OIL RIG SHUTTLE HELICOPTER PENETRATED THE ADIZ AT EXCESSIVE SPEED AND WAS INTERCEPTED BY NORAD FGT'S.
Synopsis
OIL RIG SHUTTLE HELICOPTER PENETRATED THE ADIZ AT EXCESSIVE SPEED AND WAS INTERCEPTED BY NORAD FGT'S.
Narrative
WHILE IN LEVEL CRUISE FLT INBND ON LLA 215 DEG R 2 E FGT ACFT APPEARED TO BE TEXAS ANG; OVERTOOK OUR ACFT ON LEFT SIDE AT A RANGE OF ABOUT 100' LAT AND 15-20' BELOW. FIRST ACFT WAS NOT SEEN UNTIL IT WAS IN FRONT OF US. SECOND ACFT WAS OBSERVED MUCH CLOSER; FGT SPD WAS 30-50 KTS FASTER; MARKING ON FGT LOOKED LIKE TX FLAG WITHIN UNIT MARKINGS; TAIL #'S COULD NOT BE READ BECAUSE OF LOW CONTRAST PAINT. DURING THIS TIME WE NOTED OUR TRANSPONDER WAS REPLYING TO MULTIPLE INTERROGATIONS. I AM SURE WE WERE ON ZHU RADAR; AND THE FGT WERE VECTORED TO US. REQUEST REVIEW OF PROCS AND ENFORCEMENT OF FAR 91.65 A AND B. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR STATED THAT DURING THIS FLT THEY HAD PENETRATED THE ADIZ. NORMALLY; THESE SHUTTLE FLTS TO THE OIL RIGS IN THE GULF AND ARE INTERCEPTED BY THE MIL BECAUSE THEY ARE OPERATED BELOW 10000' AND UNDER 180 KTS. ON THIS OCCASION; THE FLT WAS AT 9500'; BUT A VERY STRONG S WIND CAUSED THEIR GND SPD TO BE NEAR 200 KTS. FOR THIS REASON; THEY DEDUCED THAT OCEAN SURVEILLANCE HAD OBSERVED THEIR HIGH RATE OF SPD AND HAD SENT THE 2 FGT'S TO INVESTIGATE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.