INSTRUCTIONAL FLT IN S340 INADVERTENTLY PENETRATES FLOOR OF ZHU AIRSPACE ON VFR GAR AT CLL.
Synopsis
INSTRUCTIONAL FLT IN S340 INADVERTENTLY PENETRATES FLOOR OF ZHU AIRSPACE ON VFR GAR AT CLL.
Narrative
FO WAS FLYING THE ACFT. I WAS GIVING IOE INSTRUCTION TO HIM AS A NEW LINE PLT IN THE SAAB 340. DURING OUR DSCNT; HE BEGAN TO BRIEF THE APCH; AND REALIZED HE DID NOT HAVE APCH PLATES FOR CLL. I GAVE HIM MY APCH PLATES SO HE COULD REVIEW THEM. THE CTL TWR WAS CLOSED FOR THE NIGHT AND WE ANTICIPATED WE WOULD BE ABLE TO FLY A VISUAL APCH. HE BRIEFED IT AS A VISUAL APCH; BACKED UP BY THE ILS TO RWY 34. WE TUNED IN THE LOC FREQ. COMING FROM DFW (THE N); WE WOULD CROSS THE CLL VOR; WHICH MADE FOR A VERY NICE DOWNWIND LEG FOR OUR APCH TO RWY 34. APPROX 10 MI OUT; WE TOLD ZHU WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 34. AS WE CROSSED ABEAM THE ARPT AND BEGAN OUR DSCNT INTO THE TFC PATTERN FOR LNDG; WE NOTICED RWY LIGHTS ON. AS WE TURNED TOWARD THE ARPT; WE BOTH SAW THE ARPT ENVIRONMENT; INCLUDING TAXI LIGHTS; BUT WERE UNABLE TO ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH THE RWY 34. I DID NOT HAVE MY APCH PLATES IN FRONT OF ME AND THE NOTATION IS CLRLY THERE THAT THE LIGHTS ARE PLT ACTIVATED WHEN THE TWR CLOSES. WE INITIATED A GAR; FO STILL FLYING; AND AT A SAFE ALT I ASKED FOR MY APCH PLATES BACK. UPON SEEING THE LIGHTING NOTATION; I FELT THAT THE LIGHTS HAD PROBABLY GONE OUT -- WE HAD FAILED TO REACTIVE THEM; THE TIMER HAD TURNED THEM OUT. WE CLICKED THEM UP; BUT DURING THE CLBOUT WE CLBED UP TO MISSED APCH ALT OF 2500 FT MSL; INTO CTR'S AIRSPACE AND HAD NOT CONTACTED THEM. WE RETURNED TO THE ARPT; LANDED AND CONTACTED CTR TO CANCEL IFR AND HE ADVISED US THAT WE HAD CLBED TO AN INAPPROPRIATE ALT; BUT ACCEPTED OUR CANCELLATION WITHOUT FURTHER ADMONISHMENT. I SHOULD HAVE ALLOWED MY FO TO BORROW THE PLATES; BUT INSISTED ON GETTING THEM BACK PRIOR TO APCH. I WOULD HAVE NOTICED THE LIGHTING ACTIVATION NOTATION AND ACTIVATED THEM -- A BASIC NIGHT IFR RULE TO ALWAYS ACTIVATE THE LIGHTING IN A SIT LIKE THIS UPON COMMENCING ANY APCH. DURING THE GAR; I WAS DISTR BY ASSISTING THE FO IN FLYING THE GAR AND DID NOT CONTACT CTR. ALTHOUGH NO CONFLICT WITH OTHER TFC OCCURRED; AND IT WAS IN VISUAL CONDITIONS; IN OTHER SITS A POTENTIAL FOR CONFLICT COULD HAVE OCCURRED. IN THE FUTURE I WILL ENDEAVOR TO ASSURE THAT THE FO HAS THEIR APCH CHARTS FOR THE ARPT WE ARE FLYING TO -- ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS A NEW FO AND I AM GIVING IOE TO HIM. AND; AFTER FLYING THE AIRPLANE FIRST DURING A GAR OR OTHER PROC; BE SURE TO CONTACT THE ATC FACILITY AS WORKLOAD COMMANDS.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.