Narrative:

While on an instructional flight (I was the CFI a&I) with the purpose of administering an aeronautical club annual aircraft standardization and annual instrument flight to a rated and current instrument pilot (700+ hours of experience), an inadvertent penetration of restr area 5002 occurred. We listened to ATIS at mcguire AFB and did not hear that any restr areas were active (the ATIS usually advises hot restr areas). Our plan was to depart mcguire to the south to the club's published practice area for VFR maneuvers, and also in the general direction of the toms river/robert J miller air park to accomplish one of the approachs needed for the instrument check. We requested and received a south departure from mcguire AFB tower, asking for 2000 ft MSL cruise altitude. At this point we were still in alert area A-220 (large print, intended to alert pilots to KC10's, C141, and KC135 aircraft and wake vortices) and in the aeronautical club's designated practice area (A-220 surrounds mcguire AFB). Southeast of alert area A-220 is a special use airspace area with a border of the same color and cross-hatching as A-220. That area could easily be mistaken for more alert area. That special use airspace southeast of mcguire and the coyle VOR is, in fact, restr area R5002 (in very small print on the sectional -- the sectional was out and looked at during the flight). While sbound, we performed VFR maneuvers that were part of the standardization ride. Then the pilot receiving the ride put on his foggles for the instrument work. We contacted mcguire approach control and requested the VOR runway 24 approach at toms river/robert J miller airpark -- approach gave us a discrete transponder code to squawk and said to remain VFR. We were in radar contact. A recent aeronautical club safety video briefer from approach control said they advise pilots about proximity to restr areas. Not that day. The wind was from the west (blowing us towards the east). We turned from south to 150 degrees, dialed in coyle VORTAC and headed towards coyle VORTAC on a northbound heading to proceed with the approach. We did not hear anything from approach control for several mins. Then approach control called to say 'you are in the restr area R-5002, proceed northbound to exit the restr area.' we had already been heading north anyway at that point. We then proceeded with the VOR runway 24 toms river approach. Several mins later, approach advised us to call a telephone number to get information on the restr area. We proceeded with the remainder of the flight including vectors to a localizer runway 24 approach at mcguire. After landing, I called and spoke to mr X who was the commander of the range control organization (mr Y on duty during the event had gone home). Mr X related that we were in restr airspace used by aircraft such as A10's that do strafing runs, thus, the dangers involved in penetrating a hot restr area. Mr X further related that it was the range control officer's visual spotting of an aircraft that resulted in their land line call to approach control that resulted in the belated call to us that we were in the restr area (mr X said they do not have radar repeaters in range control). Although the 2 experienced pilots on board the aircraft should have had better precise positional awareness and avoided a hot restr area altogether, there were additional contributing factors: 1) the lack of a timely advisory from approach control on the proximity of hot restr airspace (the frequency was not busy, mr X said, in the aforementioned telephone discussion, that like pilots, controllers are human and make mistakes). 2) no advisory from mcguire ATIS that restr area was hot. 3) confusion from similar border marking on sectional for nearby alert area (eg, leading to mistaking restr area for another alert area, compounded by small print making 'R5002' hard to see). 4) a wind from the west that tended to cause the aircraft to drift towards the restr area. 5) on the depiction of the VOR or GPS runway 24 approach to toms river only a tiny corner of R5002 is shown -- too easy to miss. 6) featureless pine forest terrain that all looks alike, and 7) a recently relocated CFI from a state several hundred mi away and not totally familiar with the area despite several aircraft chkouts including his own instrument check with an approach to toms river.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR WITH STUDENT ON INST CURRENCY FLT PENETRATES RESTR AREA WHILE HE WAS ON RADAR WITH APCH CTLR.

Narrative: WHILE ON AN INSTRUCTIONAL FLT (I WAS THE CFI A&I) WITH THE PURPOSE OF ADMINISTERING AN AERO CLUB ANNUAL ACFT STANDARDIZATION AND ANNUAL INST FLT TO A RATED AND CURRENT INST PLT (700+ HRS OF EXPERIENCE), AN INADVERTENT PENETRATION OF RESTR AREA 5002 OCCURRED. WE LISTENED TO ATIS AT MCGUIRE AFB AND DID NOT HEAR THAT ANY RESTR AREAS WERE ACTIVE (THE ATIS USUALLY ADVISES HOT RESTR AREAS). OUR PLAN WAS TO DEPART MCGUIRE TO THE S TO THE CLUB'S PUBLISHED PRACTICE AREA FOR VFR MANEUVERS, AND ALSO IN THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF THE TOMS RIVER/ROBERT J MILLER AIR PARK TO ACCOMPLISH ONE OF THE APCHS NEEDED FOR THE INST CHK. WE REQUESTED AND RECEIVED A S DEP FROM MCGUIRE AFB TWR, ASKING FOR 2000 FT MSL CRUISE ALT. AT THIS POINT WE WERE STILL IN ALERT AREA A-220 (LARGE PRINT, INTENDED TO ALERT PLTS TO KC10'S, C141, AND KC135 ACFT AND WAKE VORTICES) AND IN THE AERO CLUB'S DESIGNATED PRACTICE AREA (A-220 SURROUNDS MCGUIRE AFB). SE OF ALERT AREA A-220 IS A SPECIAL USE AIRSPACE AREA WITH A BORDER OF THE SAME COLOR AND CROSS-HATCHING AS A-220. THAT AREA COULD EASILY BE MISTAKEN FOR MORE ALERT AREA. THAT SPECIAL USE AIRSPACE SE OF MCGUIRE AND THE COYLE VOR IS, IN FACT, RESTR AREA R5002 (IN VERY SMALL PRINT ON THE SECTIONAL -- THE SECTIONAL WAS OUT AND LOOKED AT DURING THE FLT). WHILE SBOUND, WE PERFORMED VFR MANEUVERS THAT WERE PART OF THE STANDARDIZATION RIDE. THEN THE PLT RECEIVING THE RIDE PUT ON HIS FOGGLES FOR THE INST WORK. WE CONTACTED MCGUIRE APCH CTL AND REQUESTED THE VOR RWY 24 APCH AT TOMS RIVER/ROBERT J MILLER AIRPARK -- APCH GAVE US A DISCRETE XPONDER CODE TO SQUAWK AND SAID TO REMAIN VFR. WE WERE IN RADAR CONTACT. A RECENT AERO CLUB SAFETY VIDEO BRIEFER FROM APCH CTL SAID THEY ADVISE PLTS ABOUT PROX TO RESTR AREAS. NOT THAT DAY. THE WIND WAS FROM THE W (BLOWING US TOWARDS THE E). WE TURNED FROM S TO 150 DEGS, DIALED IN COYLE VORTAC AND HEADED TOWARDS COYLE VORTAC ON A NBOUND HEADING TO PROCEED WITH THE APCH. WE DID NOT HEAR ANYTHING FROM APCH CTL FOR SEVERAL MINS. THEN APCH CTL CALLED TO SAY 'YOU ARE IN THE RESTR AREA R-5002, PROCEED NBOUND TO EXIT THE RESTR AREA.' WE HAD ALREADY BEEN HEADING N ANYWAY AT THAT POINT. WE THEN PROCEEDED WITH THE VOR RWY 24 TOMS RIVER APCH. SEVERAL MINS LATER, APCH ADVISED US TO CALL A TELEPHONE NUMBER TO GET INFO ON THE RESTR AREA. WE PROCEEDED WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT INCLUDING VECTORS TO A LOC RWY 24 APCH AT MCGUIRE. AFTER LNDG, I CALLED AND SPOKE TO MR X WHO WAS THE COMMANDER OF THE RANGE CTL ORGANIZATION (MR Y ON DUTY DURING THE EVENT HAD GONE HOME). MR X RELATED THAT WE WERE IN RESTR AIRSPACE USED BY ACFT SUCH AS A10'S THAT DO STRAFING RUNS, THUS, THE DANGERS INVOLVED IN PENETRATING A HOT RESTR AREA. MR X FURTHER RELATED THAT IT WAS THE RANGE CTL OFFICER'S VISUAL SPOTTING OF AN ACFT THAT RESULTED IN THEIR LAND LINE CALL TO APCH CTL THAT RESULTED IN THE BELATED CALL TO US THAT WE WERE IN THE RESTR AREA (MR X SAID THEY DO NOT HAVE RADAR REPEATERS IN RANGE CTL). ALTHOUGH THE 2 EXPERIENCED PLTS ON BOARD THE ACFT SHOULD HAVE HAD BETTER PRECISE POSITIONAL AWARENESS AND AVOIDED A HOT RESTR AREA ALTOGETHER, THERE WERE ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) THE LACK OF A TIMELY ADVISORY FROM APCH CTL ON THE PROX OF HOT RESTR AIRSPACE (THE FREQ WAS NOT BUSY, MR X SAID, IN THE AFOREMENTIONED TELEPHONE DISCUSSION, THAT LIKE PLTS, CTLRS ARE HUMAN AND MAKE MISTAKES). 2) NO ADVISORY FROM MCGUIRE ATIS THAT RESTR AREA WAS HOT. 3) CONFUSION FROM SIMILAR BORDER MARKING ON SECTIONAL FOR NEARBY ALERT AREA (EG, LEADING TO MISTAKING RESTR AREA FOR ANOTHER ALERT AREA, COMPOUNDED BY SMALL PRINT MAKING 'R5002' HARD TO SEE). 4) A WIND FROM THE W THAT TENDED TO CAUSE THE ACFT TO DRIFT TOWARDS THE RESTR AREA. 5) ON THE DEPICTION OF THE VOR OR GPS RWY 24 APCH TO TOMS RIVER ONLY A TINY CORNER OF R5002 IS SHOWN -- TOO EASY TO MISS. 6) FEATURELESS PINE FOREST TERRAIN THAT ALL LOOKS ALIKE, AND 7) A RECENTLY RELOCATED CFI FROM A STATE SEVERAL HUNDRED MI AWAY AND NOT TOTALLY FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA DESPITE SEVERAL ACFT CHKOUTS INCLUDING HIS OWN INST CHK WITH AN APCH TO TOMS RIVER.

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.