PLT OF C172 ACCUSED OF PENETRATING DC ADIZ WITHOUT APPROPRIATE CLRNC. DENIES DOING SO WITH GREAT SPECIFICITY.

Date: 2003-09 · Aircraft: Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172 · Phase: cruise

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

Synopsis

PLT OF C172 ACCUSED OF PENETRATING DC ADIZ WITHOUT APPROPRIATE CLRNC. DENIES DOING SO WITH GREAT SPECIFICITY.

Narrative

I CONTACTED WX SVCS AND RECEIVED A RECORDING ON THE EXPANDED P40 CAMP DAVID TFR AND ADIZ AREAS. I THEN TALKED WITH A BRIEFER AND FILED AN ADIZ/VFR FLT PLAN TO EMI/VOR (WESTMINSTER; MD) I MADE SURE THE FLT PLAN WAS FILED WITH POTOMAC TRACON. THEN I FILED AN ENTRY BACK INTO THE ADIZ VIA EMI. I ADVISED MARTIN STATE GND THAT I WOULD BE VFR NBOUND AT 2000 FT. WITH ADIZ FLT PLAN FILED; A SQUAWK CODE WAS GIVEN AND THE DEP FREQ FOR POTOMAC APCH. I TAXIED TO RWY 33; DEPARTED MARTIN STATE TO THE N. WITHIN 3 MINS; MARTIN TWR HANDED ME OFF TO POTOMAC APCH. ARRIVING AT EMI I CALLED BACK AND SAID 'C172 AT EMI WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE FREQS.' ATC REPLIED 'FREQ CHANGE APPROVED; GOOD DAY.' I PROCEEDED DIRECT FDK; WBOUND TOWARDS MRB. AFTER CLR OF THE P40 EXTENDED AREA; I PROCEEDED TO HGR TO W35; CIRCLED BERKELEY SPRINGS AIRPARK AT 6500 FT MSL; THEN FLEW DIRECT CUMBERLAND; CIRCLED THE ARPT THEN FLEW DIRECT HARPERS FERRY; FLEW DIRECT FREDERICK THEN DIRECT EMI. ON 121.5; I HEARD A CALL FROM SOMEONE THREATENING TO SHOOT DOWN SOMEONE WHO WAS SW OF GETTYSBURG ON A HDG OF 210 DEGS. AT THE TIME OF THIS XMISSIONS; I WAS OVER FREDERICK ON A HDG OF 080 DEGS TO EMI. UPON ARRIVING EMI; I CONTACTED POTOMAC APCH. ATC: 'CESSNA 172; YOU STILL WITH ME?' 'AFFIRMATIVE.' ATC: 'I'M NOT GETTING YOUR SQUAWK.' CESSNA 172: 'WILL CYCLE XPONDER.' ATC: 'AH; I SEE YOU NOW; YOU'RE ALRIGHT; CONTACT MARTIN TWR.' GOING OVER TO MARTIN; THANKS FOR YOUR HELP.' I RPTED L DOWNWIND MIDFIELD RWY 33. PROB AREA: OMAHA-MARTIN TWR: 'THIS IS OMAHA WHO DO YOU HAVE COMING IN?' MARTIN STATE: 'A C172.' OMAHA-MARTIN TWR: 'I HAVE BEEN CHASING THIS PLANE FOR AN HR GOING IN AND OUT OF THE ADIZ ZONE.' MARTIN STATE: 'GIVE ME A PHONE NUMBER AND GET OFF MY FREQ.' WE LANDED; CONTACTED FSS FOR THE CORRECT NUMBER. UPON GETTING AN ANSWER AT POTOMAC; THE FEMALE ATC CTLR ADVISED ME 'DID YOU NOT GO TO POTOMAC?' I SAID YES I DID. 'WELL; WE HAVE YOU LEAVING WASHINGTON POTOMAC ARPT WITHOUT AN ADIZ CLRNC.' I STATED 'NO; I WENT TO BERKELEY SPRINGS/POTOMAC AIRPARK IN WEST VIRGINIA ABOUT 100 MI TO THE N OF WASHINGTON.' SHE STATED 'THAT'S NOT CORRECT.' I REPLIED 'I KNOW WHERE I WAS; I HAVE A GPS ON BOARD.' SHE REPLIED 'YES; I HEAR IT ALL THE TIME.' SHE THEN BEGAN TO SAY 'MAYBE WE TAGGED THE WRONG ACFT. I WILL CALL YOU BACK LATER.' I THEN GOT A CALL ASKING MY NAME; ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER. AT EMI WE CHANGED XPONDER CODE BY A PUSH OF A BUTTON ON THE XPONDER AND CODE 1200 AUTOMATICALLY COMES UP. I BELIEVE THE XPONDER MUST HAVE QUIT WORKING. WE HAD TO CYCLE THE XPONDER AT EMI FOR OUR RETURN INTO ADIZ. THE AIR DEFENSE ZONE IS A GOOD IDEA AROUND THE MAJOR ARPTS; BUT STILL ANY TERRORIST CAN GET ADIZ CLRNC WITH JUST A PHONE CALL. THIS HARASSMENT IS CONTINUING FOR THE STUDENT TRAINING AND PVT PLTS. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE WITH THE ADIZ AROUND THE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON AREA. I DEPARTED MTN WITH AN ADIZ SQUAWK. I DID A 2.5 HR TRIP WITH NO LNDGS WITH A NEW ADIZ SQUAWK CODE TO RE-ENTER. MY QUESTION IS; IF I DID SOMETHING WRONG; HOW COME NO INTERCEPT PROCS WERE DONE? THEY SUPPOSEDLY WERE CHASING ME FOR AN HR IN A BLACKHAWK HELI WHICH IS TWICE THE SPD OF THE C172 I WAS IN. I WAS TREATED VERY UNFAIR AND HARASSED UPON ON AN OPEN FREQ WHICH ALL COULD HEAR.

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