ON CLIMBOUT PLT PENETRATED TCA; WHEN CTLR'S CONFIRMATION OF HIS DESTINATION CAUSED HIM TO CHANGE HEADING EARLY.

Date: 1988-01 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear

Anomalies: other-airspace-violation-entry-or-exit

Synopsis

ON CLIMBOUT PLT PENETRATED TCA; WHEN CTLR'S CONFIRMATION OF HIS DESTINATION CAUSED HIM TO CHANGE HEADING EARLY.

Narrative

THIS WAS A CHARTER PART 135 ATX LAS VEGAS (MC CARRAN) TO LGB; RETURNING EMPTY PART 91 TO LGB TO LAS. THE FIRST LEG WAS UNEVENTFUL. WHEN PREPARING TO DEPART LGB; I AGAIN CHKED MY LAX TERMINAL CHART AND FLT PLAN. IN MY CALL TO LGB CLRNC; I STATED MY DEST AND CRUISING ALT; AND REQUESTED RADAR SVCS TO AVOID ANY PROBS WITH TCA'S; ARSA'S; TRSA'S AND SUCH. CLRNC RESPONDED WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO MAINTAIN VFR; DEP CTL FREQ 127.2; SQUAWK 5204...MY CALL TO GND CTL REQUESTED; AND I RECEIVED; RWY 25R. MY CALL TO LGB TWR REQUESTED; AND I RECEIVED; CLRNC FOR A RIGHT DOWNWIND DEP. FLYING UNDER LAX TCA AND OVER ALL ARSA'S; MY FLT PLAN CALLED FOR INTERCEPTING AND FLYING THE PDZ 250 DEG R INBND TO WHERE IT INTERSECTED THE SLI 025 DEG R; THEN CLBING OUTBND; BASICALLY DIRECT; TO THE CAJON PASS; THEN DIRECT DAGGETT DIRECT LAS VEGAS. IN MY CALL TO COAST DEP; I GAVE; I BELIEVE; LOCATION; ALT LEAVING; DEST AND CRUISING ALT; AND REQUESTED DIRECT CAJON PSS. WHEN COAST DEP RESPONDED; I HEARD HIM IDENT MY CALL AND I BELIEVED HE ALSO PROVIDED CLRNC DIRECT; BECAUSE I THOUGHT HE RESPONDED WITH; 'RADAR CONTACT; THAT'S APPROVED.' HOWEVER; I COULD NOT DO A READBACK; DUE TO HIS BEING SO BUSY HE WAS CALLING ACFT ONE AFTER THE OTHER W/O PAUSE; BUT THINKING I WAS APPROPRIATELY CLRED I TURNED LEFT TOWARD CAJON PASS PRIOR TO REACHING THE SLI 025 DEG R; AND CONTINUED CLBING. THE CTLR WAS CONSTANTLY BUSY; AND I WAS LISTENING UP. I WAS VERY SURPRISED THEN; WHEN I HEARD HIM CALL AND ASK IF I WAS ON FREQ. HE THEN SAID THAT HE HAD TERMINATED SVC 5 MI BACK AND ASKED IF I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE LAX TCA. I RESPONDED THAT I HAD NOT HEARD NOR ACKNOWLEDGED SUCH A CALL (I WAS STILL SQUAWKING 5204); AND GOT VERY CONCERNED AND FLUSTERED; AND BLUBBERED SOMETHING ABOUT NOT BEING VERY FAMILIAR. HE THEN SAID; 'WELL; IT'S NO PROB;' AND GAVE ME A VECTOR OF 110 DEGS. AFTER A COUPLE OF MINS HE GAVE ANOTHER CLRNC TO PROCEED ON COURSE AND SQUAWK 1200 AND ANOTHER FREQ FOR FURTHER RADAR SVC. EXCEPT FOR MY NOW SOMEWHAT AGITATED AND CONCERNED STATE; THE REST OF THE FLT CONTINUED UNEVENTFULLY. IT APPEARS AN INCURSION INTO THE TCA OCCURRED IN THE SE CORNER AREA OF THE NE SECTOR; WHERE THE TCA LIMITS ARE 125/4 DEGS. I DEEPLY REGRET THIS; AND BELIEVE I AND THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE LANGUAGE AWARE. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN CERTAIN OF CLRNCS; AND HE PERHAPS; MORE CERTAIN HIS INSTRUCTIONS ELICIT APPROPRIATE RESPONSE. (THIS IS NOT A CRITICISM--THOSE PEOPLE DO A FANTASTIC JOB; CONSIDERING ALL THE SYS IMPOSES). STILL; IT WOULD HAVE OBVIATED A PROB FOR ME HAD I HAD WARNING I WAS HDG FOR A SITUATION. IN SHORT; I BELIEVE WE BOTH MAY HAVE FAILED TO COMMUNICATE ADEQUATELY. OTHER FACTORS IN MY CASE: COMPANY PRESSURE TO GET BACK TO LAS VEGAS FOR ANOTHER FLT; MURPHY AT WORK; ANXIETY LEVEL DUE TO ALL RELATIVE TO TCA'S AND LAX IN PARTICULAR; NOT ENOUGH RECENT FLYING IN SUCH AN ENVIRONMENT.

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