A news gathering helicopter penetrates the temporary flight restr area set up just prior to his arri...

Narrative:

On jun/xa/00 I was flying a news gathering helicopter, we were shooting an aerial rescue of some injured hikers on mount hood. At about PM30 we were dispatched to fly this mission. While en route for fuel, the dispatcher informed us the rescue helicopter would not take off until 45 mins later and that we should wait at the airport until then. I did check WX on the company computer before my PM30 departure. It was severe clear with light winds and no NOTAMS. We departed ttd 45 mins later and en route to mount hood we were passed by the rescue helicopter, an HH60 pavehawk. Once we were at the mountain we established an orbit west and above of the rescue scene. Our orbit was at 8300 ft and the rescue was at 7000 ft. We felt we had good clearance both vertical and horizontal. From the time we left ttd's airspace we were in uncontrolled airspace for the duration of our flight. 45 mins after takeoff we were informed by the news desk that a temporary flight restr had been put up around mount hood. Its dimensions were 5 mi and 9000 ft and below. As soon as our desk told us, we moved up to 9300 ft so that we were above the temporary flight restr. We remained at that altitude until the rescue was over. At that time we departed the area at 9300 ft until we were at least 5 mi away. Our flight was uneventful and standard as to the way it is done all the time, but the next day the FAA called and said the people who put up the temporary flight restr were filing charges against us for violating the said temporary flight restr. They want to prosecute us to the fullest extent of the law. The problem we have with this is the temporary flight restr did not exist when we took off, we only flew 30 mi so it was not like we should have to check WX and NOTAMS again. We were in uncontrolled airspace with no aviation communication so if our desk had not informed us of the temporary flight restr we would not have ever known it was even there. I would like to know how we should have found out about this temporary flight restr. They do not blind broadcast temporary flight restrs on 121.5 or any other channel that I am aware of, so how are we supposed to know that they all of a sudden put up temporary flight restrs in uncontrolled airspace? A major forest fire, a large airplane crash, a mountain blowing up -- these are very visual, and so one would think to look for a possible airspace check, but a helicopter rescue like the same one we have been on 1/2 dozen times before without a temporary flight restr -- I just don't understand. I mean, they won't even tell us the person who put up the temporary flight restr or why or how he even got it. For some reason the seattle FSDO has started to give temporary flight restrs to anyone who calls and asks for it. This one was a simple rescue operation where we were well clear of the rescue helicopter and our noise signature was not an issue either. Another, 1 a month ago, there was a swat operation that we were shooting. We came in and remained 1 mi out and at 1500 ft AGL. We had left for fuel when we were informed that the police had set up a temporary flight restr so we did not return. It was 5 mi and 5000 ft. Part of this temporary flight restr was inside pdx controled airspace. If this was not enough, I was told some traffic going in to land at pdx was flying through this temporary flight restr. When anyone can call in and get a temporary flight restr for anything, well I guess I should stop flying or I will have to start calling flight service every 5 mins or so to make sure I don't fly into any temporary flight restrs. This will not be good for the flight service -- they are understaffed and busy enough already. I hope this information will help all of us to get a better understanding of where, what, why, when, and how to find out about temporary flight restrs. At this point, it seems they are trying to keep pilots in the dark about when a temporary flight restr can be put in place and that the pilot is supposed to know by some mystic means that they have put one up. Please help out the other pilots who are out there just trying to enjoy flying.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A NEWS GATHERING HELI PENETRATES THE TEMPORARY FLT RESTR AREA SET UP JUST PRIOR TO HIS ARR DURING THE FILMING OF A RESCUE ATTEMPT E OF PDX, OR.

Narrative: ON JUN/XA/00 I WAS FLYING A NEWS GATHERING HELI, WE WERE SHOOTING AN AERIAL RESCUE OF SOME INJURED HIKERS ON MOUNT HOOD. AT ABOUT PM30 WE WERE DISPATCHED TO FLY THIS MISSION. WHILE ENRTE FOR FUEL, THE DISPATCHER INFORMED US THE RESCUE HELI WOULD NOT TAKE OFF UNTIL 45 MINS LATER AND THAT WE SHOULD WAIT AT THE ARPT UNTIL THEN. I DID CHK WX ON THE COMPANY COMPUTER BEFORE MY PM30 DEP. IT WAS SEVERE CLR WITH LIGHT WINDS AND NO NOTAMS. WE DEPARTED TTD 45 MINS LATER AND ENRTE TO MOUNT HOOD WE WERE PASSED BY THE RESCUE HELI, AN HH60 PAVEHAWK. ONCE WE WERE AT THE MOUNTAIN WE ESTABLISHED AN ORBIT W AND ABOVE OF THE RESCUE SCENE. OUR ORBIT WAS AT 8300 FT AND THE RESCUE WAS AT 7000 FT. WE FELT WE HAD GOOD CLRNC BOTH VERT AND HORIZ. FROM THE TIME WE LEFT TTD'S AIRSPACE WE WERE IN UNCTLED AIRSPACE FOR THE DURATION OF OUR FLT. 45 MINS AFTER TKOF WE WERE INFORMED BY THE NEWS DESK THAT A TEMPORARY FLT RESTR HAD BEEN PUT UP AROUND MOUNT HOOD. ITS DIMENSIONS WERE 5 MI AND 9000 FT AND BELOW. AS SOON AS OUR DESK TOLD US, WE MOVED UP TO 9300 FT SO THAT WE WERE ABOVE THE TEMPORARY FLT RESTR. WE REMAINED AT THAT ALT UNTIL THE RESCUE WAS OVER. AT THAT TIME WE DEPARTED THE AREA AT 9300 FT UNTIL WE WERE AT LEAST 5 MI AWAY. OUR FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL AND STANDARD AS TO THE WAY IT IS DONE ALL THE TIME, BUT THE NEXT DAY THE FAA CALLED AND SAID THE PEOPLE WHO PUT UP THE TEMPORARY FLT RESTR WERE FILING CHARGES AGAINST US FOR VIOLATING THE SAID TEMPORARY FLT RESTR. THEY WANT TO PROSECUTE US TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW. THE PROB WE HAVE WITH THIS IS THE TEMPORARY FLT RESTR DID NOT EXIST WHEN WE TOOK OFF, WE ONLY FLEW 30 MI SO IT WAS NOT LIKE WE SHOULD HAVE TO CHK WX AND NOTAMS AGAIN. WE WERE IN UNCTLED AIRSPACE WITH NO AVIATION COM SO IF OUR DESK HAD NOT INFORMED US OF THE TEMPORARY FLT RESTR WE WOULD NOT HAVE EVER KNOWN IT WAS EVEN THERE. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW WE SHOULD HAVE FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS TEMPORARY FLT RESTR. THEY DO NOT BLIND BROADCAST TEMPORARY FLT RESTRS ON 121.5 OR ANY OTHER CHANNEL THAT I AM AWARE OF, SO HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT THEY ALL OF A SUDDEN PUT UP TEMPORARY FLT RESTRS IN UNCTLED AIRSPACE? A MAJOR FOREST FIRE, A LARGE AIRPLANE CRASH, A MOUNTAIN BLOWING UP -- THESE ARE VERY VISUAL, AND SO ONE WOULD THINK TO LOOK FOR A POSSIBLE AIRSPACE CHK, BUT A HELI RESCUE LIKE THE SAME ONE WE HAVE BEEN ON 1/2 DOZEN TIMES BEFORE WITHOUT A TEMPORARY FLT RESTR -- I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND. I MEAN, THEY WON'T EVEN TELL US THE PERSON WHO PUT UP THE TEMPORARY FLT RESTR OR WHY OR HOW HE EVEN GOT IT. FOR SOME REASON THE SEATTLE FSDO HAS STARTED TO GIVE TEMPORARY FLT RESTRS TO ANYONE WHO CALLS AND ASKS FOR IT. THIS ONE WAS A SIMPLE RESCUE OP WHERE WE WERE WELL CLR OF THE RESCUE HELI AND OUR NOISE SIGNATURE WAS NOT AN ISSUE EITHER. ANOTHER, 1 A MONTH AGO, THERE WAS A SWAT OP THAT WE WERE SHOOTING. WE CAME IN AND REMAINED 1 MI OUT AND AT 1500 FT AGL. WE HAD LEFT FOR FUEL WHEN WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE POLICE HAD SET UP A TEMPORARY FLT RESTR SO WE DID NOT RETURN. IT WAS 5 MI AND 5000 FT. PART OF THIS TEMPORARY FLT RESTR WAS INSIDE PDX CTLED AIRSPACE. IF THIS WAS NOT ENOUGH, I WAS TOLD SOME TFC GOING IN TO LAND AT PDX WAS FLYING THROUGH THIS TEMPORARY FLT RESTR. WHEN ANYONE CAN CALL IN AND GET A TEMPORARY FLT RESTR FOR ANYTHING, WELL I GUESS I SHOULD STOP FLYING OR I WILL HAVE TO START CALLING FLT SVC EVERY 5 MINS OR SO TO MAKE SURE I DON'T FLY INTO ANY TEMPORARY FLT RESTRS. THIS WILL NOT BE GOOD FOR THE FLT SVC -- THEY ARE UNDERSTAFFED AND BUSY ENOUGH ALREADY. I HOPE THIS INFO WILL HELP ALL OF US TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE, WHAT, WHY, WHEN, AND HOW TO FIND OUT ABOUT TEMPORARY FLT RESTRS. AT THIS POINT, IT SEEMS THEY ARE TRYING TO KEEP PLTS IN THE DARK ABOUT WHEN A TEMPORARY FLT RESTR CAN BE PUT IN PLACE AND THAT THE PLT IS SUPPOSED TO KNOW BY SOME MYSTIC MEANS THAT THEY HAVE PUT ONE UP. PLEASE HELP OUT THE OTHER PLTS WHO ARE OUT THERE JUST TRYING TO ENJOY FLYING.

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.

Attributes
ACN	476487
Time
Date	200006
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	msl bound lower : 8300 msl bound upper : 9000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zse.artcc
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Helicopter
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Navigation In Use	other
Flight Phase	cruise : holding
Route In Use	arrival : vfr enroute : direct
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 8000 flight time type : 100
ASRS Report	476487
Person 2
Affiliation	government other
Function	oversight : coordinator
Qualification	other other : rescue op
Events
Anomaly	airspace violation : entry non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far
Independent Detector	other other : 4
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	faa : investigated faa : reviewed incident with flight crew other other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance FAA Environmental Factor ATC Human Performance Airspace Structure Company ATC Facility
Primary Problem	Airspace Structure
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

A news gathering helicopter penetrates the temporary flight restr area set up just prior to his arrival during the filming of a rescue attempt east of pdx, or.