2002-02 · NASA ASRS report 538047
A BAD HEADSET; POOR COM AND REFUSAL OF A REQUESTED RTE RESULT IN AN ABORTED MISSION AND MISUNDERSTANDING WITH ATC.
ON FEB/THU/02; FLEW OUT OF N LAS VEGAS ARPT (VGT) IN A HELI HEADED W AT 500 FT AGL AT XA00 LCL TIME. I HAD BEEN CLRED AND WAS MONITORING THE VGT TWR FREQ. I HAD A SQUAWK CODE FOR MCCARREN (LAS) THAT I RECEIVED BEFORE MY DEP BECAUSE I WANTED TO FLY DOWN THE LAS VEGAS STRIP WITH MY PAX. I GOT THIS CODE FROM VGT GND BEFORE I SPOOLED UP AND TOLD THEM OF MY REQUEST FOR A LAS VEGAS STRIP TOUR. ABOUT 3 MI OUT OF VGT TO THE W I CHANGED FREQ. I WAS STILL IN CLASS D AIRSPACE ABOUT 3 MI N OF CLASS B (AT THAT ALT) WHICH IS CTLED BY LAS. I CALLED LAS TWR AT THAT POINT AND ASKED FOR A CLRNC INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE. I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS GOING TO GO FLYING THAT AFTERNOON. IT WAS A SPUR OF THE MOMENT DECISION SO I DIDN'T HAVE MY OWN HEADSETS WITH ME. I WAS USING A BORROWED PAIR OF HEADSETS. THE HEADSETS WERE TERRIBLE. I COULDN'T HEAR MYSELF THINK THROUGH THEM...THEY WERE INTENSELY LOUD AND GARBLED. AS I XMITTED THROUGH THEM I COULD HEAR INTENSE BLADE AND ENG NOISE THAT ACTUALLY HURT MY EARS. I CALLED LAS TWR AND ASKED TO FLY DOWN THE LAS VEGAS STRIP TO A HOTEL THEN BACK TO MY PRESENT POS WHICH WAS 08 DME ON THE 315 DEG RADIAL OF LAS VOR. LAS TWR TOLD ME I COULD IF I STAYED OVER INTERSTATE HWY 15. WELL; THAT'S NO GOOD...NO FUN AND NOT WORTH IT. IT'S NOT THE 'FLYING DOWN THE STRIP.' AND I WAS HAVING COMS PROBS THAT I DIDN'T WANT EXACERBATING THE SIT. SO; I TOLD THEM 'OKAY; THEN WE'LL ABORT.' I LISTENED FOR A FEW MOMENTS; BUT HEARD NOTHING FROM THEM; SO I CHANGED FREQS BACK TO VGT TWR AND CHANGED MY SQUAWK TO VFR (1200) THEN CONTINUED W AWAY FROM CLASS D AND WELL OUT OF CLASS B AIRSPACE. I NEVER PENETRATED CLASS B AIRSPACE. IN FACT I WAS ABOUT 3 MI N OF IT AT MY CLOSEST APCH. AFTER 1 HR I GET BACK AND LAND AT VGT AND I GET THIS NOTE THAT THE TWR HAD CALLED AND WANTED TO TALK WITH ME. THEY CALLED AND SAID THEY WERE TURNING THIS OVER TO THE FSDO. I WAS NOT IN CLASS B AIRSPACE. I HAD NOT RECEIVED A CLRNC TO ENTER CLASS B AIRSPACE. I WAS STILL IN CLASS D AIRSPACE AND FELT IT MOST IMPORTANT TO MONITOR THE VGT (CTLING FACILITY FOR THE AIRSPACE I WAS IN) TWR FREQ WHO WAS CTLING THE AIRSPACE I WAS FLYING IN. TO THREATEN TO 'TURN THIS OVER TO THE FSDO' IS AN IMPROPER RESPONSE. HAD THE LAS TWR NOT MADE THIS THREAT; I WOULD HAVE TELEPHONED THEM OUT OF COURTESY AND EXPLAINED THIS WHOLE AFFAIR TO THEM.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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