PVT PLT SUSPECTS HE MAY HAVE ENTERED CLASS D AND CLASS B AIRSPACE ON A XCOUNTRY NEAR ORLANDO; FL; DURING VERY POOR VISIBILITY CONDITIONS.
Synopsis
PVT PLT SUSPECTS HE MAY HAVE ENTERED CLASS D AND CLASS B AIRSPACE ON A XCOUNTRY NEAR ORLANDO; FL; DURING VERY POOR VISIBILITY CONDITIONS.
Narrative
ON A XCOUNTRY FLT FROM MLB TO LAL; CRUISING 4500 FT MSL; THE VISIBILITY SUDDENLY REDUCED TO 3 MI. IN MY WX BRIEFING FROM THE FSS; I WAS INFORMED OF POSSIBLE CLOUDS FEW AT 4000 FT LATER IN THE DAY; SO I SURMISED THAT WATER VAPOR IN THE AIR WAS CONDENSING TO FORM MIST AND I WOULD ACHIEVE BETTER VISIBILITY BY DSNDING TO 2000 FT. I DSNDED TO 2000 FT AND OBSERVED NO VISIBILITY TO INCREASE IN ADDITION TO INCREASED TURB AND A SMOKY SMELL. THE TURB CAUSED ME TO BE DISPLACED TO THE L OF MY INTENDED COURSE. IT IS MY GUESS THAT THE TURBULENT SMOKY AIR WAS SMOKE FROM A BRUSH FIRE THAT WAS NOT RPTED IN MY WX BRIEFING. I WAS ON THE GIF UNICOM FREQ BECAUSE I BELIEVED MYSELF TO BE APCHING THAT ARPT. I SAW AN ARPT IN FRONT OF ME; AND REALIZED THAT IT WAS NOT WINTERHAVEN. KNOWING THE PROX OF BARTOW'S CLASS D AIRSPACE; I IMMEDIATELY CLBED BACK TO 4500 FT. I; ON MY SECTIONAL; DETERMINED THAT THE ARPT WAS INDEED BARTOW; AND IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT I COULD HAVE INCURRED INTO THEIR AIRSPACE. IT IS MOST LIKELY THAT I NEVER ENTERED BARTOW'S CLASS D AIRSPACE DUE TO FACT THAT I NEVER CROSSED A LARGE ROUND LAKE ON ITS BORDER; BUT THE AMOUNT OF LAKES IN THE AREA AND REDUCED VISIBILITY WARRANT FILING THIS RPT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 472361: AFTER FLYING FROM MLG TO LAL AND BACK; I NOTICED THAT MY RTE OF FLT CLIPPED THE EDGE OF ORL'S CLASS B AIRSPACE IN THE WINTERHAVEN AREA. THE BRUSH FIRE I FLEW THROUGH CAUSED ME TO FLY ACROSS A LAKE THAT I OBSERVED AFTER THE FLT TO BE IN CLASS B AIRSPACE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.