PA32 PLT SUSPECTS POSSIBLE INCURSION INTO NATIONAL PARK WILDERNESS AREA AIRSPACE.

Date: 2002-04 · Aircraft: PA-23-250 Aztec · Phase: climb

Anomalies: other-none

Synopsis

PA32 PLT SUSPECTS POSSIBLE INCURSION INTO NATIONAL PARK WILDERNESS AREA AIRSPACE.

Narrative

I DEPARTED RAPID CITY REGIONAL (RAP) IN RAPID CITY; S DAKOTA AT APPROX XA45 AM ON AN IFR FLT TO PALWAUKEE; IL (PWK). AS PART OF MY PREFLT; I CALLED FLT SVC TO OBTAIN WX; FILE AN IFR FLT PLAN AND ALSO STUDIED THE APPROPRIATE WAC CHART. PRIOR TO PICKING UP MY IFR CLRNC; I HAD REQUESTED ADVISORIES AND ASKED THE TWR CTLR WHETHER THERE WERE ANY FLT RESTRS AROUND MOUNT RUSHMORE. MY INTENT WAS TO FLY AROUND MOUNT RUSHMORE VFR; FOR THE PURPOSE OF VIEWING THE MONUMENT FROM THE AIR. AFTER MAKING THE REQUEST WITH THE TWR; I WAS ADVISED THAT THEY COULD NOT PROVIDE ADVISORY SVCS; THAT THERE WEREN'T ANY FLT RESTRS IN PLACE AND THAT I SHOULD CLB TO 7000 FT. I WAS THEN CLRED FOR TKOF; MAKING A L TURNOUT AND HEADED TOWARD THE MONUMENT; CLBING TO THE ADVISED ALT. WHEN CLBING IN RTE; I AGAIN ASKED THE TWR FOR ADVISORIES AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT PROVIDE THE SVC UNLESS I CLBED TO 9300 FT. I APCHED THE MONUMENT AT A DISTANCE OF APPROX 1/2 MI TO ALLOW MY PAX TO VIEW THE MONUMENT. I THEN TURNED L AND CIRCLED THE MONUMENT TO ALLOW MYSELF A VIEW. AT THAT POINT; I INITIATED MY CLB TO 11000 FT AND PICKED UP MY IFR CLRNC. THE CTLR ISSUED ME MY CLRNC; I RESET MY ALTIMETER AND THEN CLBED ENRTE TO 11000 FT. WHILE ENRTE; MY PAX AND I WERE DISCUSSING THE FLT AROUND MOUNT RUSHMORE; WE VIEWED A SECTIONAL OF THE AREA AND THEN REALIZED THAT THE AREA AROUND THE MONUMENT WAS CLASSIFIED AS A WILDERNESS AREA. I THEN REALIZED THAT I COULD HAVE POSSIBLY ENTERED THE PROTECTED AIRSPACE DURING MANEUVERING AROUND THE MONUMENT. IN HINDSIGHT; I BELIEVE THAT A FEW THINGS COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO PREVENT THIS POSSIBLE AIRSPACE VIOLATION. FIRST; THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE INFORMATIVE AS TO THE AIRSPACE SURROUNDING THE MONUMENT. SECOND; HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HAND ME OFF AS I HAD REQUESTED TO ELLSWORTH; WHO COULD HAVE BEEN PROVIDED ADVISORIES FOR ME; WHICH WOULD HAVE POSITIVELY KEPT ME OUT OF THE PROTECTED AIRSPACE. AFTER SPEAKING TO THE TWR LATER IN THE DAY BY PHONE; THEY CONFIRMED THAT THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE THE HDOF SVC AND THAT 'HE WAS JUST BEING LAZY.' THIRD; I SHOULD HAVE REVIEWED THE APPROPRIATE SECTIONAL CHART IN ADDITION TO THE WAC CHART. I WOULD HAVE THEN BEEN AWARE OF THE WILDERNESS AREA. IF THESE ACTIONS HAD TAKEN PLACE; THIS POSSIBLE INCIDENT WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: PLT ADVISES THAT HE WAS AT THE ASSIGNED ALT OF 7700 FT OVER THE CHARTED WILDERNESS AREA. HE ALSO STATES THAT HE THOUGHT THE ALT RESTR MIGHT BE HIGHER THAN 2000 FT OVER A WILDERNESS AREA.

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