C150 APT PLT; AND FAA AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTOR; COLLECTIVELY WERE UNABLE TO AVOID TRANSGRESSING DC ADIZ.

Date: 2003-03 · Aircraft: Cessna 150 · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: airspace-violation-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|other-entered-dcadiz-without-clrnc-current-notam-not-given-by-fss

Synopsis

C150 APT PLT; AND FAA AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTOR; COLLECTIVELY WERE UNABLE TO AVOID TRANSGRESSING DC ADIZ.

Narrative

AT APPROX XA30 EST I CALLED JYO FSS AND REQUESTED A WEATHER BRIEFING FROM VKX (POTOMAC ARPT) TO ESN (EASTON ARPT) WITH APPROX 02 PLUS 30 HRS ENRTE WITH AN ESTIMATED DEP TIME OF XB00 EST. AFTER THE WEATHER BRIEFING I FILED FOR A S BOUND TFR DEP THEN I LOST THE PHONE CONNECTION WITH JYO. I CALLED BACK TO CONFIRM THEY HAD RECEIVED THE TFR CLRNC REQUEST AND TO FILE THE RETURN TFR REQUEST TO VKX. FOR THE RETURN; I REQUESTED A TFR CLRNC PICKUP OVER 2W5 (MARYLAND AIRPARK) AT XD00 EST. I THEN PHONED POTOMAC APCH CTL AND REQUESTED CLRNC. POTOMAC GAVE US A DISCRETE XPONDER CODE AND A DEP FREQUENCY OF 118.3. WE DEP VKX AT APPROX XB30. THE OTHER PLT; AN FAA AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTOR; AN OWNER OF THE ACFT; FLEW THE OUTBOUND LEG. WE REQUESTED AND RECEIVED VECTORS E TOWARDS OTT VOR FROM POTOMAC APCH CTL AND WERE THEN TRANSFERRED TO BALTIMORE APCH CTL. BALTIMORE ASSIGNED US A NEW XPONDER CODE AND CLBED US TO 3500 FT. WHEN WE RPTED ESN IN SIGHT BALTIMORE INSTRUCTED US TO SQUAWK 1200 AND TERMINATED RADAR SERVICE. AT NO TIME DID POTOMAC ADVISE US TO REMAIN CLR OF THEIR AIRSPACE AS IS THE PROC WHEN LEAVING CLASS B AIRSPACE. WE REMAINED IN THE TFC PATTERN AT ESN FROM APPROX XB50 UNTIL APPROX XC30. WE THEN CLBED TO 2500 FT; ASSURING TO REMAIN BELOW THE CLASS B AIRSPACE; AVOID THE DEPICTED RESTR AIRSPACE AROUND WASHINGTON NATIONAL ARPT (DCA).WE PROC DIRECT TO 2W5 WHILE MONITORING OUR PROGRESS ON GPS. WE WERE STILL SQUAWKING 1200. CROSSING THE CHESAPEAKE BAY SHORELINE WE DESCENDED TO 2600 FT. APPROX 10 MILES FROM 2W5 WE SET IN THE ORIGINAL XPONDER CODE AND PREPARED TO CONTACT POTOMAC APCH CTL. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME THE NFP OBSERVED A CUSTOM'S HELI OFF THE L SIDE (I WAS FLYING FROM THE R SEAT)WITH A SIGN INSTRUCTING US TO CONTACT THEM ON 121.5. I COMPLIED. THE CUSTOM'S ACFT THEN ASKED US TO LAND AND I STATED THAT 2W5 WAS ABOUT 5 MILES AHEAD ASKING IF THAT WOULD BE SUITABLE. THE REPLY WAS AFFIRMATIVE AND WE PROCEEDED TO AND LAND 2W5. TWO ARMED CREW MEMBERS MET US AT THE ACFT AFTER LNDG AND STATED THAT WE HAD PENETRATED RESTR AIRSPACE. I SAID THAT WE HAD REMAINED CLR OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AND THAT FROM OUR REVIEW OF THE NOTAM; CURRENT COM CHARTS; AND CURRENT VFR TERMINAL AREA CHART BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON (EFFECTIVE FEB/THUR/03; WITH EXPIRATION OF AUG/WED/03); PRIOR TO AND DURING THE FLT THAT WE HAD AVOIDED THE CHARTED RESTR AIRSPACE. ONE AGENT THEN REVIEWED MY PLT CERTIFICATE; MEDICAL AND DRIVERS LICENSE. ANOTHER INTERVIEWED THE NFP. I WAS THEN ASKED TO CALL TSA. I DON'T RECALL THE DISCUSSION EXCEPT THAT TSA ASKED ME TO CALL THE POTOMAC TRACON. POTOMAC STATED THAT I HAD VIOLATED THE ADIZ AND REQUESTED MY PLT INFO AND ADDRESS AND STATED THAT A PLT DEVIATION WOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE FSDO. THE CUSTOMS AGENT THEN STATED THAT WE WERE FREE TO RETURN TO VKX. I CONTACTED PCT APCH REQUESTED AND RECEIVED A CODE AND FREQUENCY OF 125.65 FOR THE RETURN CLRNC TO VKX. WE DEPARTED WITH NO FURTHER PROBS. CHAIN OF EVENTS/CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) BOTH PLTS REVIEWED CURRENT CHARTS; NOTAM AND RECEIVED WEATHER AND PLT BRIEFING FROM JYO FSS AND DISCUSSED THE FLT. 2) AT NO TIME DID PCT AND BWI APCH CTL INDICATE TO REMAIN CLR OF ANY AIRSPACE WHICH IS THE CASE WHEN LEAVING CLASS B AIRSPACE. 3) NEITHER PLT REALIZED THAT THE NOTAM IN OUR POSSESSION HAD BEEN SUPERSEDED. IN OTHER WORDS THERE AS NO ADVISORY FROM FSS OR APCH CTL THAT SUCH AND SUCH NOTAM HAD BEEN SUPERSEDED BY A NEW NOTAM. FOR EXAMPLE; CURRENT ATIS INFO IS IDENTIFIED BY AN ALPHABET LETTER. THE PLT IS REQUIRED TO TELL ATC THAT THEY HAVE THE ATIS BY ALPHABET CODE. THIS WAY IF A PLT RPTS THE WRONG CODE; ATC KNOWS AND CAN TELL THE PLT THAT IS HAS CHANGED. IF SUCH A PROC WERE IN EFFECT WHEN NOTAMS CHANGED THEM FSS AND APCH WOULD KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THE PLT HAS THE CURRENT NOTAM. 4)FSS DID NOT INDICATE THAT EXTENDED AIRSPACE RESTRS WERE IN EFFECT OR STATE THAT THE RETURN TFR FLT CLRNC COULD NOT BE PICKUP OVER 2W5. 5)NEITHER FSS NOR APCH CTL EMPHASIZED THAT THE AIRSPACE HAD BEEN EXTENDED. 6) FAA DID NOT SEND ANY SPECIAL NOTICES TO AIRMEN AS HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST TO ASSURE THAT ALL PLTS ARE AWARE OF NEW PROCS. 7)THE CURRENT AERONAUTICAL CHARTS DID NOT REFLECT THE 30 NM ADIZ. THE CHART SHOWS A 30 NM MODE C VALE WHICH WAS COMPLIED WITH. 8)THE NOTAM WAS NOT POSTED AS THE FBO. HOW IT WAS DISCOVERED: THE SIT WAS DISCOVERED WHEN THE CUSTOM'S HELI SHOWED A SIGN REQUESTING US TO CONTACT THEM ON 121.5 AND THE SUBSEQUENT DISCUSSION WITH THEM ON THE GND. NOTE: WE DID HAVE A HAND HELD VHF RECEIVER IN THE ACFT SET TO 121.5 BUT NO COMS DIRECTED TO US WERE HEARD ON THE XCEIVER.

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