STUDENT PLT MAKES A SE DEP FROM Q60 ARPT NEAR FAT ARPT. BASE OF CLASS C IS 1600 FT. RPTR CLBS INTO CLASS C AT 1800 FT WITHOUT COORD OR CLRNC AND CUTS OFF ANOTHER ACFT. RPTR WAS NOT ON FAT DEP FREQ AS YET. CONFESSES TO POOR PLANNING AND BEING UNQUALIFIED FOR XCOUNTRY FLYING.
Synopsis
STUDENT PLT MAKES A SE DEP FROM Q60 ARPT NEAR FAT ARPT. BASE OF CLASS C IS 1600 FT. RPTR CLBS INTO CLASS C AT 1800 FT WITHOUT COORD OR CLRNC AND CUTS OFF ANOTHER ACFT. RPTR WAS NOT ON FAT DEP FREQ AS YET. CONFESSES TO POOR PLANNING AND BEING UNQUALIFIED FOR XCOUNTRY FLYING.
Narrative
I TOOK OFF SIERRA SKY PARK (Q60) AT ABOUT XA25. THIS WAS MY FIRST FLT I CAN REMEMBER TAKING OFF ON RWY 12. AS I WAS CLBING OUT I WAS ALSO TURNING FOR A L DOWNWIND DEP. I TRIED TO CHK IN WITH FRESNO YOSEMITE INTL (FYI) DEP AND EXPERIENCED SOME DIFFICULTY COMMUNICATING WHILE CONFIGURING THE ACFT AND BECAUSE OF A SEVERE HEAD COLD I HAD. I DO BELIEVE I WAS ACKNOWLEDGED BY DEP. DEP THEN ASKED AGAIN WHAT MY INTENTIONS WERE AND WHAT TYPE OF ACFT I WAS FLYING. I THEN TRIED TO COMPOSE MYSELF AND ANSWERED; 'I WAS A CENTURION /R AT; 1500-1800 FT I DO NOT REMEMBER; OUT OF SKY PARK; DEST COLUMBIA AT 6500 FT.' THE CTLR CAME BACK WITH MY XPONDER CODE NUMBER. I CONFIRMED IT; AND HE QUICKLY ASKED ME IF I HAD SEEN THE TFC. I SAID 'NEGATIVE.' HE SAID THAT I JUST CUT SOMEONE OFF. AT THIS POINT I GOT NERVOUS AND FORGOT THE XPONDER CODE AND ASKED HIM TO REPEAT IT FOR ME WHICH HE DID. I CONTINUED ON FOR MAYBE A MIN OR SO AND HE CALLED ME; AND SAID I WAS TO CALL THE TWR BY PHONE WHEN I LANDED IN COLUMBIA. I COPIED THE NUMBER DOWN AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER HE TOLD ME TO SET XPONDER TO 1200 VFR. I CALLED THE TWR WHEN I GOT TO COLUMBIA AND ACCORDING TO THE ATC CTLR I ENTERED CLASS C AIRSPACE AND CAUSED A CONFLICT WITH A SMALL SINGLE ENG IFR ACFT LNDG ON THE BACK COURSE TO RWY 11 AT FYI AND THAT THIS WAS A VIOLATION. HE SAID I WOULD BE CONTACTED BY SOMEONE LATER. THE NEXT DAY I WAS CONTACTED BY AN FAA OFFICIAL. IT HAD BEEN A FEW MONTHS SINCE MY LAST INSTRUCTION AND AFTER I REVIEWED MY LOGBOOK I HAD MISTAKENLY THOUGHT THAT I HAD BEEN SIGNED OFF FOR MY XCOUNTRY TRAINING. I MUST HAVE SOMEHOW MISINTERPED THE CONVERSATIONS I HAD WITH MY INSTRUCTOR AND ASSUMED SINCE I HAD OVER 80 HRS IN THAT AIRPLANE I WAS SIGNED OFF TO DO MY XCOUNTRY TRAINING. HOWEVER; THAT WAS MY FIRST MISTAKE. THE SECOND MISTAKE WAS; I SHOULD HAVE MADE A R DOWNWIND DEP INSTEAD OF THE L WHICH WOULD HAVE HELPED ME AVOID THE APCHING TFC LNDG ON RWY 11 AT FYI. MY THIRD MISTAKE WAS THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE AWARE OF THE AREA AND THE CLASS C AIRSPACE. THE FACT THAT FYI RWYS 11/29 AND SIERRA SKY PARK RWYS 12/30 ARE ONLY 8.5 MI APART AND SINCE I'VE ALWAYS TAKEN OFF TO THE N; I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE AND SHOULD HAVE CHKED IN WITH DEP SOONER. IN RETROSPECT; I SHOULD HAVE PLANNED AND KNOWN BETTER. IT'S EASY TO SEE THE NUMBER OF FACTORS THAT PLAY IN AN INCIDENT AFTER THE FACT AND HOW THEY COMPLICATE AND COMPILE THE ERRORS.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.