PLT OF TV NEWS HELI ENTERS TEMPORARY RESTR AREA OF OIL RIG EXPLOSION. NOTAM NOT AVAILABLE ON DUAT 2 DAYS AFTER FLT.

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I WAS PIC OF R22 HELI AND FLEW INTO A TEMPORARY RESTR AREA JUL/XX/97. THE RESTR AREA WAS ESTABLISHED TO CTL AIR TFC AROUND THE SITE OF AN OIL RIG EXPLOSION NEAR PEARSALL; TX; AND WAS PLACED IN EFFECT BY ZHU AT OR BELOW 2000 FT AGL WITHIN 5 NM OF THE COTULLA VOR 351 DEG RADIAL AT 24 MI. I DID NOT RECEIVE A FLT SVC OR DUATS BRIEFING THE MORNING OF THE FLT AND HAVING FLOWN INTO THE AREA THE PREVIOUS MORNING; I EMBARKED UPON MY FLT UNAWARE THE RESTR AREA WAS IN EFFECT. I COMPLETED 2 HALF ORBITS OF THE OIL RIG FIRE SITE; THEN CONTINUED A 360 DEG TURN AROUND THE LOCATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF TAKING PICTURES FOR TELEVISION IN SAN ANTONIO; TX; WHERE I AM EMPLOYED AS A RPTR. MY ALT WAS NEVER BELOW 400 FT AGL; AND AT NO TIME WAS I CLOSER THAN 1/4 TO 1/2 MI FROM THE FIRE (MOST OF THE TIME I WAS 1 MI OR MORE). I WAS ON STATION THERE FOR APPROX 4 MINS. I DEPARTED TO THE NE; TOWARD SAN ANTONIO; AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY RECEIVED A PAGE VIA MY ALPHA- NUMERIC PAGER. THE MESSAGE WAS FROM THE NEWSROOM ASSIGNMENT DESK INFORMING ME I HAD VIOLATED A NO-FLY ZONE. UPON ARR AT SAN ANTONIO INTL ARPT; I WAS ASKED BY ATC TO CONTACT THE TRACON SUPVR; WHICH I DID. I IDENTED MYSELF AS THE PLT OF THE HELI AND WAS ASKED IF I HAD OVERFLOWN THE OIL RIG FIRE. I DID NOT CONFIRM; OR DENY THE NATURE OF MY OPS; BUT INDICATED HAD I BEEN INVOLVED IN SUCH AN UNDERTAKING; I WOULD CERTAINLY BE SORRY FOR ANY TROUBLE THE FLT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED; AND MOST ASSUREDLY WOULD NOT RETURN TO THE SITE UNTIL THE RESTRS WERE LIFTED. THE TRACON SUPVR SAID THAT ASSURANCE WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR HIM; AND HE WOULD NOT PUSH THE MATTER. A TROOPER WITH THE TEXAS DEPT OF PUBLIC SAFETY CALLED THE NEWSROOM THAT AFTERNOON AND INQUIRED OF THE STATION'S HELI OPS; AND THE ASSIGNMENT EDITOR ACKNOWLEDGED I WAS THE PLT OF THE ACFT IN QUESTION. THE TROOPER REQUESTED I CALL HIM. I HAVE DECLINED CONVERSATION WITH HIM ON THE MATTER; LEST I INCRIMINATE MYSELF. I CHKED WITH FLT SVC AT THE CONCLUSION OF MY FLT; AND WAS APPRISED OF THE LOCATION AND DIMENSIONS OF THE FLT RESTRS; AND TOLD THEY HAD BEEN IN EFFECT FOR NEARLY 24 HRS. SUBSEQUENT TO THAT; I REQUESTED A DUATS BRIEFING TO OBTAIN A HARD COPY OF THE FLT RESTR AREA FOR MY RECORDS; AND WAS UNABLE TO DOWNLOAD THE FDC NOTAM FROM THE SYS. IT IS OF LITTLE CONSOLATION TO KNOW THAT A FULL 2 DAYS AFTER THE RESTR ENTERED THE SYS; IT WAS NOT AVAILABLE ON DUATS; THE SVC I USE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY FOR WX BRIEFINGS; AND NOTAM REVIEW. WHILE I AM A FAIRLY EXPERIENCED FIXED WING PLT; WITH 2400 HRS LOGGED; I AM NEW TO HELI OPS (ABOUT 150 HRS) AND CERTAINLY UNINITIATED IN MANY AREAS OF HELI TELEVISION NEWS GATHERING. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT A FIRE SITE SUCH AS THE ONE WOULD HAVE BEEN RESTR SOON AFTER NEWS HELIS BEGAN BUZZING THE AREA. INSTEAD OF BLINDLY HEADING TO THE SCENE; SIMPLY BECAUSE I'D DONE SO THE DAY BEFORE WITHOUT INCIDENT; I SHOULD HAVE CHKED APPLICABLE NOTAMS. I DID NOT. I WAS REMISS. BUT IRONICALLY HAD I CHKED; I FEEL CERTAIN THE FDC NOTAM WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN MY DUATS BRIEFING.