2008-04 · NASA ASRS report 784366
C182 PLT ENTERS MULTIPLE CONTROLLED AIRSPACES WITHOUT CLRNC WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ALLAY CONCERNS OF INEXPERIENCED AND NERVOUS PAX.
I WAS PREPARING TO DEPART ZZZ1 VFR DIRECT TO ZZZ2. IN THE COPLT'S SEAT WAS A BUSINESS ACQUAINTANCE WHO WAS A FIRST TIME FLYER IN A SMALL ACFT. ALL APPEARED NORMAL DURING STARTUP AND TAXI. AFTER TKOF; MY PAX BECAME VERY NERVOUS AND AGITATED AS WE CLBED OUT AND; ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS; ACTUALLY GRABBED THE YOKE. I WAS CONCERNED TO THE POINT WHERE I CONSIDERED RETURNING TO LAND AT ZZZ1 AS I DID MY BEST TO CALM HIM DOWN BY TALKING TO HIM IN AN ATTEMPT TO RELAX HIM WHILE EXPLAINING THAT HE WAS NOT TO TOUCH THE CTLS. AS I BEGAN TO LEVEL OFF; HE BEGAN TO SETTLE DOWN. I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED ZZZ1 DEP FOR FLT ADVISORIES AND WAS TOLD THAT I HAD INADVERTENTLY CLBED TOO HIGH AND ENTERED CTLED AIRSPACE AND I IMMEDIATELY DSNDED TO 1200 FT AS DIRECTED AND OFFERED APOLOGIES. AS THE FLT PROGRESSED TOWARDS ZZZ2; ZZZ1 DEP CANCELED FLT FOLLOWING AND I ALLOWED MY PAX TO TAKE THE CTLS IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET HIM TO RELAX. THE 30 MIN FLT CONTINUED TO ZZZ2 WITH MY PAX ON THE CTLS WHO DID THE BEST HE COULD TO MAINTAIN ALT AND HDG. I ALLOWED HIM TO TRY TURNS TO THE L AND R ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND CORRECTED HIS VARIOUS DIVERSIONS FROM MY PLANNED 2000 FT MSL ALT WHILE CONTINUOUSLY TRYING MY BEST TO RELAX HIM WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY WATCHING HIM CAREFULLY FOR ANY ADDITIONAL SIGNS OF PANIC. MY PLAN WAS TO FLY WELL E OF ZZZ3'S CLASS C AIRSPACE AND I DID NOT NOTICE THE TERMINAL AREA RINGS ON MY GPS. AS I WAS APPROX 15 MI FROM ZZZ; I CONTACTED THE TWR FOR PERMISSION TO LAND. MY PAX; WHO WAS NOW ALMOST ENJOYING THE FLT; REQUESTED TO FLY UP THE COAST FOR A FEW MINS SO HE COULD 'SEE THE BEACH.' I MADE THIS REQUEST TO ZZZ2 TWR AND ASKED IF I COULD FLY W AND THEN N UNTIL INTERCEPTING THE INBOUND COURSE TO RWY X AT ZZZ2 AND BELIEVE I SPECIFICALLY ASKED FOR HELP WITH THE AIRSPACE. I WAS GIVEN A DISCRETE XPONDER CODE WHICH I ENTERED AND WAS TOLD TO 'FLY HDG 270 DEGS.' AFTER FLYING 270 DEGS; I FLEW N ALONG THE BEACH UNTIL INTERCEPTING THE INBOUND COURSE AND THEN INFORMED THE TWR I WAS TURNING INBOUND FOR RWY X. HE THEN TOLD ME THAT HE HAD RECEIVED A CALL FROM ZZZ3 WITH DIRECTIONS FOR ME TO CONTACT THEM ONCE ON THE GND. I ASKED IF HE HAD KEPT ME OUT OF THEIR AIRSPACE AND HE SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT HE HAD MISINTERPED MY INTENTIONS. I ASSUMED THAT ANY INADVERTENT ENTERING OF ZZZ3'S AIRSPACE MUST HAVE OCCURRED WHILE UNDER POSITIVE CTL FROM ZZZ2. HOWEVER; WHILE ON MY APCH TO ZZZ2; I DISCOVERED THAT THE GPS HAD BEEN SET TO 'CLR' ALL AIRSPACE AND OTHER DATA FROM THE SCREEN AS IF IN APCH MODE. MY PAX ADMITTED TO HAVING PUSHED IT SEVERAL TIMES AS I HAD TAUGHT HIM TO DO WHEN DESIRING TO GO TO THE 'DEFAULT' NAV PAGE; ONLY I FAILED TO NOTICE THAT HIS ACTIONS HAD DELETED ALL NAV DATA FROM THE SCREEN. NOW ARMED WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE; I DO NOT KNOW IF I MAY HAVE ENTERED THE EASTERN EDGE OF ZZZ3'S AIRSPACE PRIOR TO CONTACTING THE ZZZ2 TWR. THE ABOVE NARRATIVE IS NOT MEANT TO PLACE THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY ERRORS ON MY PANICKED PAX. AS PIC; I AM FULLY AWARE OF MY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SAFETY OF MY FLT AND FOR ADHERING TO FAA REGS. IN 12 YRS OF FLYING; I HAVE NEVER ENTERED CTLED AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC TO DO SO AND ABSOLUTELY ACKNOWLEDGE THE GRAVITY OF SUCH AN OFFENSE. I HAVE LEARNED SEVERAL VALUABLE LESSONS FROM THIS FLT WHICH WILL SERVE ME WELL IN THE FUTURE. THE EXTREME DISTR OF A PANICKED PAX COMBINED WITH MY CHOSEN METHOD OF TRYING TO ALLAY HIS FEARS; MIGHT BEST HAVE BEEN HANDLED BY LNDG IMMEDIATELY AT ZZZ1. FOCUSING MOST OF MY ATTN ON KEEPING HIM CALM AND NOT NOTICING THAT HE HAD CLRED ALL FLT AND AIRSPACE DATA FROM THE GPS IS YET ANOTHER SYMPTOM OF ALLOWING A DISTR TO DETRACT FROM THE SAFETY OF THE FLT. I OFFER THIS INFO IN AN ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN SOME OF THE FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO SUCH A SLOPPY AND INEXCUSABLE 30 MIN; VFR FLT. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME IN ALL MY YRS OF FLYING AND I PROMISE IT NEVER WILL AGAIN.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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