A BEECH T34 CFI ENTERS A TEMPORARY RESTR AREA WHEN MISINTERPRETING THE ATIS BROADCAST FROM DPA; IL.
Synopsis
A BEECH T34 CFI ENTERS A TEMPORARY RESTR AREA WHEN MISINTERPRETING THE ATIS BROADCAST FROM DPA; IL.
Narrative
ABOUT 1/2 HR BEFORE DEPARTING ON A LCL PROFICIENCY FLT FROM DPA; I RECEIVED A TELEPHONE BRIEFING FROM FSS. THE BRIEFER ADVISED OF A NOTAM FOR ROCKET LAUNCHES ON THE DPA VOR 121 DEG RADIAL AT 6.2 MI. THE BRIEFER FURTHER DESCRIBED LOCATION OF NOTAM AIRSPACE AS FERMI LABS; WHICH ARE 5 MI S OF THE DUPAGE ARPT. THE LOCATION OF FERMI LABS IS ALSO MARKED ON THE CHICAGO SECTIONAL AND TERMINAL CHARTS AND IS MARKED AS A VFR WAYPOINT ON THE TERMINAL CHART. BEFORE RETURNING TO THE ARPT; I DID A PRACTICE APCH AT NAPER AERO (APPROX 10 MI SSE). ALTHOUGH THE ROCKET LAUNCH NOTAM SHOULD HAVE EXPIRED; JUST TO BE SAFE; I FLEW N STAYING E OF FERMI LABS AND LISTENED TO THE ATIS FOR DPA. THE ATIS HAD A NOTAM ADVISING VFR PLTS TO 'AVOID THE DUPAGE 120 DEGS AT 5 MI; AT A RADIUS OF 3 NM UP TO 2600 FT DUE TO A RESCUE OP ON THE DUPAGE RIVER.' I ADJUSTED MY COURSE FURTHER E TO AVOID THE AREA AND CONTACTED THE TWR 7 MI SE OF THE FIELD. AFTER I ACKNOWLEDGED MY CLRNC TO THE TFC PATTERN; THE CTLR ASKED IF I WAS AWARE OF THE NOTAMED AIRSPACE. I SAID I WAS STAYING E OF HWY 59 TO AVOID THE AREA. THE CTLR ASKED ME TO SQUAWK IDENT; AND THEN ADVISED ME I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AREA AND DIRECTED A 270 DEG HDG TO EXIT. I BELIEVE THE CONFUSION IN REGARD TO THE 'DUPAGE 120 DEG AT 5 MI' IN THE NOTAM AND TO A LESSER EXTENT THE REF TO THE DUPAGE RIVER LED TO MY ENCROACHING ON THE NOTAMED AREA. THE NOTAM I RECEIVED IN MY BRIEFING REFED A BEARING AND DISTANCE FROM THE DPA VOR; WHILE THE ATIS NOTAM WAS REFERRING TO THE DUPAGE ARPT WITHOUT SPECIFYING SUCH. THE DUPAGE VOR SITS ABOUT 5 MI WSW OF THE DUPAGE ARPT. THE ROCKET LAUNCH NOTAM IS FREQUENTLY PRESENT ON WEEKENDS AND IS FAMILIAR TO ANYONE FLYING REGULARLY FROM DPA. THE NOTAM SPECIFIES A RADIAL AND DISTANCE FROM THE VOR AND USES A CARDINAL DIRECTION AND DISTANCE TO SPECIFY THE LOCATION FROM THE ARPT. THE ATIS NOTAM REFED 'DUPAGE' WITHOUT SPECIFYING WHICH DUPAGE AND USED BEARING AND DISTANCE; THEN SAME FORM THE PUBLISHED NOTAM USES TO REF THE VOR RADIAL. THE LACK OF CLARIFICATION WAS PARTICULARLY LIKELY TO CAUSE CONFUSION DUE TO THE ROCKET LAUNCH NOTAM; WHICH REFS THE ALMOST IDENTICAL RADIAL OFF THE VOR. HALFWAY BTWN THE DUPAGE VOR AND THE DUPAGE ARPT IS A PROMINENT RIVER THAT IS USED REGULARLY BY THE TWR AS A RPTING POINT. WHEN THE ATIS NOTAM SPECIFIED A RESCUE OP ON THE DUPAGE RIVER; MY ASSUMPTION WAS THAT THE RIVER BEING MENTIONED WAS THE SAME RIVER THAT IS USED AS A CHK POINT BY THE TWR. I LOOKED AROUND ON HEARING THE NOTAM AND DID NOT NOTICE A RIVER IN MY AREA. WHEN I REFED TO THE CHART; I FOLLOWED THE DPA VOR 120 DEG RADIAL FOR 5 MI (ABOUT 1 MI SHORT OF FERMI LABS) AND SAW THAT THE RIVER WAS WITHIN ABOUT A MI OR TWO OF THAT POINT. IT WASN'T UNTIL AFTER I LANDED AND I FOLLOWED THE RIVER N ABOUT 20 MI ON THE CHART THAT I SAW IN LIGHT PRINT THAT THE NAME OF THE RIVER IS THE FOX. THE DUPAGE IS NOT NAMED ON THE CHART. MY SUGGESTION FOR A BETTER TEMPORARY NOTAM BROADCAST ON ATIS SUCH AS THIS WOULD BE TO CLRLY SPECIFY THE REF POINT FOR THE BEARING AND DISTANCE AND ALSO INCLUDE AN ADDITIONAL REF TO A LANDMARK THAT CAN BE EASILY FOUND ON THE VFR CHART. IN THIS CASE; 'AVOID THE AREA 120 DEGS AT 5 NM FROM THE DUPAGE ARPT AT A RADIUS OF 3 NM UP TO 2600 FT FOR A RESCUE OP SE OF W CHICAGO.'
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.