Narrative:

MTR #1, a flight of 2 F18 fighters, entered dulles airspace for training in demonstration areas 1, 2 and 3 which are adjacent to and overlie R6608. This military sua is located 20 mi south of dulles international airport at quantico, va, and when activated, crosses the final approach course to runways 1R&left. When MTR #1 entered our airspace, R6608B was hot to 10000 ft. Quantico called to activate the demonstration areas but are required by LOA to call 2 hours in advance so dulles can institute flow restrs. This is necessary due to the severe impact this sua has on our arrival flow from the south. On the day in question dulles was in a north operation landing runway 1L&right. All traffic inbound from the south is rted over brooke VOR and then issued a 340 degree heading to intercept the localizer. Because R6608B was active to 10000 ft, traffic for runway 1L must be vectored around it to join the final about 17 mi south of dulles. Traffic inbound to runway 1R can join the localizer 40 mi south. Due to a 'significant operational advantage' we are not required to provide 3 mi lateral separation between our traffic and the restr/demonstration areas. When I took the position, MTR #1 was holding northeast of brooke VOR at 5000 ft. I was told he was on the range control frequency but was monitoring mine. I called him several times but did not receive a response. From past experience I knew his mission would be scrubbed because the demonstration areas could not be activated for another 1 1/2 hours and the WX was IFR. At this point I only wanted to get his intentions so I could have an IFR flight ready for him. As usual, the flight plan he had filed out was unacceptable. Around XA25, I observed MTR #1 depart the holding pattern towards R6608 and descend out of 5000 ft. I called him but received no response. I advised the TRACON supervisor of the situation and that I thought there was a pilot deviation. Air carrier #1 was on the localizer to runway 1R at 6000 ft on a 30 mi final. I am supposed to handoff to final at 5000 ft but he was at 6000 ft. Due to MTR #1, I decided to leave air carrier #1 at 6000 ft to be on the safe side. MTR #1 descended to about 2500 ft and entered R6608B. My supervisor was attempting to call the range control officer when MTR #1 made a left turn exiting the southern portion of the restr area. MTR #1 was contacted on 243.0 and told to contact dulles. I asked him if he was canceling his IFR flight plan and he said no. I asked him why he departed holding and left his assigned altitude. He said that there must be some sort of confusion because dulles had switched him to the range control frequency and the range control officer had cleared him into the restr area. While this transmission was taking place, MTR #1 continued his left turn back towards the restr area and continued climbing. I assumed he was climbing back to 5000 ft his last assigned altitude. His turn was putting him on an intercept course with air carrier #1. When MTR #1 finished his transmission, freeing up the frequency, MTR #1 was climbing through 5300 ft. I issued him an immediate right turn and told him he had traffic off his left at 6000 ft. I told him to descend immediately to 5000 ft. This situation is currently under investigation as a pilot deviation. The proximity of the demonstration areas to dulles and the increase in traffic to dulles is a recipe for disaster. I don't know what the outcome of the current investigation will be but in my opinion there should be an immediate review at the regional level of the current use of this sua and its impact on dulles. In my opinion, aircraft operations should no longer be permitted in demonstration areas 1, 2 and 3 or R6608. Prior to this incident, a 'spill out form' was filed by the dulles TRACON supervisor concerning a flight with the same call sign crossing the boundary during maneuvers in the demonstration area. I do not know the result of that investigation at this time. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter advised that he had been attempting to obtain technical information reference airspace between iad and NAS nvf use of R6608 and military MOA's demonstration areas 1, 2 and 3, when this incident occurred. He was advised that a pilot deviation was being submitted by iad. The reporter's concern for boundary protection was based on the expected significant increase of iad traffic this summer and the military's continued use of the restr area and MOA's. The reporter alleges that he has been unable to have idented airspace boundary procedures, detailing required agreements between the milfac and iad, reference the ILS runway 1R approach as it pertains to R6608 and demonstration MOA 1, 2 and 3. The reporter was advised other government agencies are investigating this incident also. Iad has been idented as a national and regional carrier's new hub airport concept, and an additional 600 flts per day are proposed. With the expected significant increase of traffic, the reporter believes the sua problem needs to be resolved.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: IAD TRACON APCH CTLR OBSERVES 2 F18'S DEPART RESTR, BUT NOT RELEASED, AIRSPACE, COMING INTO CONFLICT WITH AN ACR ON THE RWY 1R, IAD ILS.

Narrative: MTR #1, A FLT OF 2 F18 FIGHTERS, ENTERED DULLES AIRSPACE FOR TRAINING IN DEMO AREAS 1, 2 AND 3 WHICH ARE ADJACENT TO AND OVERLIE R6608. THIS MIL SUA IS LOCATED 20 MI S OF DULLES INTL ARPT AT QUANTICO, VA, AND WHEN ACTIVATED, CROSSES THE FINAL APCH COURSE TO RWYS 1R&L. WHEN MTR #1 ENTERED OUR AIRSPACE, R6608B WAS HOT TO 10000 FT. QUANTICO CALLED TO ACTIVATE THE DEMO AREAS BUT ARE REQUIRED BY LOA TO CALL 2 HRS IN ADVANCE SO DULLES CAN INSTITUTE FLOW RESTRS. THIS IS NECESSARY DUE TO THE SEVERE IMPACT THIS SUA HAS ON OUR ARR FLOW FROM THE S. ON THE DAY IN QUESTION DULLES WAS IN A N OP LNDG RWY 1L&R. ALL TFC INBOUND FROM THE S IS RTED OVER BROOKE VOR AND THEN ISSUED A 340 DEG HDG TO INTERCEPT THE LOC. BECAUSE R6608B WAS ACTIVE TO 10000 FT, TFC FOR RWY 1L MUST BE VECTORED AROUND IT TO JOIN THE FINAL ABOUT 17 MI S OF DULLES. TFC INBOUND TO RWY 1R CAN JOIN THE LOC 40 MI S. DUE TO A 'SIGNIFICANT OPERATIONAL ADVANTAGE' WE ARE NOT REQUIRED TO PROVIDE 3 MI LATERAL SEPARATION BTWN OUR TFC AND THE RESTR/DEMO AREAS. WHEN I TOOK THE POS, MTR #1 WAS HOLDING NE OF BROOKE VOR AT 5000 FT. I WAS TOLD HE WAS ON THE RANGE CTL FREQ BUT WAS MONITORING MINE. I CALLED HIM SEVERAL TIMES BUT DID NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE. FROM PAST EXPERIENCE I KNEW HIS MISSION WOULD BE SCRUBBED BECAUSE THE DEMO AREAS COULD NOT BE ACTIVATED FOR ANOTHER 1 1/2 HRS AND THE WX WAS IFR. AT THIS POINT I ONLY WANTED TO GET HIS INTENTIONS SO I COULD HAVE AN IFR FLT READY FOR HIM. AS USUAL, THE FLT PLAN HE HAD FILED OUT WAS UNACCEPTABLE. AROUND XA25, I OBSERVED MTR #1 DEPART THE HOLDING PATTERN TOWARDS R6608 AND DSND OUT OF 5000 FT. I CALLED HIM BUT RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. I ADVISED THE TRACON SUPVR OF THE SIT AND THAT I THOUGHT THERE WAS A PLTDEV. ACR #1 WAS ON THE LOC TO RWY 1R AT 6000 FT ON A 30 MI FINAL. I AM SUPPOSED TO HDOF TO FINAL AT 5000 FT BUT HE WAS AT 6000 FT. DUE TO MTR #1, I DECIDED TO LEAVE ACR #1 AT 6000 FT TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE. MTR #1 DSNDED TO ABOUT 2500 FT AND ENTERED R6608B. MY SUPVR WAS ATTEMPTING TO CALL THE RANGE CTL OFFICER WHEN MTR #1 MADE A L TURN EXITING THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE RESTR AREA. MTR #1 WAS CONTACTED ON 243.0 AND TOLD TO CONTACT DULLES. I ASKED HIM IF HE WAS CANCELING HIS IFR FLT PLAN AND HE SAID NO. I ASKED HIM WHY HE DEPARTED HOLDING AND LEFT HIS ASSIGNED ALT. HE SAID THAT THERE MUST BE SOME SORT OF CONFUSION BECAUSE DULLES HAD SWITCHED HIM TO THE RANGE CTL FREQ AND THE RANGE CTL OFFICER HAD CLRED HIM INTO THE RESTR AREA. WHILE THIS XMISSION WAS TAKING PLACE, MTR #1 CONTINUED HIS L TURN BACK TOWARDS THE RESTR AREA AND CONTINUED CLBING. I ASSUMED HE WAS CLBING BACK TO 5000 FT HIS LAST ASSIGNED ALT. HIS TURN WAS PUTTING HIM ON AN INTERCEPT COURSE WITH ACR #1. WHEN MTR #1 FINISHED HIS XMISSION, FREEING UP THE FREQ, MTR #1 WAS CLBING THROUGH 5300 FT. I ISSUED HIM AN IMMEDIATE R TURN AND TOLD HIM HE HAD TFC OFF HIS L AT 6000 FT. I TOLD HIM TO DSND IMMEDIATELY TO 5000 FT. THIS SIT IS CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION AS A PLTDEV. THE PROX OF THE DEMO AREAS TO DULLES AND THE INCREASE IN TFC TO DULLES IS A RECIPE FOR DISASTER. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE OUTCOME OF THE CURRENT INVESTIGATION WILL BE BUT IN MY OPINION THERE SHOULD BE AN IMMEDIATE REVIEW AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL OF THE CURRENT USE OF THIS SUA AND ITS IMPACT ON DULLES. IN MY OPINION, ACFT OPS SHOULD NO LONGER BE PERMITTED IN DEMO AREAS 1, 2 AND 3 OR R6608. PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, A 'SPILL OUT FORM' WAS FILED BY THE DULLES TRACON SUPVR CONCERNING A FLT WITH THE SAME CALL SIGN XING THE BOUNDARY DURING MANEUVERS IN THE DEMO AREA. I DO NOT KNOW THE RESULT OF THAT INVESTIGATION AT THIS TIME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR ADVISED THAT HE HAD BEEN ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN TECHNICAL INFO REF AIRSPACE BTWN IAD AND NAS NVF USE OF R6608 AND MIL MOA'S DEMO AREAS 1, 2 AND 3, WHEN THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED. HE WAS ADVISED THAT A PLTDEV WAS BEING SUBMITTED BY IAD. THE RPTR'S CONCERN FOR BOUNDARY PROTECTION WAS BASED ON THE EXPECTED SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF IAD TFC THIS SUMMER AND THE MIL'S CONTINUED USE OF THE RESTR AREA AND MOA'S. THE RPTR ALLEGES THAT HE HAS BEEN UNABLE TO HAVE IDENTED AIRSPACE BOUNDARY PROCS, DETAILING REQUIRED AGREEMENTS BTWN THE MILFAC AND IAD, REF THE ILS RWY 1R APCH AS IT PERTAINS TO R6608 AND DEMO MOA 1, 2 AND 3. THE RPTR WAS ADVISED OTHER GOV AGENCIES ARE INVESTIGATING THIS INCIDENT ALSO. IAD HAS BEEN IDENTED AS A NATIONAL AND REGIONAL CARRIER'S NEW HUB ARPT CONCEPT, AND AN ADDITIONAL 600 FLTS PER DAY ARE PROPOSED. WITH THE EXPECTED SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF TFC, THE RPTR BELIEVES THE SUA PROB NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED.

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.