Narrative:

After departing myf on a VFR flight to ful, I attempted to contact san approach for radar service and was told they were unable and to stay out of the TCA. My immediate concern from my position near mt soledad was for traffic departing navy miramar, which distracted me from continuing my climb and from turning to a more northwest heading. With the distraction level and single pilot workload in the small transport, I was not immediately able to get heads down into the cockpit to double-check my TCA chart before I was already in the TCA, at which time I was able to establish contact with approach and iron out the problem. The san TCA is terribly complex to handle--especially single pilot in a turbo-propeller. If I was based there, I would have it figured out. But this occurred, even though I had carefully studied the TCA before takeoff, focusing, unfortunately, on the avoidance of the navy jets just to the north, and not that the TCA goes to the surface offshore. Things were happening too fast for me to feel comfortable in sticking my nose back into the complicated chart, which was just the moment I should have been in there. Very poor coordination between myf tower and san approach. They refuse all requests for VFR aircraft to get squawk codes before departure. This may be appropriate for 100 KT aircraft, but 250 KTS aircraft have very different needs. Coupled with this was what I considered an unnecessarily long delay in getting a frequency change to san approach. Ground delays and the seeming low priority of myf with san approach have made the IFR alternative a very perplexing inefficient second choice. I will now draw my own TCA chart for san with a specific VFR departure procedure, including an RNAV waypoint for mount soledad and headings/altitudes. With the current charting and procedures having such vulnerability to misinterp and mistakes, I feel fortunate that no conflict occurred, but would imagine that this kind of mistake must be easy for other pilots to make also--especially those not familiar with the area, and who might find this airspace maze more confusing than the most complex multi-fix SID. But at least the SID is properly charted and published, not something you have to draw for yourself.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA PLT DEPARTING MYF VFR IN A TURBOPROP SMT INADVERTENTLY PENETRATES THE SAN TCA.

Narrative: AFTER DEPARTING MYF ON A VFR FLT TO FUL, I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT SAN APCH FOR RADAR SVC AND WAS TOLD THEY WERE UNABLE AND TO STAY OUT OF THE TCA. MY IMMEDIATE CONCERN FROM MY POS NEAR MT SOLEDAD WAS FOR TFC DEPARTING NAVY MIRAMAR, WHICH DISTRACTED ME FROM CONTINUING MY CLB AND FROM TURNING TO A MORE NW HDG. WITH THE DISTR LEVEL AND SINGLE PLT WORKLOAD IN THE SMT, I WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY ABLE TO GET HEADS DOWN INTO THE COCKPIT TO DOUBLE-CHK MY TCA CHART BEFORE I WAS ALREADY IN THE TCA, AT WHICH TIME I WAS ABLE TO ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH APCH AND IRON OUT THE PROB. THE SAN TCA IS TERRIBLY COMPLEX TO HANDLE--ESPECIALLY SINGLE PLT IN A TURBO-PROP. IF I WAS BASED THERE, I WOULD HAVE IT FIGURED OUT. BUT THIS OCCURRED, EVEN THOUGH I HAD CAREFULLY STUDIED THE TCA BEFORE TKOF, FOCUSING, UNFORTUNATELY, ON THE AVOIDANCE OF THE NAVY JETS JUST TO THE N, AND NOT THAT THE TCA GOES TO THE SURFACE OFFSHORE. THINGS WERE HAPPENING TOO FAST FOR ME TO FEEL COMFORTABLE IN STICKING MY NOSE BACK INTO THE COMPLICATED CHART, WHICH WAS JUST THE MOMENT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THERE. VERY POOR COORD BTWN MYF TWR AND SAN APCH. THEY REFUSE ALL REQUESTS FOR VFR ACFT TO GET SQUAWK CODES BEFORE DEP. THIS MAY BE APPROPRIATE FOR 100 KT ACFT, BUT 250 KTS ACFT HAVE VERY DIFFERENT NEEDS. COUPLED WITH THIS WAS WHAT I CONSIDERED AN UNNECESSARILY LONG DELAY IN GETTING A FREQ CHANGE TO SAN APCH. GND DELAYS AND THE SEEMING LOW PRIORITY OF MYF WITH SAN APCH HAVE MADE THE IFR ALTERNATIVE A VERY PERPLEXING INEFFICIENT SECOND CHOICE. I WILL NOW DRAW MY OWN TCA CHART FOR SAN WITH A SPECIFIC VFR DEP PROC, INCLUDING AN RNAV WAYPOINT FOR MOUNT SOLEDAD AND HDGS/ALTS. WITH THE CURRENT CHARTING AND PROCS HAVING SUCH VULNERABILITY TO MISINTERP AND MISTAKES, I FEEL FORTUNATE THAT NO CONFLICT OCCURRED, BUT WOULD IMAGINE THAT THIS KIND OF MISTAKE MUST BE EASY FOR OTHER PLTS TO MAKE ALSO--ESPECIALLY THOSE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA, AND WHO MIGHT FIND THIS AIRSPACE MAZE MORE CONFUSING THAN THE MOST COMPLEX MULTI-FIX SID. BUT AT LEAST THE SID IS PROPERLY CHARTED AND PUBLISHED, NOT SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO DRAW FOR YOURSELF.

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.