GA SMA UNAUTH PENETRATION OF PHL TCA WHILE ON CROSS COUNTRY FLT USING FLT FOLLOWING.

Date: 1988-09 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft; Low Wing; 1 Eng; Retractable Gear

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

Synopsis

GA SMA UNAUTH PENETRATION OF PHL TCA WHILE ON CROSS COUNTRY FLT USING FLT FOLLOWING.

Narrative

I WAS ON A VFR XCOUNTRY FLT FROM OB8 TO GAI. FROM OB8 UNTIL PAST THE NY TCA I WAS CRUISING AT 8500' MSL AND WAS ON FLT FOLLOWING FOR THE ENTIRE FLT. AFTER LEAVING NY AIRSPACE; I CONTACTED MC GUIRE APCH AND WAS ON FLT FOLLOWING WITH MC GUIRE UNTIL JUST AFTER PASSING RBV VORTAC. DURING THIS TIME I REQUESTED AND RECEIVED CLRNC TO DSND TO 4500' MSL IN ORDER TO AVOID HEADWINDS. AT RBV I JOINED V252 TO THE DQO VOR. APPROX 5 NM SW OF RBV MC GUIRE TERMINATED RADAR SVC AND TOLD ME TO CONTACT PHL APCH IN ABOUT 10 NM. APPROX 12 NM SW OF RBV ON V252 I CALLED PHL APCH ON THE FREQ SUGGESTED BY MC GUIRE SAYING: 'PHL APCH; THIS IS ACFT IDENT.' PHL TOLD ME TO 'STANDBY;' BUT GAVE NO FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. AFTER ANOTHER MINUTE OR 90 SECS; WHEN PHL DID NOT CALL BACK; I AGAIN CALLED PHL. I RECEIVED NO ANSWER. I REPEATED MY CALL TO PHL 2 MORE TIMES AT INTERVALS OF ABOUT 45 SECS. STILL NO RESPONSE. FINALLY; APPROX 20 NM SW OF RBV; REALIZING THAT I WAS ABOUT TO ENTER OR POSSIBLY HAD ENTERED THE PHL TCA; AND UNCERTAIN WHETHER TO PROCEED ON COURSE OR WHETHER TO TURN AROUND; I CALLED PHL AND SAID THAT I WAS ON V252 AT 4500' MSL AND ABOUT TO ENTER THE TCA. I ASKED WHETHER I HAD PERMISSION TO ENTER THE TCA. THEN PHL APCH RESPONDED SAYING THAT I WAS IN THE TCA AND NEAR THE FINAL APCH TO RWY 27. I TOLD THE CTLR THAT I HAD TRIED TO CONTACT HIM SINCE SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING RBV. THE CTLR THEN GAVE ME VECTORS (ABOUT A HDG OF 150 DEGS) TO AVOID PHL. I IMMEDIATELY COMPLIED. AFTER A FEW MILES DETOUR; I WAS TOLD TO PROCEED DIRECT TO DQO. I MADE EVERY POSSIBLE EFFORT TO CONTACT PHL AND PROCEEDED IN ACCORD WITH MY EXPERIENCE HERE IN THE WASHINGTON AREA. IN THE BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON AREA; WHEN CTLRS ARE TOO BUSY TO HANDLE ME; THEY ALWAYS SAY 'STANDBY--REMAIN CLR OF THE TCA/ARSA' IF THEY DO NOT EXPECT TO ANSWER MY CALL SHORTLY. IF A CTLR DOES NOT EXPECT TO GET BACK TO A PLT IN 30 SECS; HAVE HIM SAY; 'STANDBY. REMAIN CLR OF TCA.' I WAS GIVEN UNCLEAR INSTRUCTIONS AND BELIEVED THAT THE CTLR WOULD COME BACK TO ME VERY SHORTLY AS THEY ALWAYS HAVE IN MY PAST EXPERIENCE. SIMILAR TO INSTRUMENT FLT PLANS; HAVE A HDOF FROM 1 CTLR TO THE NEXT IF A PLT IS ON FLT FOLLOWING AND THE 2 AIRSPACE SECTORS ARE NEAR TO EACH OTHER. HAVE A VORTAC OR OTHER DME XMITTER LOCATED AT THE CENTER OF A TCA SO THAT THE PLT CAN TELL PRECISELY WHEN HE IS ENTERING A TCA. HIRE MORE CTLRS SO THESE HARRIED AND OVERWORKED PEOPLE CAN TALK TO PLTS; LIKE ME; WHO ARE TRYING TO REACH THEM.

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