PA28; LOW TIME PVT PLT; HAD DIFFICULTY ESTABLISHING CONTACT WITH THE CORRECT PHL APCH CTLR IN ORDER TO GET CLRNC TO ENTER PHL CLASS B.

Date: 2003-04 · Aircraft: PA-28 Cherokee/Archer/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: airspace-violation-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-plt-had-trouble-establishing-correct-com-freq-with-atc

Synopsis

PA28; LOW TIME PVT PLT; HAD DIFFICULTY ESTABLISHING CONTACT WITH THE CORRECT PHL APCH CTLR IN ORDER TO GET CLRNC TO ENTER PHL CLASS B.

Narrative

ON APR/TUE/03; I CHKED OUT MY FLT FOR APR/WED/03; ON THE DUATS PROGRAMMING. I CHKED FLT PLANS FOR A COUPLE OF VARIATIONS; THEN SETTLED ON A FLT PLAN; WHICH I FILED THROUGH DUATS FOR THE NEXT MORNING APR/WED/03; DEPARTING PTW. THIS WAS A SOLO FLT FOR BUSINESS TO AN ARPT AT WHICH I HAD NOT PREVIOUSLY LANDED. I CHKED THE NOTAMS AND SUCH ON DUATS; AS WELL AS THE AVIATION WX FORECASTS. I PRINTED OUT MY FLT PLANS. ON APR/WED/03; I CHKED OUT THE PA28-140 THAT I HAD RESERVED; AFTER DOING MY PREFLT AND RUN-UP; TOOK OFF SOMEWHERE AROUND XA00 (NOT PRECISE). I CONTACTED WILLIAMSPORT FSS AS SOON AS I HAD SUFFICIENT ALT TO REACH THEM; AND OPENED MY FLT PLAN. MY FLT PLAN CALLED FOR ME TO CROSS PHILADELPHIA CLASS B AIRSPACE; USING WOODSTOWN VOR AS A MID-POINT; AND THEN TURNING TOWARDS ATR; AND THEN INTO GEORGETOWN. I CONTACTED PHILADELPHIA ON FREQ 118.5 (SHOULD HAVE BEEN 126.85) AS I WAS FAST APCHING THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AT 3500 FT. I GAVE THEM MY ACFT NUMBERS; ALT; APPROX POS; DEP; AND DEST; AND THE CTLR ANSWERED AND ADVISED ME TO CONTACT APCH ON 126.85; WHICH I DID. I REPEATED THE INFO TO THIS CTLR. HE ASKED; AND I GAVE HIM MY APPROX LOCATION. THIS CTLR THEN ADVISED ME TO CONTACT APCH AT 123.8 FOR FLT FOLLOWING. I CHANGED FREQS; TALKED TO THAT CTLR; BUT DID NOT ASK FOR FLT FOLLOWING; AS I WAS COMFORTABLE WITHOUT IT. ALL OF THIS IS TAKING PLACE BACK-TO-BACK IN A VERY SHORT SPAN OF TIME. I FAILED TO REALIZE THAT I HAD NOT ASKED ON THE FIRST CONTACT; FOR PERMISSION TO ENTER THE AIRSPACE. I DID NOT REALIZE THIS ERROR UNTIL I SPOKE TO THE PHILADELPHIA OFFICE ON THE PHONE AFTER MY LNDG. I CONTINUED ON; AND MY COURSE AT 3500 FT TOOK ME CLOSE TO; BUT S OF PHL; WHILE XING THE DELAWARE RIVER TOWARDS WOODSTOWN VOR. I HAVE MADE THIS XING BEFORE; SOMETIMES AT AN ALT AND DIRECTION THAT IS BELOW AND S OF PHL AIRSPACE. I HAVE ALSO CROSSED THIS CLASS B AIRSPACE BEFORE HAVING RECEIVED PERMISSION TO CROSS THROUGH ON MY WAY TO THE SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY ARPTS. SO; IT WAS NOT UNUSUAL FOR ME TO CROSS NEAR THE ARPT. I WAS IN CONTACT WITH PHILADELPHIA ATC. AFTER XING THE WOODSTOWN VOR; I TURNED TOWARDS MY NEW HDG OF 195 TOWARDS THE DELAWARE BAY. AS I APCHED THE NJ COASTLINE; I HAD NOT HEARD ANY RADIO TFC FROM THE LAST CONTACT FREQ WITH PHILADELPHIA. I CONTACTED DOVER APCH; AND ADVISED THEM OF MY ACFT; DEP; AND DEST; ALT; AND AT THIS TIME; REQUESTED FLT FOLLOWING; IF POSSIBLE. DOVER ACKNOWLEDGED; GAVE ME A XPONDER CODE; AND ADVISED ME OF TFC AS IT APPEARED. DOVER ALSO ADVISED ME THAT PHILADELPHIA CTL REQUIRES ME TO CALL THEM UPON LNDG. I UNDERSTOOD THAT THERE WAS A PROB; BUT DIDN'T KNOW WHAT. THE FLT WAS ROUTINE; I ASKED DOVER TO RELEASE ME AS I APCHED REHOBOTH; THEN OVERFLEW REHOBOTH TO TURN BACK AROUND FOR THE GEORGETOWN ARPT. UPON LNDG; I CALLED FSS AND CLOSED MY FLT PLAN. I THEN CALLED THE PHILADELPHIA NUMBER I HAD BEEN GIVEN. WHEN I IDENTED MYSELF; THE PERSON I WAS TALKING TO ASKED ME IF I KNEW I HAD 'BROKEN' PHL CLASS B AIRSPACE. I SAID I KNEW I WAS XING PHL CLASS B AIRSPACE. I TOLD HIM MY STORY; INCLUDING THAT I WAS ON THE FILED FLT PLAN RTE. HE WAS STERN AT BEST; ADVISED ME THAT COMS ALONE DOES NOT EQUATE TO PERMISSION TO ENTER THE AIRSPACE. HE ASKED IF ANYONE HAD GIVEN ME A XPONDER CODE. I TOLD HIM NO; BUT I WAS HOPPING AROUND FREQS AS I SPOKE TO THE DIFFERENT CTLRS AND DIDN'T REALIZE THAT I: 1) HADN'T REQUESTED PERMISSION TO ENTER THE AIRSPACE; AND 2) FAILED TO REALIZE THAT WITHOUT A XPONDER CODE; I WAS NOT AUTH. HE CHEWED ME OUT FOR BUSTING INTO THE AIRSPACE; FOR WHICH I DON'T BLAME HIM. HE ALSO ASKED FOR MY NAME. IN REVIEWING THE SIT FOR MAKING THIS RPT; I SEE THAT ONE CTLR TRIED TO GIVE ME A HAND BY ADVISING ME TO ASK THE NEXT CTLR FOR FLT FOLLOWING; WHICH WOULD HAVE ENDED UP WITH A XPONDER CODE; EVEN THOUGH I WAS ALREADY IN THEIR SPACE. I DIDN'T PICK UP ON THAT AT THE TIME. MY RETURN FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. I CALLED DOVER FOR FLT FOLLOWING; AND THEY GAVE ME A DISCRETE XPONDER CODE. I WAS HANDED OFF TO ATLANTIC CITY APCH; AND FLEW A COURSE OVER MILLVILLE; NJ.I WAS HANDED OFF TO PHILADELPHIA APCH; FLEW ACROSS PHILADELPHIA AIRSPACE; THEN GOT RELEASED AS I APCHED POTTSTOWN. I HAD GOOD INSTRUCTORS; I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE PERMISSION TO ENTER CLASS B AIRSPACE. I KNOW THAT COMS ALONE IS NOT SUFFICIENT. I DON'T KNOW WHY THIS DIDN'T CLICK THAT MORNING. I WAS NOT IN A PARTICULAR HURRY; I WASN'T MEETING ANYONE AT GEORGETOWN; I JUST HAD AN HR OR 2 OF WORK TO DO DOWN THERE. I AM A CAREFUL AND SERIOUS PLT. IT WAS NOT MY INTENTION; NOR PLAN; TO 'BUST' THE CLASS B AIRSPACE.

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