A PA44 PLT LANDS AT FPR; FL; AND IS MET BY CUSTOMS AGENTS CLAIMING THAT HE HAD NOT GIVEN CUSTOMS ADEQUATE NOTICE OF HIS ARR. PLT HAD LISTED 'ADCUS;' ADVISED CUSTOMS IN HIS FLT PLAN AND HAD QUERIED ZMA IF THAT WAS ADEQUATE.

Date: 1999-03 · Aircraft: PA-44 Seminole/Turbo Seminole

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

A PA44 PLT LANDS AT FPR; FL; AND IS MET BY CUSTOMS AGENTS CLAIMING THAT HE HAD NOT GIVEN CUSTOMS ADEQUATE NOTICE OF HIS ARR. PLT HAD LISTED 'ADCUS;' ADVISED CUSTOMS IN HIS FLT PLAN AND HAD QUERIED ZMA IF THAT WAS ADEQUATE.

Narrative

COMING BACK FROM A DAY TRIP IN THE BAHAMAS (MARSH HARBOR); CUSTOMS WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF OUR ARR IN FT PIERCE DESPITE THE FACT THAT: WE PUT 'ADCUS' IN THE REMARKS SECTION OF THE FLT PLAN (IFR). WE ASKED (ADVISED CUSTOMS) ZMA TO RELAY A MESSAGE FOR US TO CUSTOMS IN FT PIERCE SINCE WE WERE NOT ABLE TO REACH THEM ON THE PHONE FROM THE BAHAMAS. THEY TOLD US ADCUS IN THE FLT PLAN WAS ENOUGH. THIS TRIP TO THE BAHAMAS WAS OVERPREPARED AND I WAS AWARE OF ALL THE REQUIREMENTS AND PAPERWORK TO GO THROUGH THE ADIZ. IT IS ONLY MY THIRD TIME XING THE ADIZ AND I DID NOT HAVE ANY PROBS THE FIRST 2 TIMES. AS WE ARRIVED IN FT PIERCE AT XA50 ON MAR/XA/99; 2 CUSTOMS OFFICERS WERE WAITING FOR US AND TOLD US THAT WE JUST CROSSED THE ADIZ WITHOUT THEM BEING NOTIFIED. I WAS VERY SURPRISED BECAUSE I WAS CONVINCED OF HAVING TAKEN ALL THE PRECAUTIONS NECESSARY OF ADCUS IN FLT PLAN AND ADVISE ZMA AND IFR FLT PLAN WITH SPECIFIC SQUAWK CODE. I UNDERSTAND NOW I SHOULD HAVE CALLED CUSTOMS PERSONALLY (THOUGH IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE IN THE BAHAMAS DUE TO THEIR PRECARIOUS PHONE SYS) OR RELAY A MESSAGE VIA THE FSS; NOT THE CTR. (EVEN THOUGH THE CTR SPECIFICALLY TOLD ME IT WAS NOT NECESSARY SINCE I HAD 'ADCUS' IN THE REMARKS SECTION OF MY FLT PLAN.) THE OFFICERS WERE VERY UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE CONFUSION AND LET US GO WITHOUT PENALTIES. I LEARNED A LOT FROM THIS EVENT AND MADE SURE MY CO-WORKERS (FLT INSTRUCTORS) AND MY STUDENTS WERE AWARE OF THE REQUIREMENTS TO CROSS THE ADIZ. THE OFFICERS ALSO TOLD US THIS PROB HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.