SMA BLUNDERED INTO PHX CLASS B AIRSPACE. HE THOUGHT HE WAS PARALLELING THE 4000 FT FLOOR BOUNDARY BUT HE WAS ACTUALLY FLYING TOWARD IT AND ENTERED IT.

Date: 1996-11 · Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing

Anomalies: deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|other-airspace-violation-entry-or-exit

Synopsis

SMA BLUNDERED INTO PHX CLASS B AIRSPACE. HE THOUGHT HE WAS PARALLELING THE 4000 FT FLOOR BOUNDARY BUT HE WAS ACTUALLY FLYING TOWARD IT AND ENTERED IT.

Narrative

VIOLATION OF CLASS B AIRSPACE. PHX BOTTOM OF CEILING WAS 4000 FT MSL. I WAS FLYING AT 5000 FT MSL. I WAS USING GPS ONLY AND THOUGHT I WAS IN A DIFFERENT SECTOR; THAT HAD A 6000 FT MSL CEILING. MY INTENDED FLT WAS DUE E 90 DEGS BUT WAS FLYING 120 DEGS. I INTENDED TO TKOF FROM SDL ARPT AND FLY UNDER B AIRSPACE DUE E AND CLB TO 9500 FT MSL WHEN CLR OF B AIRSPACE. TOOK OFF FROM SDL AND WAS NAVING WITH GPS BUT DID NOT HAVE DEST KEYED IN. PREOCCUPIED WITH KEYING IN DEST. LACK OF PREFLT PLANNING; RELYING ON GPS ONLY. SHOULD HAVE HAD GPS KEYED IN AND PLANNED A COURSE OF FLT. TOO MUCH RELIANCE ON GPS AND (PANDORA'S BOX SOMETIMES). NAV FIRST BY COMPASS AND (VOR IF AVAILABLE) BACK UP WITH GPS. I DISCOVERED THE PROB WHEN I CAME UPON FALCON ARPT (FF2). I HAD RECEIVED (NOT ENOUGH) THE VFR TERMINAL CHART FOR PHX. WHEN SEEING THE ARPT I KNEW I WAS OFF COURSE AND GOT OUT THE TERMINAL AREA CHART. I MADE A 60 DEG TURN TO THE N AND CONTINUED FLT; I WAS OUT OF CLASS B AIRSPACE BY THEN. I LEFT SDL WITH A 270 DEG R TURN OFF RWY 21 (FOR NOISE ABATEMENT) AND WHEN FLYING OVER MID-FIELD I WAS THINKING THAT I WAS FLYING 90 DEGS E BUT THE RWY IS 03/21. I WAS FLYING 130 DEGS MORE S THAN WAS MY INTENTION.

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