ERRONEOUS PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE. PROX OF TCA.

Date: 1993-03 · Aircraft: Helicopter

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|other-airspace-violation-entry-or-exit

Synopsis

ERRONEOUS PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE. PROX OF TCA.

Narrative

DURING A LAW ENFORCEMENT FLT IN PURSUIT OF AN ACFT THAT CROSSED OVER THE MEXICAN BORDER; WE ALLOWED OUR ACFT TO CLB INTO THE TCA APPROX 100-200 FT. AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT ACFT WE WERE LAUNCHED AFTER AN ACFT THAT HAD CROSSED FROM THE UNITED STATES INTO MEXICO AND BACK INTO THE UNITED STATES. OUR RTE OF FLT TOOK US THROUGH THE SAN DIEGO TCA. WE RECEIVED CLRNC TO TRANSITION THROUGH THE TCA. FROM THE N (PALOMAR AREA) WE WERE HANDED OVER TO GILLESPIE TWR. OUR SUSPECT ACFT WAS ON RADAR APPROX 10 MI SE OF GILLESPIE FIELD. WE FREQ CHANGED AND WERE TOLD TO SQUAWK 1200. WE WERE IN THE VICINITY OF SAN MIGUEL MOUNTAIN. TO MAINTAIN TERRAIN CLRNC AND TO AVOID SEVERAL ACFT THAT WERE IN A KNOWN PRACTICE AREA; IT WAS NECESSARY TO CLB TO APPROX 3600-3700 FT MSL. THE FLOOR OF THE CEILING OF THE TCA IN THAT AREA IS 3500 FT. IT WAS ONLY FOR A FEW SECONDS. AT THAT TIME ALSO BOTH PLTS' ATTN WERE DIVERTED TO THE OTHER ACFT IN THE AREA IN WHICH THE TARGET ACFT WAS LAST SEEN IN THE AREA. LEARNING POINT FOR ME WAS THAT SOMEONE MUST ALWAYS AVIATE AND NAV; PARTICULARLY IN AN AREA WHERE THERE IS A TCA.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.