Narrative:

On feb/xa/01, while flying as PIC (PNF) of a sikorsky S-76C mark ii helicopter, I entered the bwi class B airspace without a clearance (I dispute that in the narrative of events) after departing iad. The chain of events that led to this is outlined in the following narrative: 1) departing FBO's ramp at XA00, we were told to contact clearance delivery for a VFR departure. We gave clearance delivery our destination and requested altitude of 3500 ft. They asked for the aircraft type and whether it was a /G or /I. Then they read our clearance as 'cleared to exit class B airspace (what does that mean?), maintain runway heading and squawk abcd.' then they said that we could forget runway heading and expect direct departure (I presume that he remembered that we were flying a helicopter). Notice that we were under no altitude restrs with this clearance. We then contacted ground control and got taxi clearance. We were handed off to the wrong control tower frequency and, after straightening that out called for my takeoff clearance. I specifically remember giving our on course heading when requesting takeoff clearance but the controller came back with a request for our on course heading which I gave again. Every dulles controller we spoke to sounded distraction. 2) we took off after receiving clearance and proceeded to climb quickly toward 3500 ft (for noise abatement we regularly climb at well over 1000 FPM). I remember climbing through 2800 ft and calling tower to report, expecting him to hand us off to bwi approach. At that point he said, 'squawk VFR, frequency change approved, contact bwi approach,' and gave me their frequency. I came back with 'can't I get a handoff?' after about 1 second, I got my 'answer.' he simply ignored us and contacted another aircraft. By that time we were leveling at 3500 ft. 3) when we contacted bwi approach, he chided us for being in class B airspace without a clearance. Since he was busy, I did not attempt to explain what had happened. We thought that clearance delivery wanted the information for the same reason we offered it. This led to the expectation that we would be handed off for flight following after takeoff, which is what we intended. In hindsight, I did not think quickly enough. I should not have squawked VFR as I was told to when I was dropped by dulles tower. By keeping the squawk abcd, I would have at least been able to say to bwi approach that I was still under a class B clearance from dulles tower. I cannot remember ever having radar service terminated and being given a frequency change while flying with a clearance within class B airspace. Supplemental information from acn 503530: we requested a departure clearance from clearance delivery at iad asking for 3500 ft and direct to teb. We were given departure clearance of expect runway heading and a squawk code but without any altitude restr. We contacted the tower and were given a takeoff clearance to fly direct, again without any altitude restr. We were climbing through approximately 2800 ft at a rate well exceeding 1000 FPM when the controller called and told us to squawk VFR and frequency change approved. We asked for a handoff and were never answered. At this time we were still in the class B airspace and leveling at 3500 ft, our requested altitude, when we contacted bwi approach and were told that we were in the class B airspace. That next controller told us we were in the class B airspace, which we knew, but he wasn't aware of because he didn't get the handoff. He then gave us a new squawk code and handled us until we exited the class B airspace and continued to teb. I believe that we probably were mistakenly given the instructions to squawk 1200 instead of given a handoff to the next controller since we were already in the class B airspace. I understood our takeoff clearance at iad to be our clearance into the washington-baltimore class B airspace. The departure controller at dulles told us to squawk VFR frequency change approved contact bwi approach. We should have kept the squawk code given to us by clearance at dulles and then contacted bwi so that our presence wasn't a surprise.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE CREW OF AN S76 DEPARTING IAD FOR TEB ENTER BWI CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT A CLRNC WHEN IAD LOCAL CTLR DOES NOT COORD A HDOF TO BWI APCH AS THE CREW HAD REQUESTED.

Narrative: ON FEB/XA/01, WHILE FLYING AS PIC (PNF) OF A SIKORSKY S-76C MARK II HELI, I ENTERED THE BWI CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT A CLRNC (I DISPUTE THAT IN THE NARRATIVE OF EVENTS) AFTER DEPARTING IAD. THE CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT LED TO THIS IS OUTLINED IN THE FOLLOWING NARRATIVE: 1) DEPARTING FBO'S RAMP AT XA00, WE WERE TOLD TO CONTACT CLRNC DELIVERY FOR A VFR DEP. WE GAVE CLRNC DELIVERY OUR DEST AND REQUESTED ALT OF 3500 FT. THEY ASKED FOR THE ACFT TYPE AND WHETHER IT WAS A /G OR /I. THEN THEY READ OUR CLRNC AS 'CLRED TO EXIT CLASS B AIRSPACE (WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?), MAINTAIN RWY HDG AND SQUAWK ABCD.' THEN THEY SAID THAT WE COULD FORGET RWY HDG AND EXPECT DIRECT DEP (I PRESUME THAT HE REMEMBERED THAT WE WERE FLYING A HELI). NOTICE THAT WE WERE UNDER NO ALT RESTRS WITH THIS CLRNC. WE THEN CONTACTED GND CTL AND GOT TAXI CLRNC. WE WERE HANDED OFF TO THE WRONG CTL TWR FREQ AND, AFTER STRAIGHTENING THAT OUT CALLED FOR MY TKOF CLRNC. I SPECIFICALLY REMEMBER GIVING OUR ON COURSE HDG WHEN REQUESTING TKOF CLRNC BUT THE CTLR CAME BACK WITH A REQUEST FOR OUR ON COURSE HDG WHICH I GAVE AGAIN. EVERY DULLES CTLR WE SPOKE TO SOUNDED DISTR. 2) WE TOOK OFF AFTER RECEIVING CLRNC AND PROCEEDED TO CLB QUICKLY TOWARD 3500 FT (FOR NOISE ABATEMENT WE REGULARLY CLB AT WELL OVER 1000 FPM). I REMEMBER CLBING THROUGH 2800 FT AND CALLING TWR TO RPT, EXPECTING HIM TO HAND US OFF TO BWI APCH. AT THAT POINT HE SAID, 'SQUAWK VFR, FREQ CHANGE APPROVED, CONTACT BWI APCH,' AND GAVE ME THEIR FREQ. I CAME BACK WITH 'CAN'T I GET A HDOF?' AFTER ABOUT 1 SECOND, I GOT MY 'ANSWER.' HE SIMPLY IGNORED US AND CONTACTED ANOTHER ACFT. BY THAT TIME WE WERE LEVELING AT 3500 FT. 3) WHEN WE CONTACTED BWI APCH, HE CHIDED US FOR BEING IN CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT A CLRNC. SINCE HE WAS BUSY, I DID NOT ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAD HAPPENED. WE THOUGHT THAT CLRNC DELIVERY WANTED THE INFO FOR THE SAME REASON WE OFFERED IT. THIS LED TO THE EXPECTATION THAT WE WOULD BE HANDED OFF FOR FLT FOLLOWING AFTER TKOF, WHICH IS WHAT WE INTENDED. IN HINDSIGHT, I DID NOT THINK QUICKLY ENOUGH. I SHOULD NOT HAVE SQUAWKED VFR AS I WAS TOLD TO WHEN I WAS DROPPED BY DULLES TWR. BY KEEPING THE SQUAWK ABCD, I WOULD HAVE AT LEAST BEEN ABLE TO SAY TO BWI APCH THAT I WAS STILL UNDER A CLASS B CLRNC FROM DULLES TWR. I CANNOT REMEMBER EVER HAVING RADAR SVC TERMINATED AND BEING GIVEN A FREQ CHANGE WHILE FLYING WITH A CLRNC WITHIN CLASS B AIRSPACE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 503530: WE REQUESTED A DEP CLRNC FROM CLRNC DELIVERY AT IAD ASKING FOR 3500 FT AND DIRECT TO TEB. WE WERE GIVEN DEP CLRNC OF EXPECT RWY HDG AND A SQUAWK CODE BUT WITHOUT ANY ALT RESTR. WE CONTACTED THE TWR AND WERE GIVEN A TKOF CLRNC TO FLY DIRECT, AGAIN WITHOUT ANY ALT RESTR. WE WERE CLBING THROUGH APPROX 2800 FT AT A RATE WELL EXCEEDING 1000 FPM WHEN THE CTLR CALLED AND TOLD US TO SQUAWK VFR AND FREQ CHANGE APPROVED. WE ASKED FOR A HDOF AND WERE NEVER ANSWERED. AT THIS TIME WE WERE STILL IN THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AND LEVELING AT 3500 FT, OUR REQUESTED ALT, WHEN WE CONTACTED BWI APCH AND WERE TOLD THAT WE WERE IN THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. THAT NEXT CTLR TOLD US WE WERE IN THE CLASS B AIRSPACE, WHICH WE KNEW, BUT HE WASN'T AWARE OF BECAUSE HE DIDN'T GET THE HDOF. HE THEN GAVE US A NEW SQUAWK CODE AND HANDLED US UNTIL WE EXITED THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AND CONTINUED TO TEB. I BELIEVE THAT WE PROBABLY WERE MISTAKENLY GIVEN THE INSTRUCTIONS TO SQUAWK 1200 INSTEAD OF GIVEN A HDOF TO THE NEXT CTLR SINCE WE WERE ALREADY IN THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. I UNDERSTOOD OUR TKOF CLRNC AT IAD TO BE OUR CLRNC INTO THE WASHINGTON-BALTIMORE CLASS B AIRSPACE. THE DEP CTLR AT DULLES TOLD US TO SQUAWK VFR FREQ CHANGE APPROVED CONTACT BWI APCH. WE SHOULD HAVE KEPT THE SQUAWK CODE GIVEN TO US BY CLRNC AT DULLES AND THEN CONTACTED BWI SO THAT OUR PRESENCE WASN'T A SURPRISE.

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.