were poorly visible on his SkyDemon navigation application.
Approximately 20 minutes prior to this sequence, at around 09:45 local time, a light aircraft approaching Nowe Miasto nad Pilicą had visually spotted the Robinson R66 flying at approximately 1,200 feet without having established radio contact. Attempts by FIS Warsaw to contact the helicopter failed. The pilot only established communication later with FIS Krakow (EPKK), who relayed that the helicopter had landed safely at its destination and had unsuccessfully attempted to contact Nowe Miasto.
The investigation
The PKBWL investigated the incident based on the pilot's statement and reports from air traffic services. The primary focus was on the failure to properly prepare for the flight, specifically regarding the navigation situation along the route. The investigation highlighted the pilot's reliance on a digital navigation application that did not clearly display the contours of active military zones.
Findings
The root cause of the incident was the pilot's inadequate pre-flight preparation, which resulted in a failure to recognize the status of airspace along the flight path. This oversight led to an unauthorized entry into active military training area TRA 158, creating a potential conflict with other air traffic.
Safety action
The operator took no preventive actions, and the PKBWL issued no safety recommendations.