PLT OF AN ATX AIR AMBULANCE SMT TWIN FAILED TO OPEN A DVFR BORDER XING FLT PLAN BEFORE XING THE ADIZ. IN ADDITION; INADVERTENTLY ENTERED AN ATA AND TCA AIRSPACE.
Synopsis
PLT OF AN ATX AIR AMBULANCE SMT TWIN FAILED TO OPEN A DVFR BORDER XING FLT PLAN BEFORE XING THE ADIZ. IN ADDITION; INADVERTENTLY ENTERED AN ATA AND TCA AIRSPACE.
Narrative
I WAS FLYING A PATIENT ON AN AIR AMBULANCE FLT FROM TIJ TO MYF. THE PATIENT WAS VERY CRITICAL AND THE FLT WAS OBVIOUSLY RUSHED. I FILED A BORDER XING FLT PLAN WITH FSS; HOWEVER; I DECIDED TO ACTIVATE IN THE AIR; NOT ON THE GND. I WAS IN A HURRY; AND DEPARTED TIJ WITHOUT TURNING ON MY XPONDER OR CHKING MY DIRECTIONAL GYRO. I WAS CONCENTRATING ON DEPARTING AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE DUE TO OUR CRITICAL PATIENT. AFTER LIFTOFF; I ONLY HAD 1 MI BEFORE ENTERING THE UNITED STATES; AND MY WATCH SHOWED ME XING THE BORDER ALMOST 30 MINS PAST MY ETA. I CONTACTED FSS (SAN DIEGO) PRIOR TO XING THE BORDER; TO OPEN MY BORDER XING FLT PLAN; HOWEVER; I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO EXPLAIN WHY I WAS LATE; OR GIVE THEM MORE THAN ABOUT 30 SECONDS NOTICE TO XING. I THEN ALSO REALIZED THAT I CROSSED THE BORDER WITHOUT MY XPONDER ON. AFTER TALKING TO FSS; I CONTACTED BROWN FIELD TWR FOR AN ATA CLRNC. DUE TO THE CLOSE PROX OF THE ARPT TO TIJ; AND MY DISTR OF OPENING MY BORDER XING FLT PLAN; I ENTERED BROWN FIELD ATA WITHOUT RADIO COM; AND MANEUVERED IN TIJ'S ATA WITHOUT RADIO COM; BECAUSE I WAS TIED UP OPENING MY BORDER XING FLT PLAN. I FLEW N AFTER CONTACTING BROWN TWR AND WAS HANDED OFF TO SAN APCH. I WAS CLR OF THE SAN TCA AND ASKED FOR ADVISORIES TO MYF. I WAS TOLD TO FLY HDG 360 DEGS; AND I TURNED TO THAT HDG. THE CTLR TOLD ME I WAS TRACKING 270 DEGS; AND TURN MORE TO THE N. I TURNED EVEN MORE THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THE CTLR QUESTIONED ME SEVERAL TIMES ABOUT MY TRACK AND I THEN DISCOVERED I HAD NOT CHKED MY DIRECTIONAL CTL GYRO ON TKOF FROM TIJ. I WAS FLYING W; NOT N. I CORRECTED QUICKLY; BUT I CONFUSED THE CTLR AND ENTERED THE TCA BY FLYING THE WRONG DIRECTION. I ALSO HAD NO CLRNC INTO THE TCA. THE CTLR QUICKLY IDENTED THAT I WAS TRACKING THE WRONG DIRECTION AND HELPED ME IDENT MY INACCURATE DIRECTIONAL GYRO. I THEN LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. ALL THESE ERRORS ON THIS FLT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF I HAD NOT RUSHED THE DEP FROM TIJ; AND OPENED MY BORDER XING FLT PLAN BY PHONE ON THE GND IN TIJ. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED ON A CLR DAY AND HIS HASTE OF DEP WITH THE AIR AMBULANCE PATIENT CAUSING HIS NEGLECT OF SETTING HIS DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE ON THE GND PRIOR TO TKOF (COULD NOT REALLY REMEMBER) WAS COMPOUNDED BY HIS LACK OF LOOKING AT TERRAIN FEATURES FOR TFC WATCH ADVISORIES. HE WAS VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THE HELP RECEIVED BY ATC WHEN HE HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN CLRNC TO ENTER THE ATA OR TCA AND WAS HDG AT A R ANGLE TO HIS DEST. HE FURTHER STATED THAT THE FAA HAD NOT CONTACTED HIM WITH REGARD TO THIS MATTER. HE WAS OPERATING A CESSNA MODEL 421 TYPE ACFT.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.