PLT OF AS55 HELI; UNABLE TO CONTACT ANY CTLING AUTH TO OBTAIN CLRNC; ENTERS DC ADIZ WITHOUT RADIO CONTACT OR DISCRETE SQUAWK. ADVISED IN THE BLIND ON GUARD FREQ TO EXIT.

Date: 2003-08 · Aircraft: AS 355 Twinstar · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: airspace-violation-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

PLT OF AS55 HELI; UNABLE TO CONTACT ANY CTLING AUTH TO OBTAIN CLRNC; ENTERS DC ADIZ WITHOUT RADIO CONTACT OR DISCRETE SQUAWK. ADVISED IN THE BLIND ON GUARD FREQ TO EXIT.

Narrative

I DEPARTED VFR FROM MILLER ARPT (MJX) ENRTE TO RICHMOND ARPT (RIC) VIA CHANDELLE ARPT (0N4) AFTER CHKING WX AND ENRTE INFO. WHILE ENRTE AND PASSING OVER 0N4; I ELECTED; BASED ON CURRENT WX CONDITIONS AND REMAINING DAYLIGHT HRS; TO DEVIATE FROM MY ORIGINAL PLANNED FLT ROUTING TO HEF VIA 2W5 TO AVOID THE WASHINGTON PROHIBITED AREA. WHILE DEVIATING APPROX 5-10 MI WSW OF 0N4 AND FLYING THE ACFT; I REVIEWED MY CURRENT WASHINGTON SECTIONAL CHART FOR PERTINENT INFO TO NAV AND COMMUNICATE INTO MY NEW DEST (HEF). I TRIED TO MAKE RADIO CONTACT WITH BALTIMORE APCH WHILE STILL ENRTE AT 700 FT MSL WITH NO RESPONSE. I CONTINUED TO ATTEMPT RADIO CONTACT WITH OTHER AGENCIES SUCH AS LCL FSS; DOVER APCH 132.425 AND PATUXENT APCH 127.95 -- STILL TO NO AVAIL. ACCORDING TO A RADIO CALL THAT I BELIEVE WAS INTENDED FOR MY ACFT WHICH I RECEIVED WHILE MONITORING GUARD FREQ 121.5; THE CTLING AGENCY XMITTED IN THE BLIND THAT AN ACFT SQUAWKING 1200 HAD ENTERED THE WASHINGTON ADIZ APPROX 2-3 MI ENE OF BAY BRIDGE ARPT (W29) WHICH I DETERMINED TO BE MY APPROX POS BASED ON MY SECTIONAL CHART. ONCE I DETERMINED THAT THIS WAS MY APPROX POS; I ATTEMPTED TO MAKE RADIO CONTACT WITH GUARD TO IDENT MYSELF TO NO AVAIL. I WAS INSTRUCTED IN THE BLIND BY GUARD TO EXIT THE AREA TO THE E WHICH I COMPLIED WITH VIA THE SHORELINE ESE DUE TO WX AND VISIBILITY CONDITIONS. I; AT THIS POINT AND LOCATION; WAS ABLE TO CLB HIGHER IN VFR CONDITIONS WHILE TRAVELING S TO AGAIN ATTEMPT RADIO CONTACT WITH A CTLING AGENCY TO IDENT MYSELF AND OBTAIN CLRNC. AT THIS POINT I WAS ABLE TO MAKE RADIO CONTACT WITH A CTLING AGENCY; THAT I BELIEVE WAS PATUXENT APCH 127.95. I IDENTED MYSELF AND OBTAINED A SQUAWK CODE. THEY IN TURN HANDED ME OFF TO POTOMAC APCH WHICH HANDLED MY ACFT ENRTE TO 2W5 WHERE I HAD TO LAND TO WAIT OUT WX AT MY NEW FINAL DEST OF HEF. WHILE ENRTE TO 2W5; POTOMAC APCH REQUESTED THAT I CALL TRACON WHEN I LANDED AT 2W5 ON LANDLINE. I COMPLIED AND SPOKE TO A SUPVR WHO INFORMED ME THAT I HAD ENTERED THE WASHINGTON ADIZ. I EXPLAINED WHAT I BELIEVED TO HAVE HAPPENED AND HE THEN TOOK MY PERTINENT INFO AND INFORMED ME THAT I WOULD BE HEARING FROM AN FSDO OFFICE. CORRECTIVE SOLUTIONS: 1) BETTER COMS FACILITIES (RCO'S) FOR CONTACTING CTLING AGENCIES WHILE ENRTE AT LOW FLT LEVELS IN THE VICINITY OF SUCH RESTR AIRSPACES TO FACILITATE THE ENRTE IDENT OF OUR ACFT AND RECEIVE CLRNCS WITHOUT HAVING TO LAND AND CALL FSS IN THE EVENT OF A FLT PLAN CHANGE FOR WX OR OTHER UNFORESEEN REASONS. 2) PROPERLY UPDATED AVIATION SECTIONAL NAV CHARTS THAT DEPICT AND EXPLAIN ALL THE CURRENT RESTR AIRSPACES THAT HAVE BEEN PERMANENTLY IMPLEMENTED; IE; WASHINGTON ADIZ WHICH HAS BEEN IN EFFECT FOR SOME TIME AND IS NOT DEPICTED ON THE CURRENT SECTIONAL CHARTS. 3) BETTER PREFLT PLANNING BY THE PIC IF THERE MAY BE A NEED TO DEVIATE WHILE ENRTE VFR IN THE AREAS OF SUA SUCH AS THE WASHINGTON ADIZ. 4) BETTER COOPERATION AND UNDERSTANDING BTWN THE HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICE; TRANSPORTATION SAFETY ADMINISTRATION AND THE FAA ON HOW TO DEVELOP A SYS WITH CTLS THAT IS DESIGNED TO PROMOTE AIR COMMERCE BOTH GA AND ACR'S.

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