NORTH AMERICAN B25 CLIPPED THE CORNER OF RESTR AIRSPACE R5502 WHILE FLYING A DIRECT CROSS TO TOLEDO; OH.
Synopsis
NORTH AMERICAN B25 CLIPPED THE CORNER OF RESTR AIRSPACE R5502 WHILE FLYING A DIRECT CROSS TO TOLEDO; OH.
Narrative
THE FLT FROM CAMBRIDGE; MD; TO SELFRIDGE; MI; NG BASE WAS PLANNED TO BE DIRECT TOL WITH A TURN TO THE N TO REACH SELFRIDGE USING THE VFR GPS INSTALLED IN THE ACFT. AS R SEATER; MY JOBS INCLUDED COORDINATING RADIO COMS AND NAV. ALL WENT WELL UNTIL WE WERE APCHING TOLEDO; TALKING TO TOL APCH (I THINK). WE WERE APPROX 40-50 MI E OF TOL WHEN THE PIC DECIDED TO DETOUR DIRECT TO SELFRIDGE. WE HAD BEEN DISCUSSING THE POSSIBILITY OF DOING THIS AS WE HAD BEEN SUFFERING STRONG HEADWINDS THROUGHOUT THE FLT. NOW; WITH THE WX CLR (SCATTERED 4500 FT; 10+ MI) IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA. AS INSTRUCTED; I ASKED TOL IF WE COULD GO DIRECT SELFRIDGE AND WAS GIVEN THE OK. THE PIC; UPON HEARING THIS XMISSION; TURNED N TO WHAT; BY DEAD RECKONING; WOULD BE AN APPROX COURSE TO SELFRIDGE. MEANWHILE; I WAS RE-ESTABLISHING A NEW WAYPOINT AND OTHERWISE WORKING WITH THE GPS (PANEL MOUNTED NON MOVING MAP) AND THE SECTIONAL CHARTS. IT TOOK ME A COUPLE OF MINS TO GET EVERYTHING SORTED OUT AND WHEN I DID; I DISCOVERED WE HAD CLIPPED THE EDGE OF A RESTR AREA. AT THE TIME WE WERE RECEIVING FLT FOLLOWING. AT NO TIME BEFORE; DURING; OR AFTER THIS AIRSPACE VIOLATION DID ANY CTLR SAY ANYTHING REFING THE RESTR AREA; AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHETHER IT WAS 'HOT' OR NOT. THE FACT REMAINS THAT WE DID NOT HAVE A SPECIFIC CLRNC TO ENTER. AT THIS POINT; I ASSUME IT WAS COLD; BUT IN THE PART OF THE COUNTRY I NORMALLY FLY IN (NE) IT IS COMMON PRACTICE TO NOTIFY THE ACFT OF THE STATUS OF RESTR AIRSPACE; HOT; COLD; OR OTHERWISE. IN RETROSPECT; I WAS SOMEWHAT UNFAMILIAR WITH THE OP OF THIS PARTICULAR GPS MODEL; AND AS SUCH; WAS SLOW AT COMPLETING THE REQUIRED TASKS. ALSO; IN AS MUCH AS IT HAD BEEN A NON COMPLICATED FLT (GOOD WX; AND WE HAD BEEN FOLLOWING ONE COURSE FOR OVER 3 YRS); I WAS RATHER COMPLACENT ABOUT FOLLOWING ALONG AND KEEPING TRACK OF OUR EXACT POS. FURTHER; THE CHANGE IN FLT PLAN SHOULD HAVE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT THE TIME NECESSARY FOR ME TO MAKE THE CHANGES. ALL IN ALL; LACK OF ADEQUATE PLANNING.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.