UNAUTH PENETRATION OF CLASS D AIRSPACE.

Date: 1995-01 · Aircraft: PA-28 Cherokee/Archer/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior

Anomalies: deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|other-unspecified

Synopsis

UNAUTH PENETRATION OF CLASS D AIRSPACE.

Narrative

PLT WAS FOLLOWING GND REFS USING SECTIONAL MAP TO NAV FROM QUAKERTOWN TO KUTZTOWN; WITHOUT REF TO INST NAV AIDES IN ORDER TO PRACTICE PILOTAGE TECHNIQUES. ALT ENCODED XPONDER USED. THE GND REF BEING USED BY THE PLT WAS A SERIES OF HIGH-TENSION ELECTRICAL XMISSION LINES TRAVELING THROUGH MOUNTAINS; AND DEPICTED ON THE SECTIONAL MAP TO CONVERGE WITH RAILWAY LINES IN THE KUTZTOWN VICINITY NEAR A TWR; 6 NM NW; AT THE KUTZTOWN ARPT. THE PLT UNKNOWINGLY WAS FOLLOWING A SECOND SERIES OF HIGH TENSION ELECTRICAL XMISSION LINES; 5 NM S OF THE INTENDED GND REF; ALSO CONVERGING ON RAILROAD LINES AND A TWR JUST N OF READING ARPT. THE PLT WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE RTE OF FLT AND OCCASIONAL LIGHT SNOW FLURRIES WERE UNRPTED. THE PLT WAS TUNED TO WILLIAMSTOWN FSS AND KUTZTOWN UNICOM FREQ 122.8 WHEN HE SPOTTED RAILWAY LINES AND A WATER TWR FROM WESTWARD MOUNTAIN TERRAIN AT 3300 FT ALT. DSNDING TO 2500 FT TOWARDS THE PLATEAU IN THE VICINITY OF THE WATER TWR; THE PLT OBSERVED A TWR -- CTLED ARPT FACILITY AT POS 10 O'CLOCK. IT WAS IMMEDIATELY APPARENT TO THE PLT THAT HE HAD ENTERED THE CTLED AIRSPACE OF THE READING ARPT AND WAS WITHIN 3 NM OF THE AIRFIELD AT 2750 FT ALT WITHOUT RADIO CONTACT. THE PLT QUICKLY SCANNED THE AREA AND EXECUTED A 45 DEG R BANK; LEAVING THE AREA NORTHWARD AT FULL PWR AND 125 KTS. 6 NM OUT; THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT READING TWR PRIOR TO LNDG AT KUTZTOWN. NO OTHER ACFT WERE OBSERVED IN THE AREA.

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