GA SMA UNAUTH PENETRATION OF SFO TCA.

1988-04 · NASA ASRS report 86283

Date: 1988-04 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Retractable Gear

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|other-airspace-violation-entry-or-exit

Synopsis

GA SMA UNAUTH PENETRATION OF SFO TCA.

Narrative

BUSINESS TRIP FROM HIO TO SQL. RDD-SQL LEG FLOWN BY LOWER TIME PLT WITH RPTR SERVING IN NAV ROLE DUE TO MORE FAMILIARITY WITH SFO BAY AREA ARPTS AND PROCS. TRAVIS TURNED US LOOSE S OF CONCORD ARPT WITH NO INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHANGEOVER TO BAY APCH. ONE CONTACT ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO BAY APCH BY RPTR WITH NO RESPONSE. I MADE DECISION TO TRANSIT HWD ATA FROM E TO W; MADE CONTACT WITH TWR AT HWD AND WAS CLRED THROUGH. ON W SIDE OF AREA; RECEIVED OK TO SWITCH FREQS. I INSTRUCTED PLT TO HEAD FOR THE HIGHEST SPAN OF THE SAN MATEO BRIDGE; KNOWING SAN CARLOS TWR ASKS TFC FROM THAT DIRECTION (VFR) TO RPT THERE FIRST. A QUICK GLANCE AT SECTIONAL CHART INDICATED TCA AT SFO (SFC TO 8000 SEGMENT) STARTED AT BRIDGE. THEREFORE; WE WOULD BE WHERE SAN CARLOS TWR WANTED US--AT MID-SPAN OF BRIDGE; WE WERE BELOW 1500' FLOOR OF TCA SEGMENT; AND WE WERE S OF SFC-8000 TCA SEGMENT. ON CONTACT WITH TWR (WE WERE ABOUT 1/4 MI S OF HIGH SPAN OF SAN MATEO BRIDGE AT 1000'); WE WERE ASKED TO SQUAWK 5200 FOLLOWED BY A COMMAND TO 'TURN LEFT 90 DEGS IMMEDIATELY.' WE WERE ALREADY IN A LEFT TURN TO TAKE UP A HDG TO THE ANTENNA OF RADIO STATION KNBR ANYWAY; SO I CONFIRMED THAT FACT. AT GND CTL'S REQUEST; WERE TOLD TO CALL THE TWR. CTLR WHO INSTRUCTED US WITH THE IMMEDIATE 90 DEG TURN SAID WE WERE 1 MI INSIDE THE SFC-8000 SEGMENT OF THE TCA AND RIGHT AT THE LOM FOR RWY 28 AT SFO. AT FIRST I WAS DISBELIEVING. I KNEW WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AT MID-SPAN AND I HAD VERIFIED EARLIER THAT POINT WAS OUTSIDE THE TCA. UPON CLOSER EXAMINATION OF THE CHART; HOWEVER; IT WAS APPARENT THE BOLD MAGENTA LINE THAT I MISTOOK FOR THE TCA BOUNDARY WAS IN FACT ONLY A DEPICTION OF THE SAN MATEO BRIDGE. FURTHERMORE; IT WAS INSIDE THE TCA AT THE POINT I RPTED TO THE TWR. AND; I WAS NOT AT MID-SPAN; BUT INSTEAD AT HIGH-SPAN. THE BRIDGE IS CONSTRUCTED IN SUCH A WAY THAT A PERSON WOULD THINK OF THE SPAN AS THE BRIDGE BTWN APCHS. AND THE APCHS; ESPECIALLY FROM THE E; ARE QUITE A DISTANCE. MID-SPAN IS ABOUT 2 MI BACK TO THE E AND OUT OF THE SFC-8000 TCA! SO; I WAS GUILTY AS CHARGED. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED BY ME CHKING THE BOUNDARIES MORE CAREFULLY AND NOT ASSUMING LOCATION OF THE SFC-8000 TCA AND MID-SPAN WERE WHAT THEY WERE. THE CHART IS HARD TO READ; BUT IT'S THERE. ALSO; USING THE ATC SYS--I SHOULD HAVE ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH BAY APCH AND RECEIVED FLT FOLLOWING.

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

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