A 1943 SPITFIRE FLOWN BY A PVT PLT EXPERIENCES AN AIRSPACE INCURSION OF THE DC ADIZ WHEN CITED AS WITHIN THAT TFR WHILE 41 NM FROM DC.

Date: 2003-10 · Aircraft: Amateur/Home Built/Experimental

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

Synopsis

A 1943 SPITFIRE FLOWN BY A PVT PLT EXPERIENCES AN AIRSPACE INCURSION OF THE DC ADIZ WHEN CITED AS WITHIN THAT TFR WHILE 41 NM FROM DC.

Narrative

I FLEW OUR MARK IX SPITFIRE TO AN AIRSHOW AND FLY-IN AT ZZZ. THIS WAS A VFR FLT. I HAD NOTIFIED THE FSDO EARLIER THAT DAY BY FAX THAT I WOULD BE FLYING THE EXPERIMENTAL WARBIRD TO THIS AIRSHOW. IT WAS TO BE A TRAINING FLT AND DEMONSTRATION AT AN EVENT. I EXPECTED TO RETURN THE SAME WAY; WITH FLT FOLLOWING ALONG THE RETURN RTE. DURING THE AIRSHOW; I ASKED THE LCL FBO WHAT THE CORRECT FREQ WAS TO CONTACT EITHER CTR OR POTOMAC APCH. THEY TOLD ME 126.15. I MADE A NOTE OF THIS AND REVIEWED THE CURRENT VFR SECTIONAL MAP. AT APPROX XA30; I DEPARTED VFR WITH NO FLT PLAN ON FILE AND PROCEEDED ON A DOWNWIND DEP AS I TRIED TO CONTACT THE AIR TFC CTLR ON THE SUGGESTED FREQ. MY XPONDER WAS SET ON 1200 AND WAS RPTING ALT. I CALLED THE CTLR 3 TIMES AND WAS TOLD TO STANDBY; BECAUSE HE SEEMED TO BE HAVING A PROB WITH ANOTHER PLT THAT HE WAS PROVIDING A FLT PLAN TO. I TOOK UP WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A HEADING OF 170 DEGS DURING THE COMS EXCHANGE. THIS IS WHAT I HAD CALCULATED WOULD KEEP ME TO THE W OF THE ADIZ ON MY PATH TO ZZZ2. THE CTLR FINALLY GOT AROUND TO ME AND I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT I HAD JUST TAKEN OFF FROM ZZZ AND WAS LOOKING FOR RADAR IDENT AND FLT FOLLOWING. HE TOLD ME THAT I SHOULD HAVE CALLED HIM ON THE GND AND GAVE ME A DIFFERENT FREQ. I CALLED THAT FREQ AND RPTED MYSELF OFF ZZZ. THAT CTLR ASSIGNED ME A XPONDER CODE. HE INFORMED ME TO MAKE AN IMMEDIATE TURN TO THE W AND ASKED ME IF I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE ADIZ AROUND WASHINGTON. I MADE THE TURN AND TOLD HIM THAT I HAD REVIEWED THE MAP PRIOR TO THE FLT; BUT I WAS NOT FROM THE LCL AREA. HE TOLD ME THAT I HAD FLOWN INTO THE AIR DEFENSE ZONE AND WANTED ME TO TELEPHONE THEM AFTER I HAD LANDED. HE GAVE ME HEADING INSTRUCTIONS AND I CONTINUED ON TO MY DEST. AFTER I LANDED; I CALLED THE TRACON AND TALKED WITH THE OPS MGR. HE INFORMED ME THAT I HAD FLOWN INTO THE ADIZ AND WOULD PROBABLY RECEIVE A VIOLATION AS A RESULT OF THIS. HE INFORMED ME THAT SOME MIL INTERCEPT ACFT HAD BEEN ALERTED; BUT THEY HAD NOT TAKEN OFF. HE TOLD ME THAT I WAS IDENTED AS BEING 41 NM FROM DC. WHEN HE FURTHER EXPLAINED THAT THE 30 MI ARC AROUND THE CITY IS A PROTECTED ZONE; I ASKED HIM WHY WAS THIS A PROB; IF I WAS 11 MI FURTHER OUT. HE WAS NOT SURE; BUT WOULD LOOK INTO THAT FURTHER. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IS OUR ERRATIC HSI NAV INST. WE HAVE SENT IT OFF TWICE IN THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS TO BE SVCED. THE LAST TIME IT CAME BACK; IT STILL WAS NOT OPERATING CORRECTLY; BUT THERE SEEMED TO BE SOME CONFUSION BTWN ANOTHER PLT AND MYSELF IF IT WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. ON THE FLT UP TO ZZZ; IT WAS NOT WORKING AT FIRST; BUT THEN SEEMED TO CORRECT ITSELF. IT ALIGNED ITSELF CORRECTLY ON THE RWY AT TKOF; SO I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS STILL OK; BUT SINCE I FLEW HEADING 170 DEGS BASED UPON THE INST; IT MUST NOT BE CORRECT; IF I ENDED UP IN THE ADIZ. AFTER HAVING ALREADY PAID $4000 THIS YR TO TRY AND CORRECT THE PROB; THE SOLUTION CONTINUES TO ELUDE THE TECHNICIANS. I AM NOT SURE AS TO A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO PREVENT OTHER PLTS FROM SIMILAR RECURRENCES; BUT PERHAPS TO HAVE WRITTEN HANDOUTS FOR VISITING PLTS THAT ARE NOT AS FAMILIAR WITH THE LCL AREA OR THE PROPER PROCS FOR DEPARTING THEIR ARPTS.

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