Narrative:

On the day in question, I had flown to kissimmee airport with my son-in-law to pick up my small grandson. We arrived at PM30, good flying WX. We spent about 2.5 hours with him. I noticed the WX starting to turn bad, light rain, so I decided to return home to ft lauderdale. We took off using runway 33. Using unicom, I called my intentions as to departure. Turning southeast, downwind leg and still climbing, I tuned navigation to 119.4 and called orlando departure telling him of my departure and my intended destination. I leveled off at 1495 ft and continued on my heading. ATC then came back and gave me transponder code, which I entered. By this time, the air became very turbulent, the plane was all over and very hard to keep on course and level, not much rain, but very unstable air conditions, visibility was about 5 mi, ceiling was, I estimate, about 3000 ft. After talking to other planes, ATC came back to me and said radar contact 1 1/2 mi southeast of kissimmee. He then said, you know that you have entered the TCA without approval? I was stunned. I couldn't believe my ears. He came back and said, did you hear what I said? Still in shock, I acknowledged that I heard him and said sir, I called you as fast as I could (thinking to myself that when departing kissimmee airport I didn't call fast enough). He then said, you can enter an arsa with first radio contact, but not a TCA. I acknowledged him. By this time my mind was really racing. What does he mean? Doesn't he know that I took off from kissimmee airport? I am already in TCA, I didn't know what to think. It was then that I looked at my altitude -- there it was, a little over 1900 ft, with all the turbulence, my plane had gained almost 450 ft. The section of the TCA I was in had a base of 1500. He was right, I had inadvertently penetrated the base of TCA. I felt sick all over. After 21 yrs of safe flying and trying to do everything by the book and regulations, this to me was devastating. Very much shaken up, I continued on at 2000 ft, with permission from ATC. By this time I was in the section of TCA where the base is 3000 ft. Now, right in front of me, on my present heading was this low, dark cloud. Again, I did something that, with a clear mind, I would never think of doing without permission from ATC -- I lowered nose and went down to 1500 ft to clear cloud. ATC called me (in a kinder voice this time) and said he noticed that I went to 1500 ft, was everything ok? I tried to appear as calm as I could and told him I did so to clear cloud without entering it. He acknowledged. The rest of trip was uneventful. When leaving the TCA, he told me radar service terminated, and that I should continue on present heading and would be clear of WX in about 15 mi. I thanked him and continued to my destination, ft lauderdale, where, by the way, the WX was perfect. As I write this report, I keep thinking of how I could have prevented this situation from ever happening. It's true, it was not the best kind of WX for flying, light rain and very turbulent updrafts and downdrafts, but, when I leveled off, the situation being what it was, I should have kept plane at that altitude. In turbulent air, it is very easy to gain or lose altitude very fast. I should have kept closer watch on altitude, shouldn't have let it get away from me. Sad to say, it did happen, and when it happened, I should have kept my composure even though it really shocked me. From now on, you can be sure I will keep a closer watch on my altitude in controled airspace. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: callback to counsel reference ATC using floor of TCA as assigned altitude. Reporter asked how much clearance analyst would recommend. When 500 ft was indicated, he responded, 'oh, that much?' yes, that much. He was quite annoyed at himself, said he felt like a student pilot at that moment. WX was so extreme with buildups in all directions. When he looked back to turn around, WX was worse than ahead. Feels he really learned on this trip.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA CALLS TRACON AFTER DEP FROM ARPT BENEATH TCA. LEVELS OFF 5 FT BELOW TCA FLOOR. IN TURB, HE ENDS UP AT 1900 FT, INSIDE TCA.

Narrative: ON THE DAY IN QUESTION, I HAD FLOWN TO KISSIMMEE ARPT WITH MY SON-IN-LAW TO PICK UP MY SMALL GRANDSON. WE ARRIVED AT PM30, GOOD FLYING WX. WE SPENT ABOUT 2.5 HRS WITH HIM. I NOTICED THE WX STARTING TO TURN BAD, LIGHT RAIN, SO I DECIDED TO RETURN HOME TO FT LAUDERDALE. WE TOOK OFF USING RWY 33. USING UNICOM, I CALLED MY INTENTIONS AS TO DEP. TURNING SE, DOWNWIND LEG AND STILL CLBING, I TUNED NAV TO 119.4 AND CALLED ORLANDO DEP TELLING HIM OF MY DEP AND MY INTENDED DEST. I LEVELED OFF AT 1495 FT AND CONTINUED ON MY HDG. ATC THEN CAME BACK AND GAVE ME TRANSPONDER CODE, WHICH I ENTERED. BY THIS TIME, THE AIR BECAME VERY TURBULENT, THE PLANE WAS ALL OVER AND VERY HARD TO KEEP ON COURSE AND LEVEL, NOT MUCH RAIN, BUT VERY UNSTABLE AIR CONDITIONS, VISIBILITY WAS ABOUT 5 MI, CEILING WAS, I ESTIMATE, ABOUT 3000 FT. AFTER TALKING TO OTHER PLANES, ATC CAME BACK TO ME AND SAID RADAR CONTACT 1 1/2 MI SE OF KISSIMMEE. HE THEN SAID, YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED THE TCA WITHOUT APPROVAL? I WAS STUNNED. I COULDN'T BELIEVE MY EARS. HE CAME BACK AND SAID, DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID? STILL IN SHOCK, I ACKNOWLEDGED THAT I HEARD HIM AND SAID SIR, I CALLED YOU AS FAST AS I COULD (THINKING TO MYSELF THAT WHEN DEPARTING KISSIMMEE ARPT I DIDN'T CALL FAST ENOUGH). HE THEN SAID, YOU CAN ENTER AN ARSA WITH FIRST RADIO CONTACT, BUT NOT A TCA. I ACKNOWLEDGED HIM. BY THIS TIME MY MIND WAS REALLY RACING. WHAT DOES HE MEAN? DOESN'T HE KNOW THAT I TOOK OFF FROM KISSIMMEE ARPT? I AM ALREADY IN TCA, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK. IT WAS THEN THAT I LOOKED AT MY ALT -- THERE IT WAS, A LITTLE OVER 1900 FT, WITH ALL THE TURB, MY PLANE HAD GAINED ALMOST 450 FT. THE SECTION OF THE TCA I WAS IN HAD A BASE OF 1500. HE WAS RIGHT, I HAD INADVERTENTLY PENETRATED THE BASE OF TCA. I FELT SICK ALL OVER. AFTER 21 YRS OF SAFE FLYING AND TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING BY THE BOOK AND REGS, THIS TO ME WAS DEVASTATING. VERY MUCH SHAKEN UP, I CONTINUED ON AT 2000 FT, WITH PERMISSION FROM ATC. BY THIS TIME I WAS IN THE SECTION OF TCA WHERE THE BASE IS 3000 FT. NOW, R IN FRONT OF ME, ON MY PRESENT HDG WAS THIS LOW, DARK CLOUD. AGAIN, I DID SOMETHING THAT, WITH A CLR MIND, I WOULD NEVER THINK OF DOING WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM ATC -- I LOWERED NOSE AND WENT DOWN TO 1500 FT TO CLR CLOUD. ATC CALLED ME (IN A KINDER VOICE THIS TIME) AND SAID HE NOTICED THAT I WENT TO 1500 FT, WAS EVERYTHING OK? I TRIED TO APPEAR AS CALM AS I COULD AND TOLD HIM I DID SO TO CLR CLOUD WITHOUT ENTERING IT. HE ACKNOWLEDGED. THE REST OF TRIP WAS UNEVENTFUL. WHEN LEAVING THE TCA, HE TOLD ME RADAR SVC TERMINATED, AND THAT I SHOULD CONTINUE ON PRESENT HDG AND WOULD BE CLR OF WX IN ABOUT 15 MI. I THANKED HIM AND CONTINUED TO MY DEST, FT LAUDERDALE, WHERE, BY THE WAY, THE WX WAS PERFECT. AS I WRITE THIS RPT, I KEEP THINKING OF HOW I COULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS SITUATION FROM EVER HAPPENING. IT'S TRUE, IT WAS NOT THE BEST KIND OF WX FOR FLYING, LIGHT RAIN AND VERY TURBULENT UPDRAFTS AND DOWNDRAFTS, BUT, WHEN I LEVELED OFF, THE SITUATION BEING WHAT IT WAS, I SHOULD HAVE KEPT PLANE AT THAT ALT. IN TURBULENT AIR, IT IS VERY EASY TO GAIN OR LOSE ALT VERY FAST. I SHOULD HAVE KEPT CLOSER WATCH ON ALT, SHOULDN'T HAVE LET IT GET AWAY FROM ME. SAD TO SAY, IT DID HAPPEN, AND WHEN IT HAPPENED, I SHOULD HAVE KEPT MY COMPOSURE EVEN THOUGH IT REALLY SHOCKED ME. FROM NOW ON, YOU CAN BE SURE I WILL KEEP A CLOSER WATCH ON MY ALT IN CTLED AIRSPACE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CALLBACK TO COUNSEL REF ATC USING FLOOR OF TCA AS ASSIGNED ALT. RPTR ASKED HOW MUCH CLRNC ANALYST WOULD RECOMMEND. WHEN 500 FT WAS INDICATED, HE RESPONDED, 'OH, THAT MUCH?' YES, THAT MUCH. HE WAS QUITE ANNOYED AT HIMSELF, SAID HE FELT LIKE A STUDENT PLT AT THAT MOMENT. WX WAS SO EXTREME WITH BUILDUPS IN ALL DIRECTIONS. WHEN HE LOOKED BACK TO TURN AROUND, WX WAS WORSE THAN AHEAD. FEELS HE REALLY LEARNED ON THIS TRIP.

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.