INEXPERIENCED PVT PLT BECAME DISTRACTED AND FLEW INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE FOR WHICH RPTR WAS CONTACTED AND COUNSELED BY ATC.

1996-02 · NASA ASRS report 328232

Date: 1996-02 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft; Low Wing; 1 Eng; Retractable Gear · Phase: climb

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

Synopsis

INEXPERIENCED PVT PLT BECAME DISTRACTED AND FLEW INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE FOR WHICH RPTR WAS CONTACTED AND COUNSELED BY ATC.

Narrative

VFR FLT FROM NORWOOD; MA; TO LANCASTER; PA. CLBING FROM DEP AT NORWOOD I THOUGHT I COULD CLB OUT AT A MODERATE RATE OF CLB AND AVOID ENTERING THE CLASS B AIRSPACE; HOWEVER I BECAME DISTRACTED AND ACCIDENTALLY CLBED AT A HIGH RATE OF CLB INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. MY COM RADIOS WERE BREAKING UP BADLY AND I THOUGHT AT FIRST THE CTLR HAD INITIATED MY FLT PLAN AND CLRED ME INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE; SO I DIDN'T IMMEDIATELY TRY TO DSND OUT OF THE CLASS B. THIS WAS THE LONGEST FLT I'VE TAKEN SINCE PURCHASING MY FIRST AIRPLANE; A '79 ARCHER II 2 MONTHS AGO. I WAS RUSHING TO GET AIRBORNE BEFORE DARK. MY COCKPIT OPS WERE COMPLICATED BY NEW PROCS; I HAD REVISED MY CHKLISTS AND I WAS USING A COMPUTER GENERATED FLT PLAN PROGRAM FOR THE FIRST TIME. I WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY COM RADIOS WHICH HAD SEVERAL TIMES BROKEN UP ABOUT 5 MI FROM NORWOOD. ALL THESE FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO DISTR. I WAS TAKING AN UNACCUSTOMED RTE OF FLT -- DUE W FROM DEP. NORMALLY; LEAVING NORWOOD I'M HEADING N OR S. USUALLY; WHEN I HAVE TRAVELED TO THE W I'VE BEEN DEPARTING FROM BEDFORD; WHERE A DIRECT WESTERLY DEP QUICKLY ESCAPES FROM THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. ON THE CONTRARY; IN NORWOOD; GETTING OUT FROM UNDER THE CLASS B TAKES LONGER. I HAD FAILED TO REVIEW THIS ASPECT OF THE FLT AND WAS OPERATING ON 'HUMAN AUTOPLT' WITH THE PICTURE OF THE BEDFORD AIRSPACE IN MIND. THE CTLR ASKED ME TO PHONE UPON LNDG AND I MADE AN EARLY STOP IN DANBURY TO SPEAK TO HIM. APPARENTLY TFC HAD TO BE REROUTED TO AVOID ME. IT WAS A HIGHLY EMBARRASSING CONVERSATION AND A STRONG LEARNING EXPERIENCE AS A RESULT. I'LL BE MUCH MORE CAREFUL -- REDUCING DISTRACTIONS; CAREFULLY PREVIEWING THE COMBINATION OF FLT PLAN; VFR CHARTS; ETC; BEFORE TKOF. AFTER THE INITIAL PROBS WITH THE COM RADIOS I PLACED THEM IN TEST MODE (SQUELCH SHUT OFF) WHICH IMPROVED MY RECEPTION ENORMOUSLY. UPON RETURNING FROM THE TRIP I TOOK THE ACFT DIRECTLY INTO AN AVIONICS SHOP TO REPAIR THE RADIOS. AN INTERMITTENT ALTERNATOR BYPASS CAPACITOR AND IMPROPERLY SET INTERNAL SQUELCH CTLS WITHIN THE COM RADIOS WERE FOUND TO BE CAUSES OF RADIO PROBS.

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

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