Narrative:

I departed merritt island airport from runway 29 and took a heading of 340 degrees north. Climbing to a desired altitude of 3000 ft to clear local ATC's. Upon climb out of merritt is frequency 123.05 I overheard several other pilots talking to each other about watching the launch of the shuttle scheduled to launch at am:55 hours. Not wanting to be at the same altitude as all those other aircraft while watching the launch I leveled off and began cruising on the northbound heading. I do not really recall at what altitude I leveled off however I know it was lower than the other aircraft as I spotted one of them above me at about 11:00 position. I then began listening to an am communication radio I had brought to listen for the countdown for the launch. I maintained a 360 degree heading while listening for the countdown. The am radio was so effected by my transponder signal which was on VFR 1200 that I turned the transponder off long enough to hear the local broadcast. At 30 seconds to go on the countdown I turned to a heading of approximately 90 degrees to fill my windshield with the launch site and the remaining 10 seconds countdown to launch. The shuttle launched and as it rose, I pulled back on the yoke to lift the nose and keep the shuttle in view as it rose upward. In just a few short seconds the shuttle was above my ability to track it without stalling so I broke off to my right and leveled off. I then banked to the right to attempt to see the launch out of my left side window however, by this time the shuttle was too far out to view at all. I then made another right bank turn coming back full circle to a heading of about 190 degrees. I decided to return to merritt island airport. After about 5 mins my wife who was riding passenger, advised me that there was an aircraft following us rather closely. I tried to turn to see him but was unable to see him from my point of view. Then the next thing I knew a tan twin engine small transport came from below and to my left and cut across in front of me to the right. I told my wife that I must have made the pilot mad in some way however I could see that his wheels were down and space coast exec airport was off to our right and I assumed he was entering final for runway 27 there to land. I continued on to merritt island. Then my wife informed me that the small transport was coming up on us again. This time he made a pass across from the left and above us. I told my wife that this guy is really ticked off, I wonder what I did. But under the circumstances I was in no way going to get involved with him and get killed. I tried to see his a/north but was unable to see any identify of any kind and I knew that all NASA aircraft that patrolled the launch were helicopters from patrick AFB. So we continued on and landed at merritt island where the small transport followed. He then overtook me on the ground and I saw a person in the passenger seat directing me to pull over off the ramp and park. I still saw no identify other than the a/north on the aircraft but I did park in an area where if this guy wanted to fight I would have some witnesses. Shutting down I then got out and saw the man exiting the small transport and he had no uniform of any kind on, only casual dress. As he approached, he drew what turned out to be an identify wallet from his pocket. He then offered his hand to shake in a friendly gesture and showed me FAA indent and advised me that I had violated a restr air zone during the launch and that he was going to cite me. I asked him how I had violated the zone and he stated that I had penetrated the zone by 2 mi. I just advised him that I was unaware that I had done so and gave him whatever papers he requested. After which he made notes on a piece of paper and returned my credentials and advised me that I would receive a notice from the FAA of a pending investigation within the next 2 weeks and that he and the pilot of the small transport aircraft would be testifying as to the charges against me. I thanked him and returned to my aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT OF SMA ACFT INADVERTENTLY PENETRATED A RESTRICTED AIRSPACE DURING THE FLT OBSERVATION OF A SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH.

Narrative: I DEPARTED MERRITT ISLAND ARPT FROM RWY 29 AND TOOK A HDG OF 340 DEGS N. CLBING TO A DESIRED ALT OF 3000 FT TO CLR LCL ATC'S. UPON CLB OUT OF MERRITT IS FREQ 123.05 I OVERHEARD SEVERAL OTHER PLTS TALKING TO EACH OTHER ABOUT WATCHING THE LAUNCH OF THE SHUTTLE SCHEDULED TO LAUNCH AT AM:55 HRS. NOT WANTING TO BE AT THE SAME ALT AS ALL THOSE OTHER ACFT WHILE WATCHING THE LAUNCH I LEVELED OFF AND BEGAN CRUISING ON THE NBOUND HDG. I DO NOT REALLY RECALL AT WHAT ALT I LEVELED OFF HOWEVER I KNOW IT WAS LOWER THAN THE OTHER ACFT AS I SPOTTED ONE OF THEM ABOVE ME AT ABOUT 11:00 POS. I THEN BEGAN LISTENING TO AN AM COM RADIO I HAD BROUGHT TO LISTEN FOR THE COUNTDOWN FOR THE LAUNCH. I MAINTAINED A 360 DEG HDG WHILE LISTENING FOR THE COUNTDOWN. THE AM RADIO WAS SO EFFECTED BY MY TRANSPONDER SIGNAL WHICH WAS ON VFR 1200 THAT I TURNED THE TRANSPONDER OFF LONG ENOUGH TO HEAR THE LCL BROADCAST. AT 30 SECONDS TO GO ON THE COUNTDOWN I TURNED TO A HDG OF APPROX 90 DEGS TO FILL MY WINDSHIELD WITH THE LAUNCH SITE AND THE REMAINING 10 SECONDS COUNTDOWN TO LAUNCH. THE SHUTTLE LAUNCHED AND AS IT ROSE, I PULLED BACK ON THE YOKE TO LIFT THE NOSE AND KEEP THE SHUTTLE IN VIEW AS IT ROSE UPWARD. IN JUST A FEW SHORT SECONDS THE SHUTTLE WAS ABOVE MY ABILITY TO TRACK IT WITHOUT STALLING SO I BROKE OFF TO MY R AND LEVELED OFF. I THEN BANKED TO THE R TO ATTEMPT TO SEE THE LAUNCH OUT OF MY L SIDE WINDOW HOWEVER, BY THIS TIME THE SHUTTLE WAS TOO FAR OUT TO VIEW AT ALL. I THEN MADE ANOTHER R BANK TURN COMING BACK FULL CIRCLE TO A HDG OF ABOUT 190 DEGS. I DECIDED TO RETURN TO MERRITT ISLAND ARPT. AFTER ABOUT 5 MINS MY WIFE WHO WAS RIDING PAX, ADVISED ME THAT THERE WAS AN ACFT FOLLOWING US RATHER CLOSELY. I TRIED TO TURN TO SEE HIM BUT WAS UNABLE TO SEE HIM FROM MY POINT OF VIEW. THEN THE NEXT THING I KNEW A TAN TWIN ENG SMT CAME FROM BELOW AND TO MY L AND CUT ACROSS IN FRONT OF ME TO THE R. I TOLD MY WIFE THAT I MUST HAVE MADE THE PLT MAD IN SOME WAY HOWEVER I COULD SEE THAT HIS WHEELS WERE DOWN AND SPACE COAST EXEC ARPT WAS OFF TO OUR R AND I ASSUMED HE WAS ENTERING FINAL FOR RWY 27 THERE TO LAND. I CONTINUED ON TO MERRITT ISLAND. THEN MY WIFE INFORMED ME THAT THE SMT WAS COMING UP ON US AGAIN. THIS TIME HE MADE A PASS ACROSS FROM THE L AND ABOVE US. I TOLD MY WIFE THAT THIS GUY IS REALLY TICKED OFF, I WONDER WHAT I DID. BUT UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES I WAS IN NO WAY GOING TO GET INVOLVED WITH HIM AND GET KILLED. I TRIED TO SEE HIS A/N BUT WAS UNABLE TO SEE ANY IDENT OF ANY KIND AND I KNEW THAT ALL NASA ACFT THAT PATROLLED THE LAUNCH WERE HELIS FROM PATRICK AFB. SO WE CONTINUED ON AND LANDED AT MERRITT ISLAND WHERE THE SMT FOLLOWED. HE THEN OVERTOOK ME ON THE GND AND I SAW A PERSON IN THE PAX SEAT DIRECTING ME TO PULL OVER OFF THE RAMP AND PARK. I STILL SAW NO IDENT OTHER THAN THE A/N ON THE ACFT BUT I DID PARK IN AN AREA WHERE IF THIS GUY WANTED TO FIGHT I WOULD HAVE SOME WITNESSES. SHUTTING DOWN I THEN GOT OUT AND SAW THE MAN EXITING THE SMT AND HE HAD NO UNIFORM OF ANY KIND ON, ONLY CASUAL DRESS. AS HE APPROACHED, HE DREW WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE AN IDENT WALLET FROM HIS POCKET. HE THEN OFFERED HIS HAND TO SHAKE IN A FRIENDLY GESTURE AND SHOWED ME FAA INDENT AND ADVISED ME THAT I HAD VIOLATED A RESTR AIR ZONE DURING THE LAUNCH AND THAT HE WAS GOING TO CITE ME. I ASKED HIM HOW I HAD VIOLATED THE ZONE AND HE STATED THAT I HAD PENETRATED THE ZONE BY 2 MI. I JUST ADVISED HIM THAT I WAS UNAWARE THAT I HAD DONE SO AND GAVE HIM WHATEVER PAPERS HE REQUESTED. AFTER WHICH HE MADE NOTES ON A PIECE OF PAPER AND RETURNED MY CREDENTIALS AND ADVISED ME THAT I WOULD RECEIVE A NOTICE FROM THE FAA OF A PENDING INVESTIGATION WITHIN THE NEXT 2 WKS AND THAT HE AND THE PLT OF THE SMT ACFT WOULD BE TESTIFYING AS TO THE CHARGES AGAINST ME. I THANKED HIM AND RETURNED TO MY ACFT.

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.