PLT OF A CPR TWIN TURBINE HELI INADVERTENTLY ENTERED CLASS D AIRSPACE DUE WHILE CRUISING VFR; AND WAITING TO PICK UP IFR FLT PLAN; BUT HAD NOT PLANNED TO BE WITHOUT AN IFR CLRNC BY THE TIME OR DISTANCE FROM TKOF POINT.
Synopsis
PLT OF A CPR TWIN TURBINE HELI INADVERTENTLY ENTERED CLASS D AIRSPACE DUE WHILE CRUISING VFR; AND WAITING TO PICK UP IFR FLT PLAN; BUT HAD NOT PLANNED TO BE WITHOUT AN IFR CLRNC BY THE TIME OR DISTANCE FROM TKOF POINT.
Narrative
THIS EVENT OCCURRED DURING A FLT FROM BLM TO JST. PRIOR TO TKOF FROM BLM; I HAD FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN WITH THE LCL FSS. I DEPARTED BLM VFR. AS I CLRED BLM'S TFC PATTERN; I CONTACTED MCGUIRE CLRNC DELIVERY FOR MY IFR CLRNC. I WAS TOLD TO CONTACT MCGUIRE DEP FOR MY CLRNC. AS I TUNED UP MCGUIRE DEP; I NOTED NUMEROUS RADIO CALLS TO MCGUIRE AND WAITED APPROX 2 MINS BEFORE XMITTING MY REQUEST. I WAS TOLD TO CONTACT LAKEHURST TWR FOR MY CLRNC. I TUNED LAKEHURST TWR AND XMITTED MY REQUEST. LAKEHURST TOLD ME TO CONTACT MCGUIRE; AND I REPLIED THAT MCGUIRE HAD DUMPED ME TO LAKEHURST. LAKEHURST TOLD ME TO STAND BY. AFTER APPROX 2 MINS; LAKEHURST TOLD ME TO CONTACT MCGUIRE AND THAT THEY HAD MY CLRNC. I RECONTACTED MCGUIRE DEP WHEREAS I WAS TOLD TO CONTACT PHILADELPHIA APCH; AS I WAS EXITING HIS AIRSPACE. I THEN CONTACTED PHILADELPHIA WHERE I WAS AGAIN TOLD TO STAND BY. IT WAS DURING THIS BREAK THAT I LOOKED TO MY R AND NOTICED AN ARPT WITH A CTL TWR. I CHKED MY VFR SECTIONAL AND CONFIRMED IT AS MERCER COUNTY TTN. I IMMEDIATELY TUNED TTN TWR AND TRIED TO ESTABLISH RADIO CONTACT; BUT HAD NO SUCCESS. I ESTIMATE MY TRANSITION AS E TO W APPROX 2 MI S OF TTN'S CLASS D AIRSPACE AT 2500 FT MSL. AS I WAS EXITING TTN'S AIRSPACE; I RECEIVED MY IFR CLRNC FROM PHILADELPHIA AND PROCEEDED IFR. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: ATC SATURATION AT MCGUIRE; NUMEROUS FREQ CHANGES IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME; EXTREME PLT WORKLOAD; ANTICIPATION OF IFR CLRNC; FLT IN UNFAMILIAR AREA.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.