REPORTED PENETRATION OF ARSA BY SMA ON A US CUSTOM PATROL MISSION.

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

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

Synopsis

REPORTED PENETRATION OF ARSA BY SMA ON A US CUSTOM PATROL MISSION.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING A U.S. CUSTOMS/CIVIL AIR PATROL MISSION OUT OF FT LAUDERDALE EXECUTIVE ARPT; WHICH IS THE ARPT WHERE I TOOK OFF. WE PATROLLED 20-25 NM OUT OVER THE WATER; E OF THE FL SHORELINE. WE SPOTTED A SUSPICIOUS BOAT XING INTO THE U.S. BORDER AND WE CONTACTED U.S. CUSTOMS ON THEIR RADIO AND INFORMED THEM THAT WE HAD A POSSIBLE TARGET. WE USE LORAN FOR POS RPTS TO CUSTOMS. WE WERE 14 NM SE OF FT LAUDERDALE INTL ARPT WHEN U.S. CUSTOMS ADVISED US TO CONTACT THE FT LAUDERDALE TWR IF WE WERE GOING TO BE OPERATING IN THIS AREA. SO; WE DID; AND I CONTACTED FT LAUDERDALE TWR AND INFORMED THE CTLR THAT WE WERE ON A U.S. CUSTOMS MISSION AND THAT WE WERE AT 800' MSL; THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DES TO 500' MSL AND OPERATE IN THIS AREA DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE BOAT WE WERE TRACKING INBND WAS HEADING TOWARD THE PORT OF FT LAUDERDALE. I INFORMED THE CTLR THE TRANSPONDER CODE WE WERE SQUAWKING; THEN HE SAID RADAR CONTACT 500' APPROVED. I DESCENDED DOWN TO 500' AND CONTINUED TO MAINTAIN VFR AND MONITORED HIS FREQ. ABOUT 15 MINS AFTER MY FIRST CONTACT WITH THE TWR; THE CTLR CALLED ME ON THE RADIO AND ASKED ME IF I KNEW THAT I HAD VIOLATED THE FT LAUDERDALE ARSA. I INFORMED HIM THAT I THOUGHT THAT I HAD TOLD HIM OF MY INTENTIONS AND THAT I WAS AT THE ASSIGNED 500'. THE CTLR INFORMED ME THAT I SHOULD NOT FLY N OF THE ARPT DUE TO ARRIVING ACFT COMING FROM THE E LNDG AT FT LAUDERDALE'S RWY 27. THE U.S. COAST GUARD INTERCEPTED THE BOAT AND THEN I CALLED THE TWR OVER THE RADIO AND REQUESTED TRANSITION N TO FT LAUDERDALE EXECUTIVE ARPT. SO; THIS APPROVED; WE LANDED. LATER THAT EVENING I RECEIVED A TELEPHONE CALL FROM THE CIVIL AIR PATROL U.S. CUSTOMS OFFICER. HE INFORMED ME THAT THE TWR AT FT LAUDERDALE WANTED TO TALK TO ME. I CALLED THE TWR IN THE EVENING AND TALKED WITH THE AFTERNOON SUPVR. I EXPLAINED TO HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THEN HE SAID THAT THE DAY SUPVR WAS THE PERSON THAT WANTED TO FIND OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED; SO I GAVE HIM MY TELEPHONE NUMBER AND I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING FROM THEM YET. I FEAR THEY WANT TO VIOLATE ME.

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