37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
Attributes | |
ACN | 472360 |
Time | |
Date | 200004 |
Day | Wed |
Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
Place | |
Locale Reference | airport : row.airport |
State Reference | FL |
Altitude | msl single value : 4500 |
Environment | |
Flight Conditions | Marginal |
Weather Elements | Turbulence other |
Light | Daylight |
Aircraft 1 | |
Controlling Facilities | tower : bow.tower |
Operator | general aviation : instructional |
Make Model Name | Small Aircraft |
Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
Navigation In Use | other |
Flight Phase | descent : approach descent : vacating altitude |
Route In Use | approach : visual arrival : vfr |
Flight Plan | VFR |
Person 1 | |
Affiliation | other |
Function | flight crew : single pilot |
Qualification | pilot : private |
Experience | flight time last 90 days : 20.5 flight time total : 64.4 flight time type : 64.4 |
ASRS Report | 472360 |
Person 2 | |
Affiliation | government : faa |
Function | controller : local |
Qualification | controller : radar |
Events | |
Anomaly | airspace violation : entry inflight encounter : turbulence inflight encounter other non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure |
Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
Resolutory Action | flight crew : became reoriented |
Supplementary | |
Problem Areas | Weather Flight Crew Human Performance Environmental Factor Airspace Structure |
Primary Problem | Environmental Factor |
Narrative:
On a cross country flight from mlb to lal, cruising 4500 ft MSL, the visibility suddenly reduced to 3 mi. In my WX briefing from the FSS, I was informed of possible clouds few at 4000 ft later in the day, so I surmised that water vapor in the air was condensing to form mist and I would achieve better visibility by descending to 2000 ft. I descended to 2000 ft and observed no visibility to increase in addition to increased turbulence and a smoky smell. The turbulence caused me to be displaced to the left of my intended course. It is my guess that the turbulent smoky air was smoke from a brush fire that was not reported in my WX briefing. I was on the gif unicom frequency because I believed myself to be approaching that airport. I saw an airport in front of me, and realized that it was not winterhaven. Knowing the proximity of bartow's class D airspace, I immediately climbed back to 4500 ft. I, on my sectional, determined that the airport was indeed bartow, and it was possible that I could have incurred into their airspace. It is most likely that I never entered bartow's class D airspace due to fact that I never crossed a large round lake on its border, but the amount of lakes in the area and reduced visibility warrant filing this report. Supplemental information from acn 472361: after flying from medium large transport to lal and back, I noticed that my route of flight clipped the edge of orl's class B airspace in the winterhaven area. The brush fire I flew through caused me to fly across a lake that I observed after the flight to be in class B airspace.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: PVT PLT SUSPECTS HE MAY HAVE ENTERED CLASS D AND CLASS B AIRSPACE ON A XCOUNTRY NEAR ORLANDO, FL, DURING VERY POOR VISIBILITY CONDITIONS.
Narrative: ON A XCOUNTRY FLT FROM MLB TO LAL, CRUISING 4500 FT MSL, THE VISIBILITY SUDDENLY REDUCED TO 3 MI. IN MY WX BRIEFING FROM THE FSS, I WAS INFORMED OF POSSIBLE CLOUDS FEW AT 4000 FT LATER IN THE DAY, SO I SURMISED THAT WATER VAPOR IN THE AIR WAS CONDENSING TO FORM MIST AND I WOULD ACHIEVE BETTER VISIBILITY BY DSNDING TO 2000 FT. I DSNDED TO 2000 FT AND OBSERVED NO VISIBILITY TO INCREASE IN ADDITION TO INCREASED TURB AND A SMOKY SMELL. THE TURB CAUSED ME TO BE DISPLACED TO THE L OF MY INTENDED COURSE. IT IS MY GUESS THAT THE TURBULENT SMOKY AIR WAS SMOKE FROM A BRUSH FIRE THAT WAS NOT RPTED IN MY WX BRIEFING. I WAS ON THE GIF UNICOM FREQ BECAUSE I BELIEVED MYSELF TO BE APCHING THAT ARPT. I SAW AN ARPT IN FRONT OF ME, AND REALIZED THAT IT WAS NOT WINTERHAVEN. KNOWING THE PROX OF BARTOW'S CLASS D AIRSPACE, I IMMEDIATELY CLBED BACK TO 4500 FT. I, ON MY SECTIONAL, DETERMINED THAT THE ARPT WAS INDEED BARTOW, AND IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT I COULD HAVE INCURRED INTO THEIR AIRSPACE. IT IS MOST LIKELY THAT I NEVER ENTERED BARTOW'S CLASS D AIRSPACE DUE TO FACT THAT I NEVER CROSSED A LARGE ROUND LAKE ON ITS BORDER, BUT THE AMOUNT OF LAKES IN THE AREA AND REDUCED VISIBILITY WARRANT FILING THIS RPT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 472361: AFTER FLYING FROM MLG TO LAL AND BACK, I NOTICED THAT MY RTE OF FLT CLIPPED THE EDGE OF ORL'S CLASS B AIRSPACE IN THE WINTERHAVEN AREA. THE BRUSH FIRE I FLEW THROUGH CAUSED ME TO FLY ACROSS A LAKE THAT I OBSERVED AFTER THE FLT TO BE IN CLASS B AIRSPACE.
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.