Narrative:

I am in a tight spot about all this, because I am flying with mr X who is a high-time small transport pilot. Also he is my lead pilot and director of operations as well. He has roughly 8 yrs in the ny area. 3500 hours in small transport. High-time IFR. Anyway, we had a trip from N07 to bwi then to 6n4 with one pass, from bwi going from bwi to 6n4. Mr X was flying and because we had a problem at bwi we were late getting our pass back to 6n4 so mr X wanted to almost go straight from ilg to make as much money as he can. To the point, this stuff happens. Out of bwi we went northeast to wilmington at 3500. We agreed together that we would go by phl on the east side. I talked to ilg to get a descent through their air traffic area, which was no problem. As we cleared with ilg, our heading was going to go through the lower part (7000-sfc?) 6 NM of phl TCA. At this time we are about 1000' MSL 10 NM southeast of phl, so I call phl approach and tell them that we would like northbound on the east side at 1000'. The phl came back telling us to squawk XXXX and that's all. So I squawked XXXX with the identify. At that point I told him that we should turn right just a little 10-15 degree and he said that he wanted to go straight to 6n4. At 6.5 NM phl said he's too busy so stay clear of the TCA. I answered roger identification. Now I'm expecting a pretty good right u-turn so I clear us on the right side. But nothing happened. I said we are in the TCA, we have to go east to clear it. Mr X told me to squawk standby, which I did, then saying that this isn't right - phl could probably see what's happening. Mr X said 'fxxx it, let them violate me' and we then went to 500' MSL all the way to 6n4. Now this really bothers me, as it should, but if I were to ask for the controller to clear us, I would have been fired (100%) at N07. He is very much a workaholic which is showing up in his flying. He also is part of the eastern regulation helicopter council (erhc) which means his friends are the people that I would go to to get another job. So you can see if his bosses find out (which they should) I can see that as a copilot so much for my career. Something like this also happened with another captain flying with mr X with pretty much the same results and he and I also talked to our chief pilot so at least someone would know. Short of looking for a new job, I just have to try not to let this happen again. I'm up there too, with my certificate. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter states that the pilot with whom he was flying has been under tremendous pressure working on a manual. He took 10 days off and came back a changed person. He is quiet, relaxed, not emotional and stressed as before. He did single pilot operation for years and is not able to relinquish control and operate with cockpit coordination. Also phl is notorious for not cooperating with helicopters. It seemed that they were going to give a clearance, and then they did not.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CHARTER HELICOPTER OPERATOR DELIBERATELY PENETRATED TCA TO KEEP A STRAIGHT LINE COURSE. PLACE TRANSPONDER IN STANDBY POSITION.

Narrative: I AM IN A TIGHT SPOT ABOUT ALL THIS, BECAUSE I AM FLYING WITH MR X WHO IS A HIGH-TIME SMT PLT. ALSO HE IS MY LEAD PLT AND DIRECTOR OF OPS AS WELL. HE HAS ROUGHLY 8 YRS IN THE NY AREA. 3500 HRS IN SMT. HIGH-TIME IFR. ANYWAY, WE HAD A TRIP FROM N07 TO BWI THEN TO 6N4 WITH ONE PASS, FROM BWI GOING FROM BWI TO 6N4. MR X WAS FLYING AND BECAUSE WE HAD A PROBLEM AT BWI WE WERE LATE GETTING OUR PASS BACK TO 6N4 SO MR X WANTED TO ALMOST GO STRAIGHT FROM ILG TO MAKE AS MUCH MONEY AS HE CAN. TO THE POINT, THIS STUFF HAPPENS. OUT OF BWI WE WENT NE TO WILMINGTON AT 3500. WE AGREED TOGETHER THAT WE WOULD GO BY PHL ON THE E SIDE. I TALKED TO ILG TO GET A DSCNT THROUGH THEIR ATA, WHICH WAS NO PROBLEM. AS WE CLRED WITH ILG, OUR HDG WAS GOING TO GO THROUGH THE LOWER PART (7000-SFC?) 6 NM OF PHL TCA. AT THIS TIME WE ARE ABOUT 1000' MSL 10 NM SE OF PHL, SO I CALL PHL APCH AND TELL THEM THAT WE WOULD LIKE NBOUND ON THE E SIDE AT 1000'. THE PHL CAME BACK TELLING US TO SQUAWK XXXX AND THAT'S ALL. SO I SQUAWKED XXXX WITH THE IDENT. AT THAT POINT I TOLD HIM THAT WE SHOULD TURN RIGHT JUST A LITTLE 10-15 DEG AND HE SAID THAT HE WANTED TO GO STRAIGHT TO 6N4. AT 6.5 NM PHL SAID HE'S TOO BUSY SO STAY CLEAR OF THE TCA. I ANSWERED ROGER ID. NOW I'M EXPECTING A PRETTY GOOD RIGHT U-TURN SO I CLEAR US ON THE RIGHT SIDE. BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. I SAID WE ARE IN THE TCA, WE HAVE TO GO E TO CLEAR IT. MR X TOLD ME TO SQUAWK STANDBY, WHICH I DID, THEN SAYING THAT THIS ISN'T RIGHT - PHL COULD PROBABLY SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING. MR X SAID 'FXXX IT, LET THEM VIOLATE ME' AND WE THEN WENT TO 500' MSL ALL THE WAY TO 6N4. NOW THIS REALLY BOTHERS ME, AS IT SHOULD, BUT IF I WERE TO ASK FOR THE CTLR TO CLEAR US, I WOULD HAVE BEEN FIRED (100%) AT N07. HE IS VERY MUCH A WORKAHOLIC WHICH IS SHOWING UP IN HIS FLYING. HE ALSO IS PART OF THE EASTERN REG HELI COUNCIL (ERHC) WHICH MEANS HIS FRIENDS ARE THE PEOPLE THAT I WOULD GO TO TO GET ANOTHER JOB. SO YOU CAN SEE IF HIS BOSSES FIND OUT (WHICH THEY SHOULD) I CAN SEE THAT AS A COPLT SO MUCH FOR MY CAREER. SOMETHING LIKE THIS ALSO HAPPENED WITH ANOTHER CAPT FLYING WITH MR X WITH PRETTY MUCH THE SAME RESULTS AND HE AND I ALSO TALKED TO OUR CHIEF PLT SO AT LEAST SOMEONE WOULD KNOW. SHORT OF LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB, I JUST HAVE TO TRY NOT TO LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN. I'M UP THERE TOO, WITH MY CERTIFICATE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: REPORTER STATES THAT THE PLT WITH WHOM HE WAS FLYING HAS BEEN UNDER TREMENDOUS PRESSURE WORKING ON A MANUAL. HE TOOK 10 DAYS OFF AND CAME BACK A CHANGED PERSON. HE IS QUIET, RELAXED, NOT EMOTIONAL AND STRESSED AS BEFORE. HE DID SINGLE PLT OPERATION FOR YEARS AND IS NOT ABLE TO RELINQUISH CONTROL AND OPERATE WITH COCKPIT COORD. ALSO PHL IS NOTORIOUS FOR NOT COOPERATING WITH HELIS. IT SEEMED THAT THEY WERE GOING TO GIVE A CLRNC, AND THEN THEY DID NOT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.