UNAUTH UNCOORD PENETRATION OF CLASS D AIRSPACE BY C172. TRAINING IN PROGRESS. ATCT LCL CTLR BEHAVIOR AGGRESSION UNPROFESSIONAL ATTITUDE.
Synopsis
UNAUTH UNCOORD PENETRATION OF CLASS D AIRSPACE BY C172. TRAINING IN PROGRESS. ATCT LCL CTLR BEHAVIOR AGGRESSION UNPROFESSIONAL ATTITUDE.
Narrative
THIS PARTICULAR FLT WAS WITH A STUDENT PLT WHO WAS NEARLY READY TO GO ON HIS FIRST XCOUNTRY FLT. WE WENT TO VCV AND THEN BACK TO CCB. AT CCB WE WORKED THE PATTERN FOR A LITTLE WHILE BEFORE CALLING IT A DAY. AT ABOUT AD30 PM WE DECIDED TO GO HOME. WE DID THE NORMAL NOISE ABATEMENT DEP; 3 L TURNS TO THE NW. MY STUDENT CALLED BRACKETT ARPT ASAP AS WE MIGRATED TOWARDS BRACKETT ARPT. AS HE CALLED; HE INADVERTENTLY RPTED THAT WE LEFT BRACKETT ARPT AND THAT WE WERE INBOUND WITH THE NUMBERS. THE CTLR QUESTIONED OUR POS AND WE CORRECTED OUR DEP ARPT. THE CTLR THEN TOLD US TO IDENT AND WE DID. THE CTLR THEN SAID 'YOU ARE 2.5 MI FROM BRACKETT ARPT EXPECT A PLTDEV.' UNSURE OF WHAT HE WAS RANTING AND RAVING ABOUT WITH THIS PLTDEV; WE CONTINUED TO FLY THE PLANE AND LOOK FOR THIS INSTRUCTION. WE CONFIRMED THAT WE WERE CLRED TO LAND AND WE WERE. THE GND CTLR ASKED US TO CALL THE TWR WHICH WE DID. CABLE ARPT IS VERY CLOSE TO BRACKETT ARPT. I KNOW THE LANDMARKS VERY WELL AND WE WERE OUTSIDE HIS AIRSPACE WHEN WE INITIALLY ESTABLISHED 2-WAY COMS WITH THE TWR. BY TIME WE CORRECTED OUR INITIAL CALL AND BY TIME HE HAD US IDENT WE WERE WITHIN HIS AIRSPACE. THE CLASS D AIRSPACE FOR BRACKETT ARPT HAS A 4 SM OR 3.2 NM RADIUS. THE TWR RPTED THAT WE WERE 2.5 NM OUT BY TIME HE HAD US IDENT. WE WERE TRAVELING AT ABOUT 90 KTS WHICH WOULD HAVE US COVERING ABOUT 1.5 NM EVERY MIN. SO TO GO THE 0.7 NM IN QUESTION WOULD TAKE US ABOUT 30 SECONDS; SINCE WE HAD ESTABLISHED 2-WAY COM WITH THE TWR; WHICH I FEEL THAT WE DID. NOW I ADMIT THAT WE SHOULD ESTABLISH 2-WAY COMS WITH THE TWR WELL BEFORE ENTERING CLASS D AIRSPACE. BUT IN THIS CASE THERE WASN'T MUCH ROOM TO HAVE THAT LUXURY. OK NOW THAT I HAVE ANSWERED THE ISSUE REGARDING MY INVOLVEMENT I MUST MAKE THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS. THE CTLR HAD NO RIGHT YELLING THESE CRAZY THREATS TO US WHILE WE ARE FLYING. THE CTLRS ARE PAID BY PLTS THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOV TO PROVIDE SAFETY TO THE FLYING COMMUNITY. HUMAN FACTORS STUDIES INDICATE THAT PEOPLE UNDER STRESS ARE MORE PRONE TO MAKE MISTAKES. THIS CTLR WHO WAS YELLING 'EXPECT PLTDEV' OVER AND OVER WITH A NASTY TONE COULD JEOPARDIZE THE SAFETY OF ANY FLT. SINCE MY PRIORITIES ARE TO 1) AVIATE; 2) NAV; THEN 3) COMMUNICATE; HIS YELLING ATTEMPTED TO CHANGE MY PRIORITIES TO COMMUNICATE FIRST. INITIALLY I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE MEANT 'EXPECT PLTDEV.' I WAS EXPECTING TO HAVE TO MANEUVER DEPENDING UPON WHAT I SAW IN FRONT OF ME. I WOULD HOPE THAT THIS CTLR BE SUBJECT TO HELP PLTS IN NEED RATHER THAN TO FREAK OUT ON THE FREQ. I EXPECT THE CTLRS TO PROVIDE A SAFER FLYING ENVIRONMENT IN OUR CROWDED AIRSPACE; NOT DECREASE MY SAFETY MARGINS. IN SUMMARY; I FEEL THAT THIS INCIDENT IS A 2 EDGED SWORD. IT WAS MY FAULT FOR NOT ENSURING THAT WE GAVE NO QUESTION ABOUT WHEN AND WHERE WE ESTABLISHED 2-WAY COMS WITH THE TWR. THE OTHER EDGE OF THE SWORD IS DIRECTED TOWARD THE CTLR TO PROVIDE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT EVEN IN THE EVENT OF THE INFRACTION INTO THE OUTER FRINGES OF HIS AIRSPACE. MORE PROFESSIONALLY HE SHOULD HAVE REPRIMANDED IN PVT VIA PHONE CALL LATER; AND PRAISE IN PUBLIC. THIS PARTICULAR CTLR IS NOTORIOUS FOR YELLING AT PLTS FOR A MULTITUDE OF INFRACTIONS. I BELIEVE THAT HIS BEHAVIOR ON THE FREQ IS A THREAT TO ALL IN THE AIRSPACE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.