BELL JET RANGER HELI PLT WAS MAKING AN APCH TO 3D7 HELIPORT AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY. DURING THE APCH HE SAW AND AVOIDED PARACHUTE JUMPERS.
Synopsis
BELL JET RANGER HELI PLT WAS MAKING AN APCH TO 3D7 HELIPORT AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY. DURING THE APCH HE SAW AND AVOIDED PARACHUTE JUMPERS.
Narrative
ALLIANCE ARPT; FORT WORTH; TX; HAS TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY APPROX 3 1/2 MI N OF THE ARPT. TWR HAS DESIGNATED HELI FREQ 122.85 FOR LNDG AND DEPARTING AFW. COORD FOR PARACHUTERS INTO THE SPEEDWAY AT APPROX XA00; NO NOTICE WAS GIVEN ON OUR 122.85 FREQ FOR JUMPERS AWAY FROM 3000 FT AGL. I WAS ON 1/2 MI SHORT FINAL TO THE HELIPORT WHEN I FIRST NOTICED APPROX 6 PARACHUTES OVERHEAD APPROX 2000 FT MSL. I LANDED WITH NO CONFLICT. NOTE; WHEN I CALLED FORT WORTH FSS; THERE WERE NO NOTAMS FOR THE SPEEDWAY OR ALLIANCE ARPT. THE NOTAM WAS AT DFW (MAKES NO SENSE). FORT WORTH FSS SAID NEW WAY OF NOTAM CLASSIFICATION -- THAT'S WHY I COULDN'T FIND ANY NOTAMS ON AFW. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: PLT WAS FLYING A BELL JET RANGER HELI AFTER A CONSCIENTIOUS EFFORT TO FIND JUMP NOTAMS FOR 3D7 AND AFW HE WAS UNABLE TO FIND ANY. ON SHORT FINAL TO 3D7 HE WAS STARTLED TO SEE JUMPERS ABOVE HIS ACFT. AFTER LNDG HE CONTACTED FORT WORTH FSS. AFTER A 30 MIN SEARCH; THE FSS SPECIALIST FOUND A NOTAM FOR DFW. TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY IS 310 DEGS; 26 NM FROM DFW. IT IS 360 DEGS; 3 NM FROM AFW. AFW IS THE CTLING AIRSPACE. A SPECIAL HELI FREQ IS ESTABLISHED FOR OPS BY AFW. NO ONE AT AFW KNOW OF THE JUMP ACTIVITY. THE RPTR STATES THE FAA HAS ESTABLISHED A NEW NOTAM ISSUING PROC. THE PLT DOES NOT THINK THIS NEW PROC IS ADEQUATE AND RECOMMENDS A RETURN TO THE OLD ONE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.