AN INADVERTENT ENTRY; AND FLT THROUGH CLASS B AIRSPACE; WAS A RESULT OF A PVT PLT'S MISUNDERSTANDING OF ATC INSTRUCTIONS; AND A LACK OF AIRSPACE FAMILIARITY.
Synopsis
AN INADVERTENT ENTRY; AND FLT THROUGH CLASS B AIRSPACE; WAS A RESULT OF A PVT PLT'S MISUNDERSTANDING OF ATC INSTRUCTIONS; AND A LACK OF AIRSPACE FAMILIARITY.
Narrative
ON MAR/SAT/95; I WAS ROUTINELY CLRED FROM THE NNE INTO THE BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON CLASS B AIRSPACE ON A VFR FLT FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE TO HYDE FIELD (W32). AFTER BEING RADAR IDENTED AND CLRED INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE; I WAS SPECIFICALLY CLRED DIRECT TO BWI AND DIRECT TO HYDE FIELD AFTER PASSING BWI; AND TOLD TO MAINTAIN 3000 FT. I FOLLOWED MY CLRNC; FLYING DIRECTLY OVER BWI AND THEN ON A DIRECT HDG FOR HYDE FIELD. A FEW MINS LATER; I WAS TOLD TO DSND TO 2000 FT; AND LATER WAS TOLD TO DSND FURTHER AT MY DISCRETION; BUT GIVEN NO SPECIFIC ALT. THEN; VERY UNEXPECTEDLY WHEN I WAS ABOUT 13-14 MI FROM; AND ON MY DIRECT HDG; FOR HYDE; I WAS TOLD TO SQUAWK VFR. I COMPLIED WITH THE VFR SQUAWK; BUT WAS MOST CONFUSED AND SURPRISED BY THIS -- BECAUSE I BELIEVED THAT MY ENTIRE RTE BTWN BWI AND HYDE FIELD WAS WITHIN THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. I WAS TOLD ONLY THAT I COULD CALL ANDREWS IF I WANTED FURTHER VFR ADVISORIES. BECAUSE I HAD ALREADY BEEN CLRED DIRECT TO HYDE THROUGH THE CLASS B AIRSPACE BY BALTIMORE APCH; AND BECAUSE I THEN NEEDED TA AT HYDE FIELD; I NEXT CALLED THE HYDE UNICOM FREQ ON 122.8. UNFORTUNATELY; NOBODY ANSWERED MY REPEATED UNICOM CALLS. IN FACT; I HAD TO CALL ABOUT 6 TIMES; AND THE ONLY ANSWER I GOT WAS FROM ANOTHER PLT WHO ADVISED ME THAT THEY HAD BEEN USING RWY 5 AT HYDE. THIS ALSO LEFT ME CONFUSED; BECAUSE THE ANDREWS ATIS (WHICH I SIMULTANEOUSLY MONITORED); INDICATED WINDS FROM 220 DEGS; WHICH CLRLY WOULD FAVOR RWY 23 AT HYDE. SO I KEPT TRYING TO REACH HYDE; UNTIL FINALLY THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD INDEED SWITCHED THEIR ACTIVE TO RWY 23. BY THIS TIME; UNFORTUNATELY; I HAD FORGOTTEN THE ANDREWS APCH FREQ FOR VFR ADVISORIES. WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT AND STUDY OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE MAP; ATTACHED; I NOW UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED AND WHERE I WAS; WHEN I WAS SUDDENLY CUT LOOSE. WITHOUT WARNING; I WAS DUMPED INTO A 5 MI OR 2 MIN GAP WHICH EXISTS ALONG MY RTE WITHIN THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. WHILE THE FAA WOULD NO DOUBT SAY THAT I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THAT 2 MIN GAP; AND SOME PLTS MAY UNDOUBTEDLY BE PREPARED FOR IT; I BELIEVED THAT IT IS OUTRAGEOUS FOR BALTIMORE APCH TO FAIL TO HAND ME OFF TO ANDREWS -- ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY NOT ONLY KNOW; BUT HAVE CLRED ME ALONG MY RTE WHICH GOES RIGHT OVER ANDREWS WITHIN THE CLASS B AIRSPACE INTO WHICH I HAD BEEN PROPERLY CLRED. THIS IS; OR IS AT LEAST ANALOGOUS TO ENTRAPMENT: THE GOV CREATED AND LED ME; A PLT CLRLY TRYING TO COMPLY WITH CLASS B AIRSPACE RULES; INTO A TRAP. GRANTED THAT SOME PLTS WHO DO THIS RTE REGULARLY MIGHT NOT BE ENTRAPPED; BUT THIS IS STILL UNFAIR TO THOSE; SUCH AS MYSELF; WHO WERE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE RTE. I BELIEVE THAT I HAD FLOWN IT ONLY 1 PREVIOUS TIME. AND THAT TIME HARDLY PREPARED ME: ON THE OTHER OCCASION; MAYBE 6 MONTHS BEFORE; I HAD BEEN HANDED OFF TO ANDREWS AND RTED DIRECTLY OVER ANDREWS. AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED; THERE IS BUT 1 SOLUTION: BALTIMORE APCH MUST BE DIRECTED TO HAND OFF ALL ACFT ENTERING THEIR CLASS B AIRSPACE FROM THE N AND HDG FOR HYDE OR POTOMAC TO ANDREWS. PLTS WHO ARE NOT HANDED OFF ARE BEING DUMPED INTO A TRAP FROM WHICH THEY HAVE 2 MINS TO EXTRICATE THEMSELVES.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.