2003-11 · NASA ASRS report 600773
PLT OF C414 FLIES INTO DC ADIZ WITHOUT APPROPRIATE CLRNC AND DISCRETE CODE.
I DEPARTED FROM MIV VFR TRAVELING DUE W. I ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED PERMISSION TO ENTER CLASS D AIRSPACE AT DOVER AFB AND WAS GIVEN A DISCRETE XPONDER CODE. AS I WAS XING THE CLASS D AIRSPACE (AND LISTENING TO DFB) I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN WITH THE FSS TO MY DEST ARPT OF CPS (ST LOUIS; MO). AFTER ASKING FSS WHAT FREQ I NEEDED TO CONTACT TO OPEN UP THE FLT PLAN; I WAS GIVEN A FREQ TO INITIATE CONTACT. I MADE THE CONTACT IMMEDIATELY AND WAS QUICKLY HANDED OFF TO ANOTHER CTLR (NEW YORK CTL). AT THAT POINT I WAS WELL E OF THE ADIZ. HOWEVER; THAT FREQ RESULTED IN NO RESPONSE; SO I RECONTACTED THE INITIAL CTLR WHO THEN GAVE ME YET ANOTHER FREQ TO CONTACT. I WAS SUCCESSFUL IN CONTACTING THAT CTLR; BUT HE QUICKLY (WITHIN 20 SECONDS) PASSED ME ON TO ANOTHER CTLR. AFTER ABOUT 30 MINS WITH OTHER CHANGES OF ATC CTLRS; I WAS TOLD TO CONTACT FSS BECAUSE I HAD VIOLATED THE ADIZ (NOT CAMP DAVID). I SPOKE WITH THE OPS MGR AT THE CTR WHICH WAS IN CTL OF THAT AREA AND HE INDICATED SOME FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE WITH THIS ADIZ. HE SUGGESTED THAT I FILE THIS NASA FORM TO ALERT THE FAA OF THIS PROB. I DO NOT KNOW HOW THAT GEOGRAPHICAL AREA IS DIVIDED; BUT IT WOULD APPEAR THAT A FAST MOVING ACFT UNDER ATC CTL MAY HAVE TROUBLE AVOIDING IN THIS AREA WHEN THERE IS A HVY WORKLOAD ON BOTH ATC AND THE PLT. IN A HVY WORKLOAD ENVIRONMENT AND AN IRREGULAR CONTOUR OF THE ADIZ AREA IN WHICH TO NAV; AN ERROR IN NAV IS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE AND PROBABLE. WHILE THE PIC IS ALWAYS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CTL OF THEIR ACFT; I HAVE COME TO RELY ON THE ATC TO HELP IN ACFT SEPARATION AND AVOIDING ANY ACTIVE RESTR AREAS. I THINK ALSO THAT THE CONTOURS OF THE ADIZ COULD BE MADE MORE 'USER FRIENDLY' SO THAT A PLT COULD EASILY RECOGNIZE WHEN THEY ARE APCHING THE ADIZ IN A HIGH WORKLOAD ENVIRONMENT THAT A SINGLE PLT OP USUALLY ENTAILS. AS IT IS NOW; I BELIEVE IT TAKES A LOT OF CALCULATIONS AND XFERING TO AVOID THIS AREA AND; THUS; UNINTENTIONAL NAVIGATIONAL ERRORS HAVE A HIGH POSSIBILITY OF OCCURRING. OBVIOUSLY AT 16000 FT THERE IS NOT A LOT A PLT CAN SEE AS THEY ARE USUALLY ABOVE THE CLOUDS; THUS; MAKING EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THE PRESENCE OF BOTH CLR AND EASILY RECOGNIZABLE NAVAIDS IN ORDER TO INVOLVE AN INADVERTENT TRANSGRESSION.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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