Narrative:

After landing at the hospital a in ZZZ, I became involved in conversation with the programs mechanic and one of the pilots while waiting for my crew to return. Conversations were re: the location of the airport from their hospital pad. I was mentally planning my departure in case the WX deteriorated prior to my departure. The pilot did offer information on the approved approach and departure path and I asked both the mechanic and pilot on separate occasions of the control zone boundaries which I understood to be in the immediate vicinity of the hospital. Prior to departure I attempted to contact the control tower form the ground with no success. The WX at the hospital appeared to be 2000+ and 3-5 mi. Looking to the east, south and north the visibility appeared to be lower due to rain showers. I departed per the approved departure path to the northwest and immediately turned to the southwest to avoid the control zone. I attempted to contact both abc approach and xyz tower to obtain SVFR through the controller zone eastbound along highway. The tower controller said the field was IFR and that I had to return to hospital a to obtain my clearance on the ground. I explained that I was about 4 mi to the wsw of hospital a at that time and was clear of the control zone. She told me I had to go back to the hospital as there was IFR traffic in the area and I said ok. When I was about 2 mi from the hospital, and waiting for a reply from abc approach, the tower controller again asked my intentions and I replied that I guessed I would be landing at the hospital. Immediately after that transmission abc provided me with SVFR to enter the xyz control zone and proceed east at or below 2500'. Upon landing at XXX I was instructed by our dispatch to call the control tower at xyz, which I did. I feel there should be better definition on the sectionals to define the control zones and in the case of ZZZ, the main landmarks are not shown in the vicinity of the hospital. For a transient pilot not knowing the exact boundaries it would be helpful to have a blowup of the control zones, much the same as the TCA's are defined. With the 1:500000 sectionals most people fly with the definition is removed from the major cities which is where the control zones are located. It would be nice if the major landmarks were defined, and in the case of a hospital that has helicopter traffic in and out of it could be shown on the map as to whether it is in or out of the controled airspace would be helpful. Reporter states that when he made phone call to tower they informed him that the hospital helipad is just on the edge of the control zone. He now feels that he was just briefly within the control zone at lift-off prior to his turn. He was given a sheet showing departure and arrival rtes from the hospital, but no reference of distance from airport. Tower supervisor stated that local controller was in error directing reporter to return to helipad and toward poor WX when he informed controller of position outside control zone.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMS HELICOPTER PLT DEPARTS PAD IN VFR CONDITIONS WITHIN CTL ZONE BUT FIELD WAS IFR. ATTEMPTS SVFR CLRNC. TOLD RETURN TO PAD.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG AT THE HOSPITAL A IN ZZZ, I BECAME INVOLVED IN CONVERSATION WITH THE PROGRAMS MECH AND ONE OF THE PLTS WHILE WAITING FOR MY CREW TO RETURN. CONVERSATIONS WERE RE: THE LOCATION OF THE ARPT FROM THEIR HOSPITAL PAD. I WAS MENTALLY PLANNING MY DEP IN CASE THE WX DETERIORATED PRIOR TO MY DEP. THE PLT DID OFFER INFO ON THE APPROVED APCH AND DEP PATH AND I ASKED BOTH THE MECH AND PLT ON SEPARATE OCCASIONS OF THE CTL ZONE BOUNDARIES WHICH I UNDERSTOOD TO BE IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE HOSPITAL. PRIOR TO DEP I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THE CTL TWR FORM THE GND WITH NO SUCCESS. THE WX AT THE HOSPITAL APPEARED TO BE 2000+ AND 3-5 MI. LOOKING TO THE E, S AND N THE VISIBILITY APPEARED TO BE LOWER DUE TO RAIN SHOWERS. I DEPARTED PER THE APPROVED DEP PATH TO THE NW AND IMMEDIATELY TURNED TO THE SW TO AVOID THE CTL ZONE. I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT BOTH ABC APCH AND XYZ TWR TO OBTAIN SVFR THROUGH THE CTLR ZONE EBND ALONG HWY. THE TWR CTLR SAID THE FIELD WAS IFR AND THAT I HAD TO RETURN TO HOSPITAL A TO OBTAIN MY CLRNC ON THE GND. I EXPLAINED THAT I WAS ABOUT 4 MI TO THE WSW OF HOSPITAL A AT THAT TIME AND WAS CLR OF THE CTL ZONE. SHE TOLD ME I HAD TO GO BACK TO THE HOSPITAL AS THERE WAS IFR TFC IN THE AREA AND I SAID OK. WHEN I WAS ABOUT 2 MI FROM THE HOSPITAL, AND WAITING FOR A REPLY FROM ABC APCH, THE TWR CTLR AGAIN ASKED MY INTENTIONS AND I REPLIED THAT I GUESSED I WOULD BE LNDG AT THE HOSPITAL. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT XMISSION ABC PROVIDED ME WITH SVFR TO ENTER THE XYZ CTL ZONE AND PROCEED E AT OR BELOW 2500'. UPON LNDG AT XXX I WAS INSTRUCTED BY OUR DISPATCH TO CALL THE CTL TWR AT XYZ, WHICH I DID. I FEEL THERE SHOULD BE BETTER DEFINITION ON THE SECTIONALS TO DEFINE THE CTL ZONES AND IN THE CASE OF ZZZ, THE MAIN LANDMARKS ARE NOT SHOWN IN THE VICINITY OF THE HOSPITAL. FOR A TRANSIENT PLT NOT KNOWING THE EXACT BOUNDARIES IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE A BLOWUP OF THE CTL ZONES, MUCH THE SAME AS THE TCA'S ARE DEFINED. WITH THE 1:500000 SECTIONALS MOST PEOPLE FLY WITH THE DEFINITION IS REMOVED FROM THE MAJOR CITIES WHICH IS WHERE THE CTL ZONES ARE LOCATED. IT WOULD BE NICE IF THE MAJOR LANDMARKS WERE DEFINED, AND IN THE CASE OF A HOSPITAL THAT HAS HELI TFC IN AND OUT OF IT COULD BE SHOWN ON THE MAP AS TO WHETHER IT IS IN OR OUT OF THE CTLED AIRSPACE WOULD BE HELPFUL. RPTR STATES THAT WHEN HE MADE PHONE CALL TO TWR THEY INFORMED HIM THAT THE HOSPITAL HELIPAD IS JUST ON THE EDGE OF THE CTL ZONE. HE NOW FEELS THAT HE WAS JUST BRIEFLY WITHIN THE CTL ZONE AT LIFT-OFF PRIOR TO HIS TURN. HE WAS GIVEN A SHEET SHOWING DEP AND ARR RTES FROM THE HOSPITAL, BUT NO REF OF DISTANCE FROM ARPT. TWR SUPVR STATED THAT LCL CTLR WAS IN ERROR DIRECTING RPTR TO RETURN TO HELIPAD AND TOWARD POOR WX WHEN HE INFORMED CTLR OF POS OUTSIDE CTL ZONE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.