Narrative:

Arriving at nogales, az, from deming, NM, the week before I had lost radio usage (LORAN) and had to rely on basic pilotage as I couldn't fly directly to the nogales airport using the VOR on that field as I would be violating the restr zone (R2303A-B) which lies directly to the east and south of that airport. At my arrival, the FBO stated to me 'check your battery as your radio is weak.' returned on tuesday, checked WX (FSS) by telephone, checked out my aircraft, and departed VFR for deming, NM. Flying south to avoid that aforesaid restr zone, having to estimate my heading and time when to fly east and north, to resume my flight to deming as to when I would be clear of this restr zone, and with a good connection to the dug VOR 108.8 backing up this VFR flight. 30 or 40 mins after takeoff I tried to get the VOR at dug 108.8, but at that time my to-from needle showed unreliability as it wouldn't center. I continued flying on, trying to locate exactly where I was from any landmarks, but was unable to, even making slight corrections in my heading to help me (there it all looks as a moonscape). I tried all the nearby vors and finally got one which was the columbus, NM, one. I tracked to that one on a heading of 310 degrees, not knowing how far I was from it since I don't have DME and my LORAN couldn't get a reliable gri in this area, and my VOR had shown unreliability prior while trying to connect to a radial at dug. I continued on then to deming, called unicom for a landing advisory, landed, and was followed in by a citation jet and a cessna 210 which contained officers who along with ground arrival officers, detained me, searched my aircraft (with my permission), questioned me, and then confiscated my aircraft -- a 1963 mooney model D. Because of the location of these vors (nogales airport and douglas, az) and lack of other radio aids, no major landmarks, and my unfamiliarity, I am accused of straying across the united states-mexico border. Failure to file the appropriate flight plans, failure to communicate with ATC regarding ADIZ crossing, failure to present myself properly and timely to customs and immigration at a proper airport of entry, and-or use my transponder for the convenience of govt to keep track of this aircraft on this cross border flight. These accusations-facts all were done inadvertently, all unpremeditated and completely unintentional. My experiences to benefit the system, ie, improvement, etc. That the vors at nogales, az, and douglas, az, could be relocated to the west south corner and the east south corners respectively of (R2303A-B) so that radials directly off them could be used to navigation the long narrow corridor which is there along the mexican border or if possible without any compromise to the USA security, simply move part of this bottom piece of R2303A-B allowing VFR pilots to fly directly to each VOR in its respective present location. This will also give a wider easier corridor to navigation in the event of radio failures. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states the premise on which customs confiscated his aircraft is that he crossed 16 mi into mexican airspace and flew for 90 mi then crossed back into the united states without contact with anyone. The customs officer was very confrontational and accusatory indicating that customs knew he was associated with drug people and was smuggling himself. The customs officer pulled up a name from his computer and asked reporter about it. Reporter stated he knew someone by that name who had rented an apartment from him some yrs ago. That is when the customs officer said we are confiscating your aircraft and you will never get it back. There is now a second charge that reporter had outfitted his aircraft for drug running because he had put larger tanks in the aircraft. This mooney has the same problem that many mooneys do, leaking fuel tanks. Rather than fiddle with repairs, reporter had new tanks installed, bladder type, which carry 6 gals more than the original tanks. He has filed a petition for release of his aircraft and sent all forms including the proper FAA forms for the installation and an article he wrote on the procedures of tank installation for the mooney owners magazine. He has not contacted an attorney because they required too much money up front and charge too much per hour. Reporter indicated he would keep us aware of further proceedings.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MOONEY PLT STRAYS ACROSS UNITED STATES MEXICO BORDER.

Narrative: ARRIVING AT NOGALES, AZ, FROM DEMING, NM, THE WK BEFORE I HAD LOST RADIO USAGE (LORAN) AND HAD TO RELY ON BASIC PILOTAGE AS I COULDN'T FLY DIRECTLY TO THE NOGALES ARPT USING THE VOR ON THAT FIELD AS I WOULD BE VIOLATING THE RESTR ZONE (R2303A-B) WHICH LIES DIRECTLY TO THE E AND S OF THAT ARPT. AT MY ARR, THE FBO STATED TO ME 'CHK YOUR BATTERY AS YOUR RADIO IS WEAK.' RETURNED ON TUESDAY, CHKED WX (FSS) BY TELEPHONE, CHKED OUT MY ACFT, AND DEPARTED VFR FOR DEMING, NM. FLYING S TO AVOID THAT AFORESAID RESTR ZONE, HAVING TO ESTIMATE MY HDG AND TIME WHEN TO FLY E AND N, TO RESUME MY FLT TO DEMING AS TO WHEN I WOULD BE CLR OF THIS RESTR ZONE, AND WITH A GOOD CONNECTION TO THE DUG VOR 108.8 BACKING UP THIS VFR FLT. 30 OR 40 MINS AFTER TKOF I TRIED TO GET THE VOR AT DUG 108.8, BUT AT THAT TIME MY TO-FROM NEEDLE SHOWED UNRELIABILITY AS IT WOULDN'T CTR. I CONTINUED FLYING ON, TRYING TO LOCATE EXACTLY WHERE I WAS FROM ANY LANDMARKS, BUT WAS UNABLE TO, EVEN MAKING SLIGHT CORRECTIONS IN MY HDG TO HELP ME (THERE IT ALL LOOKS AS A MOONSCAPE). I TRIED ALL THE NEARBY VORS AND FINALLY GOT ONE WHICH WAS THE COLUMBUS, NM, ONE. I TRACKED TO THAT ONE ON A HDG OF 310 DEGS, NOT KNOWING HOW FAR I WAS FROM IT SINCE I DON'T HAVE DME AND MY LORAN COULDN'T GET A RELIABLE GRI IN THIS AREA, AND MY VOR HAD SHOWN UNRELIABILITY PRIOR WHILE TRYING TO CONNECT TO A RADIAL AT DUG. I CONTINUED ON THEN TO DEMING, CALLED UNICOM FOR A LNDG ADVISORY, LANDED, AND WAS FOLLOWED IN BY A CITATION JET AND A CESSNA 210 WHICH CONTAINED OFFICERS WHO ALONG WITH GND ARR OFFICERS, DETAINED ME, SEARCHED MY ACFT (WITH MY PERMISSION), QUESTIONED ME, AND THEN CONFISCATED MY ACFT -- A 1963 MOONEY MODEL D. BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION OF THESE VORS (NOGALES ARPT AND DOUGLAS, AZ) AND LACK OF OTHER RADIO AIDS, NO MAJOR LANDMARKS, AND MY UNFAMILIARITY, I AM ACCUSED OF STRAYING ACROSS THE UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER. FAILURE TO FILE THE APPROPRIATE FLT PLANS, FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE WITH ATC REGARDING ADIZ XING, FAILURE TO PRESENT MYSELF PROPERLY AND TIMELY TO CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION AT A PROPER ARPT OF ENTRY, AND-OR USE MY XPONDER FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF GOVT TO KEEP TRACK OF THIS ACFT ON THIS CROSS BORDER FLT. THESE ACCUSATIONS-FACTS ALL WERE DONE INADVERTENTLY, ALL UNPREMEDITATED AND COMPLETELY UNINTENTIONAL. MY EXPERIENCES TO BENEFIT THE SYS, IE, IMPROVEMENT, ETC. THAT THE VORS AT NOGALES, AZ, AND DOUGLAS, AZ, COULD BE RELOCATED TO THE W S CORNER AND THE E S CORNERS RESPECTIVELY OF (R2303A-B) SO THAT RADIALS DIRECTLY OFF THEM COULD BE USED TO NAV THE LONG NARROW CORRIDOR WHICH IS THERE ALONG THE MEXICAN BORDER OR IF POSSIBLE WITHOUT ANY COMPROMISE TO THE USA SECURITY, SIMPLY MOVE PART OF THIS BOTTOM PIECE OF R2303A-B ALLOWING VFR PLTS TO FLY DIRECTLY TO EACH VOR IN ITS RESPECTIVE PRESENT LOCATION. THIS WILL ALSO GIVE A WIDER EASIER CORRIDOR TO NAV IN THE EVENT OF RADIO FAILURES. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THE PREMISE ON WHICH CUSTOMS CONFISCATED HIS ACFT IS THAT HE CROSSED 16 MI INTO MEXICAN AIRSPACE AND FLEW FOR 90 MI THEN CROSSED BACK INTO THE UNITED STATES WITHOUT CONTACT WITH ANYONE. THE CUSTOMS OFFICER WAS VERY CONFRONTATIONAL AND ACCUSATORY INDICATING THAT CUSTOMS KNEW HE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH DRUG PEOPLE AND WAS SMUGGLING HIMSELF. THE CUSTOMS OFFICER PULLED UP A NAME FROM HIS COMPUTER AND ASKED RPTR ABOUT IT. RPTR STATED HE KNEW SOMEONE BY THAT NAME WHO HAD RENTED AN APARTMENT FROM HIM SOME YRS AGO. THAT IS WHEN THE CUSTOMS OFFICER SAID WE ARE CONFISCATING YOUR ACFT AND YOU WILL NEVER GET IT BACK. THERE IS NOW A SECOND CHARGE THAT RPTR HAD OUTFITTED HIS ACFT FOR DRUG RUNNING BECAUSE HE HAD PUT LARGER TANKS IN THE ACFT. THIS MOONEY HAS THE SAME PROB THAT MANY MOONEYS DO, LEAKING FUEL TANKS. RATHER THAN FIDDLE WITH REPAIRS, RPTR HAD NEW TANKS INSTALLED, BLADDER TYPE, WHICH CARRY 6 GALS MORE THAN THE ORIGINAL TANKS. HE HAS FILED A PETITION FOR RELEASE OF HIS ACFT AND SENT ALL FORMS INCLUDING THE PROPER FAA FORMS FOR THE INSTALLATION AND AN ARTICLE HE WROTE ON THE PROCS OF TANK INSTALLATION FOR THE MOONEY OWNERS MAGAZINE. HE HAS NOT CONTACTED AN ATTORNEY BECAUSE THEY REQUIRED TOO MUCH MONEY UP FRONT AND CHARGE TOO MUCH PER HR. RPTR INDICATED HE WOULD KEEP US AWARE OF FURTHER PROCEEDINGS.

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.