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Unauthorized penetration of airspace by BE10A king air flight crew on a lifeguard mission.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 360590 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199702 |
| Day | Wed |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : xyz |
| State Reference | US |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 2000 msl bound upper : 2000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : zzz |
| Operator | common carrier : air taxi |
| Make Model Name | King Air 100 A/B |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 135 |
| Navigation In Use | Other |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach landing other |
| Route In Use | approach : visual enroute : direct |
| Flight Plan | VFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial pilot : instrument pilot : atp pilot : cfi |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 3500 flight time type : 50 |
| ASRS Report | 360590 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial pilot : instrument |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far other anomaly other other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Consequence | faa : reviewed incident with flight crew |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation other |
| Situations | |
| ATC Facility | procedure or policy : unspecified |
Narrative:
As captain of our king air A100 I departed abc airport for xyz airport to pick up the coordinator and organs for a delivery to efg airport. My flight log shows that I departed with a block time of AB55 and landed at AC15 at xyz. I filed a flight plan, and picked it up when airborne with approach control. I continued to climb to 3000 ft MSL and flew direct to the xyz airport using VFR, VOR from the iso VOR, and LORAN navigation. Being familiar with the area it was easy to pick out landmarks. Approach control gave me a 'handoff' on frequency xxxxx and they said that the field was reporting IFR conditions and requested that I begin flying their heading for the ILS approach to runway 19 at xyz. After turning to the heading and confirming that the AWOS at xyz was reporting ceiling of 4500 ft broken and 2 1/2 mi visibility, I requested permission to continue to the field to pick up a visual approach. Center controller agreed to the heading and stated that they could not issue a visual approach. At that point and from a position of approximately 8 mi from the southern end of the airport, I called the field in sight and center controller again stated that the field was IFR and he could not issue a visual approach. I requested cancellation of my IFR clearance and after receiving verification from the center controller that my IFR clearance was canceled I proceeded under VFR. I also requested that my copilot verify first our approximately distance from the field and second that the conditions were indeed VFR. Then I pointed out several prominent landmarks on the approach in to land on runway 1 at the xyz. The flight continued to efg without concern where the ground controller instructed me to contact mr X. I called mr X who explained that I had illegally penetrated the class east airspace surrounding the xyz airport. I discussed my actions with mr X and told him that there was obviously more than the reported 2 1/2 mi of visibility and that I continued the visual approach under VFR conditions. I also reminded mr X that I was a lifeguard flight picking up vital human organs and that the ILS approach would have added unnecessary and possibly life-threatening delay to my mission. Mr X reminded me of the requirements for operating in class east airspace and since he had just taught a class in those procedures he was certain of his accuracy. I said it seemed odd to have class east airspace without a human WX observer and if this happened often at the xyz airport. Mr X replied that it had happened before and that xyz was the only such airspace in his sector of the kind. I then called the efg AFSS to report that the xyz AWOS was obviously not correctly reporting the accurate WX at the airport. I spoke to mr Y who said that I was not the first to report a problem with the xyz AWOS and the reason in his mind was that the AWOS was located in the wetlands adjacent to the south of the airfield. He said that he would call the field manager, mr Z and the AWOS repairman. I spoke again with mr Y who said that mr Z reported no problems with the AWOS at xyz. I then completed my return to xyz and abc without further question.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: UNAUTH PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE BY BE10A KING AIR FLC ON A LIFEGUARD MISSION.
Narrative: AS CAPT OF OUR KING AIR A100 I DEPARTED ABC ARPT FOR XYZ ARPT TO PICK UP THE COORDINATOR AND ORGANS FOR A DELIVERY TO EFG ARPT. MY FLT LOG SHOWS THAT I DEPARTED WITH A BLOCK TIME OF AB55 AND LANDED AT AC15 AT XYZ. I FILED A FLT PLAN, AND PICKED IT UP WHEN AIRBORNE WITH APCH CTL. I CONTINUED TO CLB TO 3000 FT MSL AND FLEW DIRECT TO THE XYZ ARPT USING VFR, VOR FROM THE ISO VOR, AND LORAN NAV. BEING FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA IT WAS EASY TO PICK OUT LANDMARKS. APCH CTL GAVE ME A 'HDOF' ON FREQ XXXXX AND THEY SAID THAT THE FIELD WAS RPTING IFR CONDITIONS AND REQUESTED THAT I BEGIN FLYING THEIR HEADING FOR THE ILS APCH TO RWY 19 AT XYZ. AFTER TURNING TO THE HEADING AND CONFIRMING THAT THE AWOS AT XYZ WAS RPTING CEILING OF 4500 FT BROKEN AND 2 1/2 MI VISIBILITY, I REQUESTED PERMISSION TO CONTINUE TO THE FIELD TO PICK UP A VISUAL APCH. CTR CTLR AGREED TO THE HEADING AND STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT ISSUE A VISUAL APCH. AT THAT POINT AND FROM A POS OF APPROX 8 MI FROM THE SOUTHERN END OF THE ARPT, I CALLED THE FIELD IN SIGHT AND CTR CTLR AGAIN STATED THAT THE FIELD WAS IFR AND HE COULD NOT ISSUE A VISUAL APCH. I REQUESTED CANCELLATION OF MY IFR CLRNC AND AFTER RECEIVING VERIFICATION FROM THE CTR CTLR THAT MY IFR CLRNC WAS CANCELED I PROCEEDED UNDER VFR. I ALSO REQUESTED THAT MY COPLT VERIFY FIRST OUR APPROX DISTANCE FROM THE FIELD AND SECOND THAT THE CONDITIONS WERE INDEED VFR. THEN I POINTED OUT SEVERAL PROMINENT LANDMARKS ON THE APCH IN TO LAND ON RWY 1 AT THE XYZ. THE FLT CONTINUED TO EFG WITHOUT CONCERN WHERE THE GND CTLR INSTRUCTED ME TO CONTACT MR X. I CALLED MR X WHO EXPLAINED THAT I HAD ILLEGALLY PENETRATED THE CLASS E AIRSPACE SURROUNDING THE XYZ ARPT. I DISCUSSED MY ACTIONS WITH MR X AND TOLD HIM THAT THERE WAS OBVIOUSLY MORE THAN THE RPTED 2 1/2 MI OF VISIBILITY AND THAT I CONTINUED THE VISUAL APCH UNDER VFR CONDITIONS. I ALSO REMINDED MR X THAT I WAS A LIFEGUARD FLT PICKING UP VITAL HUMAN ORGANS AND THAT THE ILS APCH WOULD HAVE ADDED UNNECESSARY AND POSSIBLY LIFE-THREATENING DELAY TO MY MISSION. MR X REMINDED ME OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR OPERATING IN CLASS E AIRSPACE AND SINCE HE HAD JUST TAUGHT A CLASS IN THOSE PROCS HE WAS CERTAIN OF HIS ACCURACY. I SAID IT SEEMED ODD TO HAVE CLASS E AIRSPACE WITHOUT A HUMAN WX OBSERVER AND IF THIS HAPPENED OFTEN AT THE XYZ ARPT. MR X REPLIED THAT IT HAD HAPPENED BEFORE AND THAT XYZ WAS THE ONLY SUCH AIRSPACE IN HIS SECTOR OF THE KIND. I THEN CALLED THE EFG AFSS TO RPT THAT THE XYZ AWOS WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT CORRECTLY RPTING THE ACCURATE WX AT THE ARPT. I SPOKE TO MR Y WHO SAID THAT I WAS NOT THE FIRST TO RPT A PROB WITH THE XYZ AWOS AND THE REASON IN HIS MIND WAS THAT THE AWOS WAS LOCATED IN THE WETLANDS ADJACENT TO THE S OF THE AIRFIELD. HE SAID THAT HE WOULD CALL THE FIELD MGR, MR Z AND THE AWOS REPAIRMAN. I SPOKE AGAIN WITH MR Y WHO SAID THAT MR Z RPTED NO PROBS WITH THE AWOS AT XYZ. I THEN COMPLETED MY RETURN TO XYZ AND ABC WITHOUT FURTHER QUESTION.
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.