Narrative:

9/tue/01, I departed in a cessna 185 on floats owned by me and arrived at crane lake, mn, at XA15 for the purpose of clearing us customs at scott's seaplane base. Turned radio on to 122.8, 20 NM from crane lake. Heard the following conversation between two canadian aircraft: no #1: all flts are cancelled today, all planes in canadian airspace are grounded. No #2: yeh, I guess I can make the trip tomorrow. I transmitted 10 NM from crane lake same as above, no response. I transmitted 5 NM from crane lake same as above, heard faint response, mostly unintelligible, did catch 'crane lake customs' and assumed he was answering me. I transmitted: this is aircraft xyz, cessna 185, one person aboard, request us customs, will be at the dock in 10 mins. Reply: aircraft xyz -- faint and mostly unintelligible. I assumed he acknowledge my request and I landed. I taxied to the dock, no one was around. I tied up the airplane and proceeded to walk to customs building with filled out customs report in my hand. Someone was coming out of the restaurant door and crossing the yard. He told me in a brief statement that terrorists had flown a 757 or 767 into the world trade center and the pentagon. He then said that the customs agent had told me 'not to come in.' at that time, I was within 75 yards or less of the customs building and could see no one was coming out to meet me so I turned around, walked to my aircraft, got in and took off, set the GPS to tower, mn, then to ashland, wi. I landed at ashland after 1.2 hours flight time. Upon landing, I was informed that all aircraft in us airspace was grounded. I called customs in crane lake and talked to the agent and told him where I was. He said I was in trouble for violating a 'red alert' and that I would be hearing from the FAA. At this time of this writing, all general aviation VFR flights in the us are prohibited and my aircraft remains on the ground at ashland, wi. A call to canada yesterday provided me with the information that no flts (VFR) are allowed to enter the us. Flight (VFR) restrictions within canada have been lifted. Comments: I have been entering the us through crane lake customs with my float plane for a very long time. Up until approximately 5 yrs ago, the notification procedure was to call crane lake unicom on 122.8 and request us customs. The unicom operator would then acknowledge the request and would verbally notify the customs agent of my request and the agent would be at the dock when I arrived. In recent yrs, the procedure has changed to calling 'crane lake customs' on 122.8. When calling crane lake unicom. I could routinely get a response for 20 or more NM out. At this time when I approach from the northwest, I can never get a response until inside 5 NM. In two recent instances I did not get a response until overhead of the customs building or actually on the water. On one of these occasions, I suggested to the agent that he might request from his superiors that an adequate antennae be installed at the customs building. I pointed out that due to rising terrain and large trees to the northwest it was not possible for an aircraft approaching from the northwest at 1000 to 1500 ft AGL to communicate properly. I have observed the agents at the crane lake dock communicating with a hand held radio. I'm not aware of the radio equipment in their customs office building, but the communication problems I have had are weak and very difficult to understand xmissions from the customs facility. I am very concerned and I am not taking this incident lightly. I hade to make a decision based on the circumstances as I saw them and made that decision without any help of instructions from the customs agent. I wish to cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities in clearing this matter up.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CESSNA 185 ON FLOATS FLEW INTO USA SEAPLANE BASE WHERE THE RPTR WAS ADVISED THAT THE CUSTOMS AGENT IN ANSWERING HIS ARRIVAL CALL HAD TRIED TO INFORM HIM NOT TO LAND. SINCE THE CUSTOMS AGENT DID NOT COME OUT TO SEE HIM IN PERSON, AND HE DID NOT HEAR THE NOT TO LAND, HE TOOK OFF TO HIS INTENDED USA DEST WHERE HE WAS INFORMED AFTER LNDG THAT ALL ACFT HAD BEEN GNDED DUE TO THE TERRORIST ATTACK.

Narrative: 9/TUE/01, I DEPARTED IN A CESSNA 185 ON FLOATS OWNED BY ME AND ARRIVED AT CRANE LAKE, MN, AT XA15 FOR THE PURPOSE OF CLRING US CUSTOMS AT SCOTT'S SEAPLANE BASE. TURNED RADIO ON TO 122.8, 20 NM FROM CRANE LAKE. HEARD THE FOLLOWING CONVERSATION BETWEEN TWO CANADIAN ACFT: NO #1: ALL FLTS ARE CANCELLED TODAY, ALL PLANES IN CANADIAN AIRSPACE ARE GNDED. NO #2: YEH, I GUESS I CAN MAKE THE TRIP TOMORROW. I TRANSMITTED 10 NM FROM CRANE LAKE SAME AS ABOVE, NO RESPONSE. I TRANSMITTED 5 NM FROM CRANE LAKE SAME AS ABOVE, HEARD FAINT RESPONSE, MOSTLY UNINTELLIGIBLE, DID CATCH 'CRANE LAKE CUSTOMS' AND ASSUMED HE WAS ANSWERING ME. I TRANSMITTED: THIS IS ACFT XYZ, CESSNA 185, ONE PERSON ABOARD, REQUEST US CUSTOMS, WILL BE AT THE DOCK IN 10 MINS. REPLY: ACFT XYZ -- FAINT AND MOSTLY UNINTELLIGIBLE. I ASSUMED HE ACKNOWLEDGE MY REQUEST AND I LANDED. I TAXIED TO THE DOCK, NO ONE WAS AROUND. I TIED UP THE AIRPLANE AND PROCEEDED TO WALK TO CUSTOMS BUILDING WITH FILLED OUT CUSTOMS RPT IN MY HAND. SOMEONE WAS COMING OUT OF THE RESTAURANT DOOR AND CROSSING THE YARD. HE TOLD ME IN A BRIEF STATEMENT THAT TERRORISTS HAD FLOWN A 757 OR 767 INTO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER AND THE PENTAGON. HE THEN SAID THAT THE CUSTOMS AGENT HAD TOLD ME 'NOT TO COME IN.' AT THAT TIME, I WAS WITHIN 75 YARDS OR LESS OF THE CUSTOMS BUILDING AND COULD SEE NO ONE WAS COMING OUT TO MEET ME SO I TURNED AROUND, WALKED TO MY ACFT, GOT IN AND TOOK OFF, SET THE GPS TO TWR, MN, THEN TO ASHLAND, WI. I LANDED AT ASHLAND AFTER 1.2 HRS FLT TIME. UPON LNDG, I WAS INFORMED THAT ALL ACFT IN US AIRSPACE WAS GNDED. I CALLED CUSTOMS IN CRANE LAKE AND TALKED TO THE AGENT AND TOLD HIM WHERE I WAS. HE SAID I WAS IN TROUBLE FOR VIOLATING A 'RED ALERT' AND THAT I WOULD BE HEARING FROM THE FAA. AT THIS TIME OF THIS WRITING, ALL GENERAL AVIATION VFR FLIGHTS IN THE US ARE PROHIBITED AND MY ACFT REMAINS ON THE GND AT ASHLAND, WI. A CALL TO CANADA YESTERDAY PROVIDED ME WITH THE INFO THAT NO FLTS (VFR) ARE ALLOWED TO ENTER THE US. FLT (VFR) RESTRICTIONS WITHIN CANADA HAVE BEEN LIFTED. COMMENTS: I HAVE BEEN ENTERING THE US THROUGH CRANE LAKE CUSTOMS WITH MY FLOAT PLANE FOR A VERY LONG TIME. UP UNTIL APPROX 5 YRS AGO, THE NOTIFICATION PROC WAS TO CALL CRANE LAKE UNICOM ON 122.8 AND REQUEST US CUSTOMS. THE UNICOM OPERATOR WOULD THEN ACKNOWLEDGE THE REQUEST AND WOULD VERBALLY NOTIFY THE CUSTOMS AGENT OF MY REQUEST AND THE AGENT WOULD BE AT THE DOCK WHEN I ARRIVED. IN RECENT YRS, THE PROC HAS CHANGED TO CALLING 'CRANE LAKE CUSTOMS' ON 122.8. WHEN CALLING CRANE LAKE UNICOM. I COULD ROUTINELY GET A RESPONSE FOR 20 OR MORE NM OUT. AT THIS TIME WHEN I APPROACH FROM THE NW, I CAN NEVER GET A RESPONSE UNTIL INSIDE 5 NM. IN TWO RECENT INSTANCES I DID NOT GET A RESPONSE UNTIL OVERHEAD OF THE CUSTOMS BUILDING OR ACTUALLY ON THE WATER. ON ONE OF THESE OCCASIONS, I SUGGESTED TO THE AGENT THAT HE MIGHT REQUEST FROM HIS SUPERIORS THAT AN ADEQUATE ANTENNAE BE INSTALLED AT THE CUSTOMS BUILDING. I POINTED OUT THAT DUE TO RISING TERRAIN AND LARGE TREES TO THE NW IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE FOR AN ACFT APCHING FROM THE NW AT 1000 TO 1500 FT AGL TO COMMUNICATE PROPERLY. I HAVE OBSERVED THE AGENTS AT THE CRANE LAKE DOCK COMMUNICATING WITH A HAND HELD RADIO. I'M NOT AWARE OF THE RADIO EQUIPMENT IN THEIR CUSTOMS OFFICE BUILDING, BUT THE COM PROBLEMS I HAVE HAD ARE WEAK AND VERY DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND XMISSIONS FROM THE CUSTOMS FACILITY. I AM VERY CONCERNED AND I AM NOT TAKING THIS INCIDENT LIGHTLY. I HADE TO MAKE A DECISION BASED ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES AS I SAW THEM AND MADE THAT DECISION WITHOUT ANY HELP OF INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE CUSTOMS AGENT. I WISH TO COOPERATE FULLY WITH THE APPROPRIATE AUTHORITIES IN CLRING THIS MATTER UP.

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.