GA SMA UNAUTH PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE WRONG ARPT APCH LDNG. UNAUTH LNDG.
Synopsis
GA SMA UNAUTH PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE WRONG ARPT APCH LDNG. UNAUTH LNDG.
Narrative
ON SAT NIGHT; 3/88; I DEPARTED TRENTON/ROBBINSVILLE ARPT; NJ; FOR A FLT TO FRG WITH 1 PAX IN AN SMA. I NEVER FLEW THERE BEFORE; AND AS I REVIEWED MY NY SECTIONAL; I REALIZED THAT I WAS LEAVING AN UNCTLED ARPT TO FLY TO AN ARPT WHICH LIES UNDERNEATH THE NY TCA; AND JUST W OF LONG ISLAND ARSA; AND MY DEST IS A CTLED ARPT. AFTER REVIEWING THE RADIO FREQS; I PLANNED MY FLT OVER THE OCEAN; OUTSIDE THE TCA; APPROX 10 MI FURTHER S OF AMBROSE LIGHT TWR; AND WHEN I SPOTTED MY LAND REF (JONES BEACH MONUMENT); I WOULD START MY DSCNT; LISTEN TO ATIS; THEN MAKE RADIO CONTACT WITH FRG TWR. I THOUGHT I SPOTTED JONES BEACH MONUMENT AND FRG IN THE DISTANCE. (IT WAS REALLY A MONUMENT AT CAPTREE PARK.) FURTHER E OF FRG. I STARTED MY DSCNT; LISTENED TO ATIS; THEN MADE RADIO CONTACT WITH FRG CTL TWR; WHILE HDG FOR WHAT I BELIEVED TO BE FRG. I INFORMED THEM THAT I WAS INBND WITH THE ATIS INFO AT 2000' S; APPROX 5-7 MI. FRG THEN CLRED ME TO LAND LEFT BASE RWY 32. I ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC AND FLEW THE PLANE TO LAND LEFT BASE RWY 32. WHEN I WAS ON SHORT FINAL APPROX 400' MSL; ATC ASKED WHERE I WAS (FREQ 118.8). I INFORMED THEM THAT I WAS ON SHORT FINAL FOR RWY 32. AS I XED THE THRESHOLD I NOTICED THE RWY # WAS 33 AND ATC REQUESTED THAT I CHANGE MY FREQ TO 119.3 FROM 118.8. I COMPLIED AND ATC THEN ASKED MY DEST AFTER I LANDED. I TOLD THEM FRG FBO. ATC THEN INFORMED ME THAT I WAS AT ISLIP; NOT FRG. THEN ATC ASKED MY INTENTIONS. I TOLD ATC THAT I WANTED FRG FBO. ATC THEN GUIDED ME BACK TO RWY 32 AND CLRED ME FOR A TKOF HDG TO FRG (15 MI W OF ISP). I STAYED WITH DEP CTL (FREQ 120.05) UNTIL REACHING REPUBLIC AIRSPACE. (DEP CTL FAILED TO APPROVE FREQ CHANGE OUTSIDE ISP AIRSPACE.) WHEN I REACHED FRG AIRSPACE; I MADE RADIO CONTACT WITH THE CTL TWR WHO CLRED ME TO LAND RIGHT BASE RWY 32. I THEN LANDED AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO CALL NY TRACON. I CALLED THE NY TRACON SUPVR. THE SUPVR IMMEDIATELY ACCUSED ME OF ENTERING THE TCA; ENTERING AN ARSA; ENTERING AN ATA; AND CHANGING RADIO FREQS W/O PERMISSION. I THEN INFORMED THE SUPVR THAT I NEVER ENTERED THE TCA; I DID RECEIVE CLRNC TO LAND AT FRG; WHICH I BELIEVED WAS ISP; AND I WAS OUTSIDE ISP AIRSPACE AND ABOUT TO ENTER FRG ATA WHEN I CHANGED RADIO FREQS (10 MI AWAY). I DIDN'T WANT TO VIOLATE FRG ATA W/O RADIO CONTACT. I ASKED THE SUPVR HOW I COULD BE CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 32 FRG AND END UP LNDG 15 MI AWAY; THROUGH AN ARSA; AT A CTLED ARPT W/O ANY RADIO COM FROM FRG OR LIGHT SIGNALS FROM ISP TO HELP CORRECT MY ERROR IN NAV. I THOUGHT THAT THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF ATC WAS TO ASSIST PLTS FOR SAFER FLTS. THE SUPVR THEN TOLD ME THAT HE WAS TRNING A NEW AIR TFC CTLR THAT NIGHT. I BELIEVE THAT A COMBINATION OF MY UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE LONG ISLAND AREA; A NIGHT FLT; AND AN INEXPERIENCED AIR TFC CTLR WERE THE CAUSES OF THIS BREAKDOWN IN THE SYS. IF THE CTLR HAD MORE EXPERIENCE; AND I STUDIED MY LAND REFERENCES MORE CLOSELY; THIS WOULDN'T HAVE OCCURRED. ALSO; WHEN I MADE A FREQ CHANGE FROM DEP CTL; I WILL REQUEST IT FIRST; GET CLRNC; THEN CHANGE THE FREQ.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.