Narrative:

At approximately AM25 on oct/fri/92, 'flight' 1 a military fgt X from air base finished its last air-to-air engagement against 2 military fgt Y's from other air base. The engagements were inside the R-2306/2308 which is controled by yuma. During the last engagement, 'flight' 1 declared 'bingo' fuel and immediately knocked off the air-to-air fight and headed toward the western cap of the working area. While climbing, 'flight' 1 switched frequencys to yuma control to ask for IFR clearance out of the area to home base, el toro. Upon switching up yuma control, 'flight' 1 realized there were numerous aircraft talking on that frequency. With a break in the communication, flight 1 requested clearance out of the R-2306/08 to return to base el toro. The normal stereo route to return from the area to el toro uses FL180. Because of the delay, due to the numerous aircraft all calling yuma control at the same time, flight 1 requested FL350 in order to conserve fuel while climbing up and beginning to orbit around the western cap. Flight 1 was now almost 1000 pounds below 'bingo' with still no clearance to el toro. To complicate matters, flight 1's wingman, 'flight' 2, and the 2 military fgts Y had finished their last engagement and were also talking to yuma control for clearance. In addition, the Y's call signs were 'flight 3' and 'flight 4' making a total of 4 aircraft all with 'flight' call sign. While quickly spiraling up to altitude to conserve enough fuel to safely make it back to el toro with the required limit, and anticipating FL350 for the return flight level, the pilot and so realized, passing FL340, that the top of the altitude block in the area was FL310. Upon quickly descending, the pilot idented a widebody transport civilian aircraft flying away from them at greater than 1 mi in range. Several mins later, at about AM30, flight 1 was finally given clearance back to el toro at FL310. Flight 1, experiencing such a long delay in receiving clearance, was well below the fuel required to be on deck as el toro, thus, flight 1 was forced to bingo divert into el centro for fuel. In regards to the altitude deviation, flight 1 quickly realized they had unintentionally broke the altitude cap while still in the area and quickly corrected the deviation. The widebody transport reported seeing the flight 1 within 800 ft. Although the pilot has only 170 hours in type and has actually flown in the r- 2306/08 approximately 10 times over the past year, he is quite sure the widebody transport passed well clear of them due to the visual and radar scan utilized at the time. Apparently, the combination of multiple aircraft with the same call signs all talking to yuma control for clearance at the same time, the confusion created by yuma control attempting to sort out the problem, in addition to the extremely low fuel state of flight 1, and the pilot concerned with not putting his crew or aircraft in an emergency fuel status, flight 1 unintentionally deviated through the altitude block in the working area which they quickly corrected. The above information is presented by the pilot of flight 1 to the best of his knowledge. Supplemental information from acn 227829: yuma range control was extremely busy with flts checking in and out of all their ranges at the time, to the point of being obe. Obviously, there were many contributing factors to the crew's deviation. Not only the concern for flight 1's fuel state, but also the extremely busy yuma range controller. A concern has arisen from this situation, namely vectoring civilian acrs over the top of an active training area. As the mission commander and senior crewman of flight 1, I take sole responsibility for the deviation. Any and all actions against the flight 1 crew should be directed solely to me.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SPILLOUT CREATES A POTENTIAL CONFLICT LTSS.

Narrative: AT APPROX AM25 ON OCT/FRI/92, 'FLT' 1 A MIL FGT X FROM AIR BASE FINISHED ITS LAST AIR-TO-AIR ENGAGEMENT AGAINST 2 MIL FGT Y'S FROM OTHER AIR BASE. THE ENGAGEMENTS WERE INSIDE THE R-2306/2308 WHICH IS CTLED BY YUMA. DURING THE LAST ENGAGEMENT, 'FLT' 1 DECLARED 'BINGO' FUEL AND IMMEDIATELY KNOCKED OFF THE AIR-TO-AIR FIGHT AND HEADED TOWARD THE WESTERN CAP OF THE WORKING AREA. WHILE CLBING, 'FLT' 1 SWITCHED FREQS TO YUMA CTL TO ASK FOR IFR CLRNC OUT OF THE AREA TO HOME BASE, EL TORO. UPON SWITCHING UP YUMA CTL, 'FLT' 1 REALIZED THERE WERE NUMEROUS ACFT TALKING ON THAT FREQ. WITH A BREAK IN THE COM, FLT 1 REQUESTED CLRNC OUT OF THE R-2306/08 TO RETURN TO BASE EL TORO. THE NORMAL STEREO RTE TO RETURN FROM THE AREA TO EL TORO USES FL180. BECAUSE OF THE DELAY, DUE TO THE NUMEROUS ACFT ALL CALLING YUMA CTL AT THE SAME TIME, FLT 1 REQUESTED FL350 IN ORDER TO CONSERVE FUEL WHILE CLBING UP AND BEGINNING TO ORBIT AROUND THE WESTERN CAP. FLT 1 WAS NOW ALMOST 1000 POUNDS BELOW 'BINGO' WITH STILL NO CLRNC TO EL TORO. TO COMPLICATE MATTERS, FLT 1'S WINGMAN, 'FLT' 2, AND THE 2 MIL FGTS Y HAD FINISHED THEIR LAST ENGAGEMENT AND WERE ALSO TALKING TO YUMA CTL FOR CLRNC. IN ADDITION, THE Y'S CALL SIGNS WERE 'FLT 3' AND 'FLT 4' MAKING A TOTAL OF 4 ACFT ALL WITH 'FLT' CALL SIGN. WHILE QUICKLY SPIRALING UP TO ALT TO CONSERVE ENOUGH FUEL TO SAFELY MAKE IT BACK TO EL TORO WITH THE REQUIRED LIMIT, AND ANTICIPATING FL350 FOR THE RETURN FLT LEVEL, THE PLT AND SO REALIZED, PASSING FL340, THAT THE TOP OF THE ALT BLOCK IN THE AREA WAS FL310. UPON QUICKLY DSNDING, THE PLT IDENTED A WDB CIVILIAN ACFT FLYING AWAY FROM THEM AT GREATER THAN 1 MI IN RANGE. SEVERAL MINS LATER, AT ABOUT AM30, FLT 1 WAS FINALLY GIVEN CLRNC BACK TO EL TORO AT FL310. FLT 1, EXPERIENCING SUCH A LONG DELAY IN RECEIVING CLRNC, WAS WELL BELOW THE FUEL REQUIRED TO BE ON DECK AS EL TORO, THUS, FLT 1 WAS FORCED TO BINGO DIVERT INTO EL CENTRO FOR FUEL. IN REGARDS TO THE ALTDEV, FLT 1 QUICKLY REALIZED THEY HAD UNINTENTIONALLY BROKE THE ALT CAP WHILE STILL IN THE AREA AND QUICKLY CORRECTED THE DEV. THE WDB RPTED SEEING THE FLT 1 WITHIN 800 FT. ALTHOUGH THE PLT HAS ONLY 170 HRS IN TYPE AND HAS ACTUALLY FLOWN IN THE R- 2306/08 APPROX 10 TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR, HE IS QUITE SURE THE WDB PASSED WELL CLR OF THEM DUE TO THE VISUAL AND RADAR SCAN UTILIZED AT THE TIME. APPARENTLY, THE COMBINATION OF MULTIPLE ACFT WITH THE SAME CALL SIGNS ALL TALKING TO YUMA CTL FOR CLRNC AT THE SAME TIME, THE CONFUSION CREATED BY YUMA CTL ATTEMPTING TO SORT OUT THE PROBLEM, IN ADDITION TO THE EXTREMELY LOW FUEL STATE OF FLT 1, AND THE PLT CONCERNED WITH NOT PUTTING HIS CREW OR ACFT IN AN EMER FUEL STATUS, FLT 1 UNINTENTIONALLY DEVIATED THROUGH THE ALT BLOCK IN THE WORKING AREA WHICH THEY QUICKLY CORRECTED. THE ABOVE INFO IS PRESENTED BY THE PLT OF FLT 1 TO THE BEST OF HIS KNOWLEDGE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 227829: YUMA RANGE CTL WAS EXTREMELY BUSY WITH FLTS CHKING IN AND OUT OF ALL THEIR RANGES AT THE TIME, TO THE POINT OF BEING OBE. OBVIOUSLY, THERE WERE MANY CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THE CREW'S DEV. NOT ONLY THE CONCERN FOR FLT 1'S FUEL STATE, BUT ALSO THE EXTREMELY BUSY YUMA RANGE CTLR. A CONCERN HAS ARISEN FROM THIS SITUATION, NAMELY VECTORING CIVILIAN ACRS OVER THE TOP OF AN ACTIVE TRAINING AREA. AS THE MISSION COMMANDER AND SENIOR CREWMAN OF FLT 1, I TAKE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DEV. ANY AND ALL ACTIONS AGAINST THE FLT 1 CREW SHOULD BE DIRECTED SOLELY TO ME.

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.