Narrative:

Inadvertently entered positive control airspace while working in uncontrolled airspace. Arrived on time and began preflight, noticed after 15 mins that captain had not arrived -- called him at home to discover he was unaware of his scheduled flight. As scheduled captain lived more than 1 hour away, the chief pilot located another captain close by to take the flight. Substitute captain designated me to fly and chose to navigation and communicate. Mission was scheduled for 2 aircraft for air intercept training for the ship's controllers. En route to the working airspace, captain initiated contact with the ship at which time the ship requested a change in the mission profile to a profile normally flown by one lone aircraft. The ship's controller wanted each of the 2 aircraft to perform the changed profile individually. The new profile called for a low altitude pass over the ship followed by a climb to FL200, go out 100 NM on the 210 degree radial from the ship, turn back in and repeat the profile. I requested that the captain store the ship's location in the GPS to facilitate navigation. After the fist pass during climb out we encountered rain -- upon leveloff at FL200 we were in the clear, but with a substantial buildup in front of us. Captain requested a more easterly heading from the ship to avoid the WX, I suggested we go more westerly into clear air -- he declined fearing that we would penetrate the tactical air combat training area. We headed south easterly through a gap between buildups and encountered turbulence and precipitation, WX radar showed a line of showers from ene to wsw with apparent clear air beyond. As we continued away from the ship in and out of WX the captain suddenly directed me to turn to 270 degrees with the statement 'we're out of the area.' comment: last min change to an unscheduled profile, one normally conducted by a single aircraft vice two, coupled with the need to maintain separation both from the aircraft following us (we maintain vigilance on both vertical and lateral separation) and another flight of company aircraft working west of the ship coupled with WX avoidance all added up to an overload leading to our mistake. Supplemental information from acn 368973: aircraft was one of two engaged in training support for USN ship departed assigned work airspace, w- 72 (uncontrolled).

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A LR25 FLC OPERATING FOR THE MIL IN A WARNING AREA SPILLS OUT NEAR AN AIRWAY. NO APPARENT CONFLICT.

Narrative: INADVERTENTLY ENTERED POSITIVE CTL AIRSPACE WHILE WORKING IN UNCTLED AIRSPACE. ARRIVED ON TIME AND BEGAN PREFLT, NOTICED AFTER 15 MINS THAT CAPT HAD NOT ARRIVED -- CALLED HIM AT HOME TO DISCOVER HE WAS UNAWARE OF HIS SCHEDULED FLT. AS SCHEDULED CAPT LIVED MORE THAN 1 HR AWAY, THE CHIEF PLT LOCATED ANOTHER CAPT CLOSE BY TO TAKE THE FLT. SUBSTITUTE CAPT DESIGNATED ME TO FLY AND CHOSE TO NAV AND COMMUNICATE. MISSION WAS SCHEDULED FOR 2 ACFT FOR AIR INTERCEPT TRAINING FOR THE SHIP'S CTLRS. ENRTE TO THE WORKING AIRSPACE, CAPT INITIATED CONTACT WITH THE SHIP AT WHICH TIME THE SHIP REQUESTED A CHANGE IN THE MISSION PROFILE TO A PROFILE NORMALLY FLOWN BY ONE LONE ACFT. THE SHIP'S CTLR WANTED EACH OF THE 2 ACFT TO PERFORM THE CHANGED PROFILE INDIVIDUALLY. THE NEW PROFILE CALLED FOR A LOW ALT PASS OVER THE SHIP FOLLOWED BY A CLB TO FL200, GO OUT 100 NM ON THE 210 DEG RADIAL FROM THE SHIP, TURN BACK IN AND REPEAT THE PROFILE. I REQUESTED THAT THE CAPT STORE THE SHIP'S LOCATION IN THE GPS TO FACILITATE NAV. AFTER THE FIST PASS DURING CLBOUT WE ENCOUNTERED RAIN -- UPON LEVELOFF AT FL200 WE WERE IN THE CLR, BUT WITH A SUBSTANTIAL BUILDUP IN FRONT OF US. CAPT REQUESTED A MORE EASTERLY HEADING FROM THE SHIP TO AVOID THE WX, I SUGGESTED WE GO MORE WESTERLY INTO CLR AIR -- HE DECLINED FEARING THAT WE WOULD PENETRATE THE TACTICAL AIR COMBAT TRAINING AREA. WE HEADED S EASTERLY THROUGH A GAP BTWN BUILDUPS AND ENCOUNTERED TURB AND PRECIPITATION, WX RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF SHOWERS FROM ENE TO WSW WITH APPARENT CLR AIR BEYOND. AS WE CONTINUED AWAY FROM THE SHIP IN AND OUT OF WX THE CAPT SUDDENLY DIRECTED ME TO TURN TO 270 DEGS WITH THE STATEMENT 'WE'RE OUT OF THE AREA.' COMMENT: LAST MIN CHANGE TO AN UNSCHEDULED PROFILE, ONE NORMALLY CONDUCTED BY A SINGLE ACFT VICE TWO, COUPLED WITH THE NEED TO MAINTAIN SEPARATION BOTH FROM THE ACFT FOLLOWING US (WE MAINTAIN VIGILANCE ON BOTH VERT AND LATERAL SEPARATION) AND ANOTHER FLT OF COMPANY ACFT WORKING W OF THE SHIP COUPLED WITH WX AVOIDANCE ALL ADDED UP TO AN OVERLOAD LEADING TO OUR MISTAKE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 368973: ACFT WAS ONE OF TWO ENGAGED IN TRAINING SUPPORT FOR USN SHIP DEPARTED ASSIGNED WORK AIRSPACE, W- 72 (UNCTLED).

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.