ERRONEOUS PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE. PROX OF TCA.

Narrative

TOOK OFF FROM HUNTSVILLE; AL; 20 MIN PRIOR VFR. RECEIVING VFR FLT FOLLOWING; I ASKED THE APCH CTLR (NOT YET ON ATL APCH) IF HE WOULD HAND US OFF OR CAN HE GIVE US TCA CLRNC; WE WERE 30 NM FROM PDK. HE SAID ASK THE NEXT CTLR. HE TERMINATED RADAR SVC; 1200; AND GAVE ME THE ATL APCH FREQ TO CONTACT. I TRIED MULTIPLE TIMES TO BREAK IN ON THE FREQ; BUT IT WAS PACKED. I TOLD THE CAPT WE NEEDED TO STAY CLR OF THE TCA; AND HE SAID WE WILL STAY ON TOP OF IT. I GOT THE SECTIONAL OUT AND HE TOOK IT. I TOOK THE ACFT AND BEGAN TO LEVEL OUR DSCNT. THE CAPT OPENED THE SECTIONAL SAW A TCA AND THE TOP WAS 10000; HE TOOK THE ACFT WHILE I CONTINUED TO CALL APCH. THE CAPT LEVELED OFF AT 10000. AFTER RADIO AND SQUAWK WERE MADE; WE WERE RADAR CONTACT 10 NM W OF PDK 'IN THE TCA!' SAID ATC CTLR. MY CAPT SAID 'TELL HIM THE CHART SAYS 10000 FT.' I RELAYED THE MESSAGE AND THEN LOOKED AT THE OPEN SECTIONAL TO SEE CHARLOTTE TCA FACE UP! TOP OF TCA 10000. YES THE ATL TCA WAS UP TO 12000 FT. I ASKED FOR FURTHER DSCNT INTO PDK AND CTLR REPLIED; 'GO AHEAD YOU HAVE ALREADY BROKE EVERY OTHER ALT!' I SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN THE SECTIONAL OUT MUCH EARLIER TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE BOUNDARIES.