HELI FLT CREW ENTERED A TFR AND FAILED TO ADHERE TO AN ATC ALT ASSIGNMENT WHILE TRANSITIONING AIRSPACE NEAR LGA ARPT AND YANKEE STADIUM.

2004-07 · NASA ASRS report 625154

Date: 2004-07 · Aircraft: S-76/S-76 Mark II

Anomalies: airspace-violation-all-types|deviation-altitude-excursion-from-assigned-altitude|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance

Synopsis

HELI FLT CREW ENTERED A TFR AND FAILED TO ADHERE TO AN ATC ALT ASSIGNMENT WHILE TRANSITIONING AIRSPACE NEAR LGA ARPT AND YANKEE STADIUM.

Narrative

TFR IN EFFECT FOR YANKEES STADIUM (BASEBALL GAME). 3 MI ZONE. I WAS PNF. WE WERE INSTRUCTED BY LGA TWR TO FLY SW FROM ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS TOWARD HACKENSACK RIVER TO CIRCUMVENT TFR ZONE; THEN TURN ABEAM CENTRAL PARK AND CROSS; TRANSITIONING TO THE EAST RIVER FOR DEST 34TH STREET; MAINTAIN 1500 FT; CLRED INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE. NOTES: 1) TFR IN EFFECT YANKEE STADIUM AND SIMULTANEOUSLY SHEA STADIUM TFR ALSO IN EFFECT. 2) MY EXPERIENCE WITH YANKEE STADIUM'S TFR HAS BEEN TO FLY THIS PARTICULAR RTE TO CIRCUMVENT; NEVER HAD I BEEN GIVEN CLRNC TO TRANSITION ANY TFR ZONE (YANKEE OR SHEA). 3) UNKNOWN TO MYSELF AT THE TIME; OTHER PLT HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO TRANSITION TFR'S WHILE ENRTE. 4) IN OUR PREDEP BRIEFING; I STATED THAT THE ROUTING WE WOULD (MOST LIKELY) RECEIVE WOULD BE TO CIRCUMVENT VIA THE HACKENSACK RIVER. THE OTHER PLT NEVER MENTIONED HIS PRIOR EXPERIENCE OF TRANSITIONING THROUGH TFR'S. (OTHER PLT IS ALSO CAPT QUALIFIED; SIMILAR EXPERIENCE TO MYSELF.) UPON RECEIVING THE CLRNC; PF CONTINUED TO ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS. 2 OTHER HELIS OPERATING OUTSIDE THE ZONE IN CLOSE PROX TO OUR ACFT. WE HAD NOTICED TARGETS ON TCASII AND SIMULTANEOUSLY ISSUED ADVISORY BY LGA TWR CTL. (VISIBILITY WAS RPTED AS 4 MI ON SURFACE; BUT TYPICAL SUMMER DAY; HOT; HUMID WITH POOR VISIBILITY.) I POINTED OUT OUR INTENDED RTE TO OTHER PLT (AS WE APCHED TFR BOUNDARY); BUT HE FAILED TO TURN AND I ATTRIBUTED THAT TO TFC IN OUR 1-2 O'CLOCK POS (DIRECTION WE NEEDED TO TURN). OTHER PLT AT THIS POINT INFORMED ME THAT HE INTENDED TO DSND TO 1400 FT. I RESPONDED IN THE NEGATIVE AND TOLD HIM 1500 FT WAS OUR ASSIGNED ALT (HE DSNDED TO 1400 FT ANYWAY; TFC WAS NOT AN ISSUE SINCE TFC WAS AT APPROX 1000 FT). PF CONTINUED STRAIGHT INTO TFR BOUNDARY AND I AGAIN POINTED OUT OUR REQUIRED RTE. AT THIS POINT; LGA TWR INFORMED US WE WERE IN THE TFR AND TO TURN IMMEDIATELY TO EXIT. I AGAIN (MORE FORCEFULLY/DIRECTLY) TOLD THE PF TO TURN (AT THIS POINT) ON A WESTERLY HDG TOWARDS THE HACKENSACK RIVER. WHILE DOING THIS AND IN THE ENSUING CONFUSION; HE DSNDED TO APPROX 1300 FT AND LGA TWR STATED WE HAD BEEN CLRED IN AND WERE TO MAINTAIN 1500 FT. (OPPOSITE DIRECTION TFC WAS APCHING FROM 12 O'CLOCK POS AND 1200 FT). REMAINDER OF FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. UPON LNDG BACK AT HOME BASE; WE HAD APPROX 1 HR PRIOR TO DEP. WE DISCUSSED THE EVENT. ALSO UPON COMPLETION OF OUR DAY; WE DEBRIEFED THE INCIDENT. PF STATED THAT IN HIS EXPERIENCE HE HAD BEEN SUCCESSFUL WITH LGA TWR ALLOWING TRANSITION THROUGH A TFR. HE ALSO STATED THAT A 'SW HDG' COULD BE CONSTRUED AS THE COURSE HE HAD BEEN FLYING. HE STATED HE NEVER HEARD CTLR ISSUE INSTRUCTIONS TOWARD HACKSENSACK RIVER. HIS REASON FOR DSNDING OUT OF AN ASSIGNED ALT WAS THAT IT WAS THE ALT WE NORMALLY FLY WHILE IN CLASS B AIRSPACE FLYING TO AND FROM THE CITY HELIS. I POINTED OUT WE WERE GIVEN A SPECIFIC CLRNC; HE HAD NO REPLY. CHAIN OF EVENTS. HOW THE PROB AROSE: SEPARATE PRECONCEIVED NOTION OF WHICH CLRNC WAS TO BE RECEIVED BY EACH PLT. PREDEP BRIEF OBVIOUSLY WAS NOT ADEQUATE (BY MYSELF) SINCE OTHER PLT DID NOT SEEM AWARE THAT WE WOULD RECEIVE THIS CLRNC (IN DEBRIEF; HE STATED HE NEVER RECEIVED THIS CLRNC BEFORE). CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: TFC; POOR VISIBILITY LED ME TO THINK PF WAS DELAYING MAKING HIS TURN; WHEN INDEED HE HAD NO INTENTION TO TURN. POOR COM IN THE COCKPIT. HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS: PERCEPTIONS; JUDGEMENTS; DECISIONS: 2 DIFFERENT PRECONCEIVED PERCEPTIONS OF WHAT WAS GOING TO OCCUR. POOR JUDGEMENT AND DECISION ON MY PART TO ALLOW SIT TO CONTINUE AS FAR AS IT DID. CONTRIBUTING: MY LONG FRIENDSHIP WITH OTHER PLT; RESPECT FOR HIS ABILITIES AND EXPERIENCE. ACTIONS OR INACTIONS: FACTORS AFFECTING THE QUALITY OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE: I HAD A SIMILAR INCIDENT WITH THIS SAME PLT IN REF TO NOT FOLLOWING ATC INSTRUCTIONS CONCERNING MAINTAINING AN ASSIGNED ALT APPROX 1 MONTH PRIOR IN CLASS D AIRSPACE. THIS INDIVIDUAL (WHEN IN MY PRESENCE) HAS BEEN NOTED TO BE OBSTINATE; ARGUMENTATIVE AND UNWILLING TO TAKE DIRECTIVES OR CRITICISM OF ANY TYPE. RECENTLY MY CHIEF PLT APCHED ME AND STATED HE HAS NOTED SIMILAR INSTANCES WHILE ON FLTS WITH THIS INDIVIDUAL. AT THAT TIME I MENTIONED TO HIM SEVERAL INSTANCES THAT I HAVE NOTED. I NOTED TO MY CHIEF PLT THAT THIS BEHAVIOR IS OUT OF CHARACTER -- POSSIBLE PERSONAL ISSUES; BUT THAT IF IT CONTINUES WITHOUT INTERVENTION AN INCIDENT MAY POSSIBLY OCCUR.

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

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