PLT OF A PIPER SENECA INADVERTENTLY CLBED INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE DURING A VFR DEP FROM AN UNDERLYING ARPT OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE.

Date: 2000-01 · Aircraft: PA-34-200 Seneca I · Phase: climb

Anomalies: airspace-violation-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far

Synopsis

PLT OF A PIPER SENECA INADVERTENTLY CLBED INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE DURING A VFR DEP FROM AN UNDERLYING ARPT OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE.

Narrative

THE FLT WAS A SHORT XCOUNTRY FROM HENDERSON TO BLYTHE; CA. MY WIFE AND I WERE ACCOMPANIED BY ANOTHER COUPLE. MY FRIEND AND I ARE BOTH RETIRED MIL TEST PLTS. I HAD RECENTLY CHKED OUT IN THE SENECA AND VIEWED THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD EXPERIENCE. PREFLT AND TAXI WERE NORMAL. AT RUNUP; I HAD MY FRIEND READ THE CHKLIST TO ME IN A CHALLENGE/RESPONSE ARRANGEMENT. AS WE COMPLETED THE RUNUP; 2 ACFT PULLED UP BEHIND US. I FELT SOME PRESSURE TO DEPART RATHER THAN HOLD UP THESE ACRS. WE REVIEWED EMER ENG LOSS PROCS; GOT A CLRNC FROM TWR; TOOK THE RWY; AND DEPARTED. I FOCUSED ON ACFT CONFIGN; ACCELERATION TO CLB SPD; AND TERRAIN CLRNC AS WE TURNED ON COURSE FOR BLYTHE. INTERCOM DISCIPLINE HAD NOT BEEN A TOPIC DURING THE PREFLT BRIEFING SO PAX CONVERSATION WAS DISTRACTING. BECAUSE OF THE MINOR RUSH ON DEP; I FAILED TO HAVE A SECTIONAL CHART UNFOLDED FOR REF AND I WAS NOT MONITORING DME VERSUS ALT. ALTHOUGH NO AGENCY ADVISED ME REGARDING A DEV; MY POSTFLT MATH SHOWS ME THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE FOR ME TO HAVE UNINTENTIONALLY FLOWN IN CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT A CLRNC (SEE DIAGRAM). WHILE CLB RATE IS NOT A FACTOR FOR THE SINGLE ENG ACFT I INSTRUCT IN ON OTHER WKENDS; THE TWIN'S CLB RATE WAS SUFFICIENT TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO GET TO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. AT TKOF; I HAD NOT CONSIDERED THIS PERFORMANCE AND DID NOT INCLUDE IT IN MY DEP PLANNING. MY COPLT READ THE CHKLIST PROFESSIONALLY BUT DIDN'T MONITOR MY DEP BECAUSE I HAD NOT TASKED HIM. HENDERSON TWR MAY HAVE ADVISED ME REGARDING ALT; BUT CABIN CONVERSATION MAY HAVE PREVENTED ME FROM HEARING THEM. SEVERAL POINTS ARE WORTHY OF NOTE REGARDING THIS EVENT: 1) CABIN (CREW AND NON CREW) INTERCOM DISCIPLINE IS AN IMPORTANT PREFLT BRIEFING ITEM. 2) FLT PLANNING MUST INCLUDE DEP LIMITATIONS WHEN OPERATING HIGHER PERFORMANCE ACFT. 3) COCKPIT DUTIES AND EXPECTATIONS MUST BE CLRLY UNDERSTOOD BY PLT AND ADDITIONAL CREW MEMBER. 4) OPERATING AN ACFT THAT I HAVE LITTLE TIME IN REQUIRES ATTN TO DETAIL AND PRECLUDES RUSHING FOR ANY REASON. ALTHOUGH I'M PRETTY SURE THAT I DID NOT ENTER CLASS B AIRSPACE; MY POSTFLT MATH EFFORT SHOWS ME THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE. I WANTED TO SUBMIT THIS TO EMPHASIZE THE POINTS I MADE SO YOU COULD USE THE INFO FOR YOUR DATABASE.

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