Narrative:

On xx I filed a flight plan with hermosillo customs for my flight to tucson, arizona. The paper work at hermosillo customs cost me $20.00 and they informed me that I was cleared to tucson and custom (USA) would be waiting and prepared. On the flight plan I also made sure I put in the remarks to advise customs and I also even used the customs agents name he was the one who checked us out of the country. So assuming all was ok I started off on my 2 hour and 10 mins flight to tucson. Just before the border I called prescott radio off the nogales VOR. At that time the lady informed me that my flight plan had not been filed. So at that time she helped me file and called customs to advise that I would be there in 45 mins. 5 mi inside the united states border I was buzzed twice by a united states custom cessna citation. After talking to flight service I called and confirmed my approach with tucson. They directed me to my landing at customs. The first to come out to see me were the 2 custom agents from the citation jet. They looked over all my paperwork and flight plan and said I had done all the proper things and that all was ok. At this time I was turned over to another customs agent and he finished doing my paperwork. At this time he also told me that the flight service had not called him to inform him I was coming, but flight service earlier had told me that she had talked to customs and they expected me, he also gave me a form to sign that said I had violated the south border penetration notice 19 crash fire rescue equipment 122.23 (B). After leaving I called up the tower to depart to the north and they informed me that my flight plan had not been closed which puzzled me because customs had said they were the only ones who could close my flight plan. It looks like the ball got dropped more than once on this flight and I took a lot of the blame. If I deserve it that's one thing but I was only doing what I was told to do. This is also very difficult for me because I am a CFI helicopter pilot so it makes it difficult to know what to teach students when I keep getting different information all the time. It makes me wonder where I can find true and correct information on the proper things to teach. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: after paying a fee and filing a flight plan at hermosillo, they failed to file the flight plan. Reporter, assuming that the plan was filed, continued the flight to tucson. About 30 mins out from tucson, and before crossing the border, reporter contacted tucson FSS to check his flight plan status. They told him that there was no plan filed, but would do it then, plus notify customs. Radio problems plagued the reporter because of mountainous terrain and low altitude helicopter flying. Reporter, again assuming a flight plan was filed, continued on across the border where he was intercepted by a customs citation who got his aircraft number. He finally landed at tucson and was met by a less than happy customs supervisor. Reporter asked about closing his flight plan and customs assured him that they took care of that. However, shortly a call came from FSS inquiring about the position of the helicopter. So, customs had failed to close it. Reporter filled out the required customs forms, etc, and they invited him to depart the airport. Subsequently, reporter has researched a better method for filing and returning from mexico: to call customs via telephone and advise them of the flight plan and ETA. Thus they are forewarned and this type of problem eliminated.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: XING BORDER FROM MEXICO WITHOUT FLT PLAN. CUSTOMS PROBS.

Narrative: ON XX I FILED A FLT PLAN WITH HERMOSILLO CUSTOMS FOR MY FLT TO TUCSON, ARIZONA. THE PAPER WORK AT HERMOSILLO CUSTOMS COST ME $20.00 AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT I WAS CLRED TO TUCSON AND CUSTOM (USA) WOULD BE WAITING AND PREPARED. ON THE FLT PLAN I ALSO MADE SURE I PUT IN THE REMARKS TO ADVISE CUSTOMS AND I ALSO EVEN USED THE CUSTOMS AGENTS NAME HE WAS THE ONE WHO CHKED US OUT OF THE COUNTRY. SO ASSUMING ALL WAS OK I STARTED OFF ON MY 2 HR AND 10 MINS FLT TO TUCSON. JUST BEFORE THE BORDER I CALLED PRESCOTT RADIO OFF THE NOGALES VOR. AT THAT TIME THE LADY INFORMED ME THAT MY FLT PLAN HAD NOT BEEN FILED. SO AT THAT TIME SHE HELPED ME FILE AND CALLED CUSTOMS TO ADVISE THAT I WOULD BE THERE IN 45 MINS. 5 MI INSIDE THE UNITED STATES BORDER I WAS BUZZED TWICE BY A UNITED STATES CUSTOM CESSNA CITATION. AFTER TALKING TO FLT SVC I CALLED AND CONFIRMED MY APCH WITH TUCSON. THEY DIRECTED ME TO MY LNDG AT CUSTOMS. THE FIRST TO COME OUT TO SEE ME WERE THE 2 CUSTOM AGENTS FROM THE CITATION JET. THEY LOOKED OVER ALL MY PAPERWORK AND FLT PLAN AND SAID I HAD DONE ALL THE PROPER THINGS AND THAT ALL WAS OK. AT THIS TIME I WAS TURNED OVER TO ANOTHER CUSTOMS AGENT AND HE FINISHED DOING MY PAPERWORK. AT THIS TIME HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT THE FLT SVC HAD NOT CALLED HIM TO INFORM HIM I WAS COMING, BUT FLT SVC EARLIER HAD TOLD ME THAT SHE HAD TALKED TO CUSTOMS AND THEY EXPECTED ME, HE ALSO GAVE ME A FORM TO SIGN THAT SAID I HAD VIOLATED THE S BORDER PENETRATION NOTICE 19 CFR 122.23 (B). AFTER LEAVING I CALLED UP THE TWR TO DEPART TO THE N AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT MY FLT PLAN HAD NOT BEEN CLOSED WHICH PUZZLED ME BECAUSE CUSTOMS HAD SAID THEY WERE THE ONLY ONES WHO COULD CLOSE MY FLT PLAN. IT LOOKS LIKE THE BALL GOT DROPPED MORE THAN ONCE ON THIS FLT AND I TOOK A LOT OF THE BLAME. IF I DESERVE IT THAT'S ONE THING BUT I WAS ONLY DOING WHAT I WAS TOLD TO DO. THIS IS ALSO VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME BECAUSE I AM A CFI HELI PLT SO IT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHAT TO TEACH STUDENTS WHEN I KEEP GETTING DIFFERENT INFO ALL THE TIME. IT MAKES ME WONDER WHERE I CAN FIND TRUE AND CORRECT INFO ON THE PROPER THINGS TO TEACH. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: AFTER PAYING A FEE AND FILING A FLT PLAN AT HERMOSILLO, THEY FAILED TO FILE THE FLT PLAN. RPTR, ASSUMING THAT THE PLAN WAS FILED, CONTINUED THE FLT TO TUCSON. ABOUT 30 MINS OUT FROM TUCSON, AND BEFORE XING THE BORDER, RPTR CONTACTED TUCSON FSS TO CHK HIS FLT PLAN STATUS. THEY TOLD HIM THAT THERE WAS NO PLAN FILED, BUT WOULD DO IT THEN, PLUS NOTIFY CUSTOMS. RADIO PROBS PLAGUED THE RPTR BECAUSE OF MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AND LOW ALT HELI FLYING. RPTR, AGAIN ASSUMING A FLT PLAN WAS FILED, CONTINUED ON ACROSS THE BORDER WHERE HE WAS INTERCEPTED BY A CUSTOMS CITATION WHO GOT HIS ACFT NUMBER. HE FINALLY LANDED AT TUCSON AND WAS MET BY A LESS THAN HAPPY CUSTOMS SUPVR. RPTR ASKED ABOUT CLOSING HIS FLT PLAN AND CUSTOMS ASSURED HIM THAT THEY TOOK CARE OF THAT. HOWEVER, SHORTLY A CALL CAME FROM FSS INQUIRING ABOUT THE POS OF THE HELI. SO, CUSTOMS HAD FAILED TO CLOSE IT. RPTR FILLED OUT THE REQUIRED CUSTOMS FORMS, ETC, AND THEY INVITED HIM TO DEPART THE ARPT. SUBSEQUENTLY, RPTR HAS RESEARCHED A BETTER METHOD FOR FILING AND RETURNING FROM MEXICO: TO CALL CUSTOMS VIA TELEPHONE AND ADVISE THEM OF THE FLT PLAN AND ETA. THUS THEY ARE FOREWARNED AND THIS TYPE OF PROB ELIMINATED.

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.