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Small aircraft diverting to land on IFR flight plan told radar service terminated squawk 1200. Later contacted by center for not canceling IFR flight plan.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 248069 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199308 |
| Day | Mon |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : vla |
| State Reference | IL |
| Altitude | agl single value : 0 msl single value : 3000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : cmi tower : vla |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Small Aircraft, Low Wing, 2 Eng, Retractable Gear |
| Flight Phase | descent other landing other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : flight engineer pilot : cfi pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 125 flight time total : 10000 flight time type : 20 |
| ASRS Report | 248069 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : approach |
| Qualification | controller : radar |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure |
| Independent Detector | other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | faa : reviewed incident with flight crew |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | ATC Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation Inter Facility Coordination Failure |
| Situations | |
| ATC Facility | procedure or policy : unspecified |
Narrative:
I was en route from sheboygan, wi. I requested a clearance to VFR on top from rockford approach control and was instructed to climb to 8000 ft. I was handed off to chicago center and was cleared to 10000 ft. I was on top at 10000 ft and was worked by chicago center and then kansas city center. Due to a suspected fuel leak I decided to land to check out the problem. At this point, I had been handed off by kansas city center to champaign approach control. I informed champaign approach that I wanted to land at vandalia, il (vli). We were in our descent and at about 3000-4000 ft and north of the vandalia VOR, champaign approach control told us that 'radar services terminated, squawk 1200, frequency change approved.' I understood this as a cancellation of my IFR and proceeded to land at vandalia. Upon arrival at olive branch, ms, I was told to call the tower. The controller said that kansas city center had been looking for us and thought that we had gone down. It was later discovered that the champaign approach had not closed out our IFR with kansas city center. I think what may have happened was that possibly one controller was handling all operations at champaign and that he was very busy and overworked and this happened to slip by him as far as cancelling us out with kansas city center.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: SMA DIVERTING TO LAND ON IFR FLT PLAN TOLD RADAR SVC TERMINATED SQUAWK 1200. LATER CONTACTED BY CTR FOR NOT CANCELING IFR FLT PLAN.
Narrative: I WAS ENRTE FROM SHEBOYGAN, WI. I REQUESTED A CLRNC TO VFR ON TOP FROM ROCKFORD APCH CTL AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO CLB TO 8000 FT. I WAS HANDED OFF TO CHICAGO CTR AND WAS CLRED TO 10000 FT. I WAS ON TOP AT 10000 FT AND WAS WORKED BY CHICAGO CTR AND THEN KANSAS CITY CTR. DUE TO A SUSPECTED FUEL LEAK I DECIDED TO LAND TO CHK OUT THE PROB. AT THIS POINT, I HAD BEEN HANDED OFF BY KANSAS CITY CTR TO CHAMPAIGN APCH CTL. I INFORMED CHAMPAIGN APCH THAT I WANTED TO LAND AT VANDALIA, IL (VLI). WE WERE IN OUR DSCNT AND AT ABOUT 3000-4000 FT AND N OF THE VANDALIA VOR, CHAMPAIGN APCH CTL TOLD US THAT 'RADAR SVCS TERMINATED, SQUAWK 1200, FREQ CHANGE APPROVED.' I UNDERSTOOD THIS AS A CANCELLATION OF MY IFR AND PROCEEDED TO LAND AT VANDALIA. UPON ARR AT OLIVE BRANCH, MS, I WAS TOLD TO CALL THE TWR. THE CTLR SAID THAT KANSAS CITY CTR HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR US AND THOUGHT THAT WE HAD GONE DOWN. IT WAS LATER DISCOVERED THAT THE CHAMPAIGN APCH HAD NOT CLOSED OUT OUR IFR WITH KANSAS CITY CTR. I THINK WHAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED WAS THAT POSSIBLY ONE CTLR WAS HANDLING ALL OPS AT CHAMPAIGN AND THAT HE WAS VERY BUSY AND OVERWORKED AND THIS HAPPENED TO SLIP BY HIM AS FAR AS CANCELLING US OUT WITH KANSAS CITY CTR.
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.