Narrative:

I had departed from bellingham, wa, for sequim valley on an IFR flight plan. Before takeoff I was cleared to sequim valley via the island 2 departure, paine transition, then as filed. I expected to be routed around whidbey NAS since the airspace 5 NM around the airport from the surface to 15000 ft had been notamed off limits. After being handed off to whidbey approach control from vancouver terminal, I was radar idented but initially not given a new clearance or vector. At some point near or in the class C airspace I was told by the whidbey control to remain clear of the airspace near the airport due to the whidbey air show. I wasn't sure what this meant, since it sounded like a VFR advisory and I was IFR. So I asked the controller if I had the discretion to choose my own heading and he, in effect, said that was so. At about that time I turned slightly to the east. My wife, who was in the right seat, asked me if I could see the whidbey NAS and I said 'yes,' however, due to the haze, I mistakenly idented an area about 5 mi to the south. As a precaution I tuned in the skagit bay view NDB and was shocked to see the ADF needle swing to the left. I turned to a heading of about 60 degrees to intercept a bearing of approximately 80 degrees inbound. About 2 mi west of skagit, whidbey began issuing vectors. Although ATC did not say so, I later concluded that I either came very close to violating the NOTAM restr or actually violated it. Factors contributing to this (near?) incursion were: 1) lack of civilian frequency for whidbey VORTAC, which I would have used to accurately determine my position, 2) surprise heading clearance by whidbey approach controller, making rapid VFR dead-reckoning impossible, 3) the standard SID out of bellingham, instead of a temporary SID, eg, direct paine, and 4) hazy conditions hampering VFR pilotage.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR PLT WAS ON IFR FLT PLAN WHICH TOOK HIM IN THE VICINITY OF A NAVAL AIR STATION WHICH WAS HAVING AN AIR SHOW AND HAD BEEN NOTAMED. BEING IFR, RPTR EXPECTED ATC TO VECTOR HIM AROUND THE NAS, BUT SOME CONFUSION RESULTED AND THE NAS CTLR TOLD HIM TO STAY CLR. RPTR ASKED IF HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR REMAINING CLR AND TO CONTINUE VFR. APPARENTLY THAT WAS THE CONCLUSION. THERE WAS A COM PROB BTWN THE VARIOUS ATC FACILITIES AND THE MIL.

Narrative: I HAD DEPARTED FROM BELLINGHAM, WA, FOR SEQUIM VALLEY ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. BEFORE TKOF I WAS CLRED TO SEQUIM VALLEY VIA THE ISLAND 2 DEP, PAINE TRANSITION, THEN AS FILED. I EXPECTED TO BE ROUTED AROUND WHIDBEY NAS SINCE THE AIRSPACE 5 NM AROUND THE ARPT FROM THE SURFACE TO 15000 FT HAD BEEN NOTAMED OFF LIMITS. AFTER BEING HANDED OFF TO WHIDBEY APCH CTL FROM VANCOUVER TERMINAL, I WAS RADAR IDENTED BUT INITIALLY NOT GIVEN A NEW CLRNC OR VECTOR. AT SOME POINT NEAR OR IN THE CLASS C AIRSPACE I WAS TOLD BY THE WHIDBEY CTL TO REMAIN CLR OF THE AIRSPACE NEAR THE ARPT DUE TO THE WHIDBEY AIR SHOW. I WASN'T SURE WHAT THIS MEANT, SINCE IT SOUNDED LIKE A VFR ADVISORY AND I WAS IFR. SO I ASKED THE CTLR IF I HAD THE DISCRETION TO CHOOSE MY OWN HEADING AND HE, IN EFFECT, SAID THAT WAS SO. AT ABOUT THAT TIME I TURNED SLIGHTLY TO THE E. MY WIFE, WHO WAS IN THE R SEAT, ASKED ME IF I COULD SEE THE WHIDBEY NAS AND I SAID 'YES,' HOWEVER, DUE TO THE HAZE, I MISTAKENLY IDENTED AN AREA ABOUT 5 MI TO THE S. AS A PRECAUTION I TUNED IN THE SKAGIT BAY VIEW NDB AND WAS SHOCKED TO SEE THE ADF NEEDLE SWING TO THE L. I TURNED TO A HEADING OF ABOUT 60 DEGS TO INTERCEPT A BEARING OF APPROX 80 DEGS INBOUND. ABOUT 2 MI W OF SKAGIT, WHIDBEY BEGAN ISSUING VECTORS. ALTHOUGH ATC DID NOT SAY SO, I LATER CONCLUDED THAT I EITHER CAME VERY CLOSE TO VIOLATING THE NOTAM RESTR OR ACTUALLY VIOLATED IT. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS (NEAR?) INCURSION WERE: 1) LACK OF CIVILIAN FREQ FOR WHIDBEY VORTAC, WHICH I WOULD HAVE USED TO ACCURATELY DETERMINE MY POS, 2) SURPRISE HEADING CLRNC BY WHIDBEY APCH CTLR, MAKING RAPID VFR DEAD-RECKONING IMPOSSIBLE, 3) THE STANDARD SID OUT OF BELLINGHAM, INSTEAD OF A TEMPORARY SID, EG, DIRECT PAINE, AND 4) HAZY CONDITIONS HAMPERING VFR PILOTAGE.

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.