Narrative:

While flying an atmospheric research project off the coast of west california prior arrangements had been made by one of our pilots with ZOA that we would file IFR flight plans to a point with a delay and our code would be passed to air defense. 3 weeks into the project I filed the same flight plan to operate in the same area as we had 4 days earlier. In the remarks I asked for our code to be passed to air defense. On IFR departure from mry we topped the overcast and departure asked us to report as soon as we could go VFR. We reported that we were VFR and were cleared on course. We were told to squawk VFR and cleared from frequency. We told them we needed to maintain this code for air defense and asked for a handoff to oak. Departure said we were too low and oak would not accept a handoff and try to contact them when we got higher. Initially we were unable to contact oak so we decided to try and air file a DVFR flight plan to get a code to air defense. While the copilot was attempting to contact oak FSS, I again tried ZOA. I was able to contact center and asked that they pass our abcd squawk to air defense. He came back telling us he was on the line with big foot and that they wanted to know our operations times. We relayed our area of operations with times of XA00-XI00 local. Continued on our flight along the coast and started working across the ADIZ about 4 hours later. At about XG00 local flying at 700 ft we looked over to see an F16 on our right wing. Attempted to contact him on 121.5 but were unable. As soon as we were high enough to talk to center we reported this and were told to call the area manager when we landed. We were told air defense launched on us after watching us for about 40 mins and that no one knew who we were. I feel factors that led up to this incident were the long duration of our flts (9-10 hours), our operations 100 ft to 3000 ft up to 100 NM offshore with no radar contact, and the copilot largely unable to make contacts with center due to our altitudes and the fact that he was coording our position with another research aircraft to maintain our own separation plus coording requests from the mission scientist on the next altitude and area he wanted for operations. Some remedies would be face to face meetings with the controllers prior to the project and direct contact with air defense via phone prior to each departure. Supplemental information from acn 339217: everything was ok for 7 hours until about XG00 when we were intercepted by an air defense F16. Apparently doing shift change, the word didn't get passed that we were operating in the ADIZ. Apparent problem was going IFR to VFR, but we had done same thing on previous flts.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DURING RESEARCH MISSION, OFF THE COAST, LOW ALT AND OUTSIDE THE ADIZ, RPTR FLC HAD COMPLETED ALL PREFLT PAPERWORK CORRECTLY. APPARENTLY BREAKDOWN BTWN ATC AND AIR DEFENSE RESULTED IN AN INTERCEPT BECAUSE, ACCORDING TO RPTR, ZOA DIDN'T KNOW WHO THEY WERE.

Narrative: WHILE FLYING AN ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH PROJECT OFF THE COAST OF W CALIFORNIA PRIOR ARRANGEMENTS HAD BEEN MADE BY ONE OF OUR PLTS WITH ZOA THAT WE WOULD FILE IFR FLT PLANS TO A POINT WITH A DELAY AND OUR CODE WOULD BE PASSED TO AIR DEFENSE. 3 WKS INTO THE PROJECT I FILED THE SAME FLT PLAN TO OPERATE IN THE SAME AREA AS WE HAD 4 DAYS EARLIER. IN THE REMARKS I ASKED FOR OUR CODE TO BE PASSED TO AIR DEFENSE. ON IFR DEP FROM MRY WE TOPPED THE OVCST AND DEP ASKED US TO RPT AS SOON AS WE COULD GO VFR. WE RPTED THAT WE WERE VFR AND WERE CLRED ON COURSE. WE WERE TOLD TO SQUAWK VFR AND CLRED FROM FREQ. WE TOLD THEM WE NEEDED TO MAINTAIN THIS CODE FOR AIR DEFENSE AND ASKED FOR A HDOF TO OAK. DEP SAID WE WERE TOO LOW AND OAK WOULD NOT ACCEPT A HDOF AND TRY TO CONTACT THEM WHEN WE GOT HIGHER. INITIALLY WE WERE UNABLE TO CONTACT OAK SO WE DECIDED TO TRY AND AIR FILE A DVFR FLT PLAN TO GET A CODE TO AIR DEFENSE. WHILE THE COPLT WAS ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT OAK FSS, I AGAIN TRIED ZOA. I WAS ABLE TO CONTACT CTR AND ASKED THAT THEY PASS OUR ABCD SQUAWK TO AIR DEFENSE. HE CAME BACK TELLING US HE WAS ON THE LINE WITH BIG FOOT AND THAT THEY WANTED TO KNOW OUR OPS TIMES. WE RELAYED OUR AREA OF OPS WITH TIMES OF XA00-XI00 LCL. CONTINUED ON OUR FLT ALONG THE COAST AND STARTED WORKING ACROSS THE ADIZ ABOUT 4 HRS LATER. AT ABOUT XG00 LCL FLYING AT 700 FT WE LOOKED OVER TO SEE AN F16 ON OUR R WING. ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT HIM ON 121.5 BUT WERE UNABLE. AS SOON AS WE WERE HIGH ENOUGH TO TALK TO CTR WE RPTED THIS AND WERE TOLD TO CALL THE AREA MGR WHEN WE LANDED. WE WERE TOLD AIR DEFENSE LAUNCHED ON US AFTER WATCHING US FOR ABOUT 40 MINS AND THAT NO ONE KNEW WHO WE WERE. I FEEL FACTORS THAT LED UP TO THIS INCIDENT WERE THE LONG DURATION OF OUR FLTS (9-10 HRS), OUR OPS 100 FT TO 3000 FT UP TO 100 NM OFFSHORE WITH NO RADAR CONTACT, AND THE COPLT LARGELY UNABLE TO MAKE CONTACTS WITH CTR DUE TO OUR ALTS AND THE FACT THAT HE WAS COORDING OUR POS WITH ANOTHER RESEARCH ACFT TO MAINTAIN OUR OWN SEPARATION PLUS COORDING REQUESTS FROM THE MISSION SCIENTIST ON THE NEXT ALT AND AREA HE WANTED FOR OPS. SOME REMEDIES WOULD BE FACE TO FACE MEETINGS WITH THE CTLRS PRIOR TO THE PROJECT AND DIRECT CONTACT WITH AIR DEFENSE VIA PHONE PRIOR TO EACH DEP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 339217: EVERYTHING WAS OK FOR 7 HRS UNTIL ABOUT XG00 WHEN WE WERE INTERCEPTED BY AN AIR DEFENSE F16. APPARENTLY DOING SHIFT CHANGE, THE WORD DIDN'T GET PASSED THAT WE WERE OPERATING IN THE ADIZ. APPARENT PROB WAS GOING IFR TO VFR, BUT WE HAD DONE SAME THING ON PREVIOUS FLTS.

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.