Narrative:

Flight from lfkj (corsica, france) to ldri (rijelka, slovenia). After landing in rijelka, I as pilot was informed that the VFR flight I had just conducted violated some italian airspace. This was supposedly a temporary condition as I did file, and fly a VFR flight plan on airways. There was no NOTAM information issued me in ajaccio, and to further complicate matters, the italian ATC controllers were too busy to speak to me in flight (a common situation that stems from their insistence on speaking italian whenever possible). I believe a very serious safety problem exists in this area due to the lack of communication that exist between airmen and ATC, this with the war in southern bosnia could easily lead to a major air disaster in this region. My response to this incident is to operate under IFR flight plans regardless of WX conditions. This adds considerable expense to flight operations in europe, but is the only immediate answer I see to the problem. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that much after the fact he realized that his VFR flight plan had apparently never been transmitted. He also came to the determination that the system does not work the same as in the united states. When one files in the united states and a portion of the route is not usable or acceptable, the briefer indicates this to the pilot. This was not the case for reporter. There was a temporary airspace restriction and he was never told, thus the problem. The controllers en route also never informed him, so when the italian controllers refused to speak to him, he continued on the flight planned route through this temporary restr area. Frequencys are not published as they are in the united states, so he could not know what the next contact was. He finally contacted a tower and was able to make proper contact on the way. Reporter states he is very concerned reference the southern european ATC situation. Spain, italy, and greece are problem areas. It was suggested that he notify ICAO of these problems. He has changed company policy so that all flts in this area will be conducted on IFR flight plans in spite of the added expense.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMT HAS COM PROB IN SOUTHERN EUROPEAN AIRSPACE. APPARENTLY VIOLATED A RESTR AREA OF WHICH HE WAS NOT INFORMED.

Narrative: FLT FROM LFKJ (CORSICA, FRANCE) TO LDRI (RIJELKA, SLOVENIA). AFTER LNDG IN RIJELKA, I AS PLT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VFR FLT I HAD JUST CONDUCTED VIOLATED SOME ITALIAN AIRSPACE. THIS WAS SUPPOSEDLY A TEMPORARY CONDITION AS I DID FILE, AND FLY A VFR FLT PLAN ON AIRWAYS. THERE WAS NO NOTAM INFO ISSUED ME IN AJACCIO, AND TO FURTHER COMPLICATE MATTERS, THE ITALIAN ATC CTLRS WERE TOO BUSY TO SPEAK TO ME IN FLT (A COMMON SIT THAT STEMS FROM THEIR INSISTENCE ON SPEAKING ITALIAN WHENEVER POSSIBLE). I BELIEVE A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY PROB EXISTS IN THIS AREA DUE TO THE LACK OF COM THAT EXIST BTWN AIRMEN AND ATC, THIS WITH THE WAR IN SOUTHERN BOSNIA COULD EASILY LEAD TO A MAJOR AIR DISASTER IN THIS REGION. MY RESPONSE TO THIS INCIDENT IS TO OPERATE UNDER IFR FLT PLANS REGARDLESS OF WX CONDITIONS. THIS ADDS CONSIDERABLE EXPENSE TO FLT OPS IN EUROPE, BUT IS THE ONLY IMMEDIATE ANSWER I SEE TO THE PROB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT MUCH AFTER THE FACT HE REALIZED THAT HIS VFR FLT PLAN HAD APPARENTLY NEVER BEEN XMITTED. HE ALSO CAME TO THE DETERMINATION THAT THE SYS DOES NOT WORK THE SAME AS IN THE UNITED STATES. WHEN ONE FILES IN THE UNITED STATES AND A PORTION OF THE RTE IS NOT USABLE OR ACCEPTABLE, THE BRIEFER INDICATES THIS TO THE PLT. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE FOR RPTR. THERE WAS A TEMPORARY AIRSPACE RESTRICTION AND HE WAS NEVER TOLD, THUS THE PROB. THE CTLRS ENRTE ALSO NEVER INFORMED HIM, SO WHEN THE ITALIAN CTLRS REFUSED TO SPEAK TO HIM, HE CONTINUED ON THE FLT PLANNED RTE THROUGH THIS TEMPORARY RESTR AREA. FREQS ARE NOT PUBLISHED AS THEY ARE IN THE UNITED STATES, SO HE COULD NOT KNOW WHAT THE NEXT CONTACT WAS. HE FINALLY CONTACTED A TWR AND WAS ABLE TO MAKE PROPER CONTACT ON THE WAY. RPTR STATES HE IS VERY CONCERNED REF THE SOUTHERN EUROPEAN ATC SIT. SPAIN, ITALY, AND GREECE ARE PROB AREAS. IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT HE NOTIFY ICAO OF THESE PROBS. HE HAS CHANGED COMPANY POLICY SO THAT ALL FLTS IN THIS AREA WILL BE CONDUCTED ON IFR FLT PLANS IN SPITE OF THE ADDED EXPENSE.

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.