CLASS B AIRSPACE INCURSION BY A PA28 CFI MONITORED STUDENT PLT XCOUNTRY TRAINING FLT.

Date: 2002-08 · Aircraft: PA-28R Cherokee Arrow All Series · Phase: climb

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-less-severe|airspace-violation-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-plt-distr-task

Synopsis

CLASS B AIRSPACE INCURSION BY A PA28 CFI MONITORED STUDENT PLT XCOUNTRY TRAINING FLT.

Narrative

THE INCIDENT OCCURRED DURING A VFR FLT FROM GAI TO BAF. I WAS ACTING AS A FLT INSTRUCTOR WITH A STUDENT FLYING THE AIRPLANE IN THE L SEAT. AFTER DEPARTING GAI; TURNING TO OUR ON COURSE HDG AND BEGINNING THE CLB TO OUR PLANNED CRUISING ALT OF 5500 FT MSL; WE ENTERED THE BALTIMORE CLASS B AIRSPACE PRIOR TO RECEIVING CLRNC BY CLBING ABOVE THE 3500 FT FLOOR OF THE OUTER RING. AFTER ESTABLISHING COM WITH BALTIMORE APCH; WE WERE INFORMED OF THE INFRACTION; GIVEN A CODE AND ALLOWED TO CONTINUE ON COURSE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THE STUDENT AND I HAD DONE A COMPLETE PREFLT BRIEFING AND WERE BOTH AWARE OF THE BOUNDARIES OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE PRIOR TO DEPARTING ON THE FLT. AS PART OF THE BRIEFING; WE HAD DETERMINED THAT WE WOULD NOT CLB ABOVE 3000 FT MSL UNTIL WE HAD BEEN CLRED INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. I BELIEVE THE VIOLATION OCCURRED BECAUSE OF SEVERAL FACTORS. THE STUDENT'S ATTN BECAME FOCUSED ON ESTABLISHING COM DUE TO A RADIO THAT WAS PRODUCING POOR RECEPTION. MY ATTN WAS TEMPORARILY DRAWN FROM SCANNING THE FLT INSTS TO WORKING WITH THE RADIO SAND LISTENING TO THE STUDENT'S ATTEMPTS TO ESTABLISH COM AND ALSO TRYING TO VISUALLY SCAN FOR TFC IN THIS BUSY AREA. IT WAS DURING THIS PERIOD THAT THE STUDENT CONTINUED TO CLB AND ENTERED THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. CONTINUING TO SCAN THE FLT INSTS DURING THIS HIGH WORKLOAD PHASE OF FLT WOULD MORE THAN LIKELY HAVE ALLOWED US TO AVOID THIS INCIDENT. ALSO; A BETTER DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITIES; ONCE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT WE WERE HAVING COM PROBS WITH ONE OF OUR RADIOS; WOULD HAVE ALLOWED THE STUDENT TO FOCUS ON FLYING THE AIRPLANE WHILE WE WORKED OUT THE PROB.

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