Unauthorized uncoord penetration of an ADIZ when a C172 private pilot flies from mlb to the bahamas ...

Narrative:

I flew from melbourne, fl, to andros town in bahamas without opening a flight plan. I had every intention to fly with a flight plan, but at each turn, my intent was foiled. I filed the flight plan from st petersburg FSS on the telephone at melbourne on mar/fri/02 at about XA35. When I got in the plane and phoned clearance delivery (on the ground control frequency), there was no flight plan on record. 'Wait a few mins,' I was told. 'Sometimes flight plans take a while to get on the computer.' so I waited 5 mins. Still the flight plan was not in the computer. I radioed to FSS in st petersburg and found that they had dispatched the flight plan as soon as I filed it. They couldn't explain what had happened but sent another. I called clearance delivery, but still they had no evidence of my flight plan. This went back and forth a few times and everyone was puzzled, including me. I eventually decided to take off and open my flight plan through the tower frequency. Still no flight plan. Back on the radio to FSS and they told me they had tried to file several different versions and finally succeeded in filing one to nassau instead of andros town. That sounded fine to me, I could always change destinations from the air. I quipped that it must be the bermuda triangle and FSS laughed. Content that at least I had some flight plan, even a wrong one, I changed frequency to call miami approach control. It was so busy I had to wait 10 mins to get a word in edgewise. 'Stand by,' I was told. 10 mins later, I heard 2 second gap and called again. 'Stand by and wait your turn. You're third for flight following.' I didn't want flight following, but waited. I tried a different miami frequency and got the same treatment. Pretty soon I was about to leave united states airspace and called the first controller again. This time she was very impatient and informed me that she had my call sign and I would simply have to wait my turn. About 20 mins later, I heard a long gap in communications and called again. And again the controller berated me for not waiting my turn. I was sufficiently cowed that I didn't call back at all. Instead I just flew with 1200 on the transponder and no positive control until I saw andros island ahead. I knew it was illegal to make such a flight without a flight plan, so I tried to get another controller and told him I wanted to open my flight plan even though I was approaching my destination. He told me to squawk a transponder code and gave me vectors. I saw the runway and told him he could cancel my flight plan. He told me he had never opened my flight plan in the first place. But if I wanted to see what happened to it I should call from the ground. The only pay phone at the andros town airport was out of order. My cell phone didn't work, and the 800 number to wxbrief was inoperative. So I must have violated the law, but couldn't figure out what choice I had. Some strange thing happened to my flight plan after I filed it, it disappeared in the bermuda triangle. Then the miami controllers were incredibly rude, even when there was a reasonable gap in communication. And finally there was no access to telephone communication on the ground at my destination.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UNAUTH UNCOORD PENETRATION OF AN ADIZ WHEN A C172 PVT PLT FLIES FROM MLB TO THE BAHAMAS WITHOUT AN ACTIVE FLT PLAN W OF MYAF, FO.

Narrative: I FLEW FROM MELBOURNE, FL, TO ANDROS TOWN IN BAHAMAS WITHOUT OPENING A FLT PLAN. I HAD EVERY INTENTION TO FLY WITH A FLT PLAN, BUT AT EACH TURN, MY INTENT WAS FOILED. I FILED THE FLT PLAN FROM ST PETERSBURG FSS ON THE TELEPHONE AT MELBOURNE ON MAR/FRI/02 AT ABOUT XA35. WHEN I GOT IN THE PLANE AND PHONED CLRNC DELIVERY (ON THE GND CTL FREQ), THERE WAS NO FLT PLAN ON RECORD. 'WAIT A FEW MINS,' I WAS TOLD. 'SOMETIMES FLT PLANS TAKE A WHILE TO GET ON THE COMPUTER.' SO I WAITED 5 MINS. STILL THE FLT PLAN WAS NOT IN THE COMPUTER. I RADIOED TO FSS IN ST PETERSBURG AND FOUND THAT THEY HAD DISPATCHED THE FLT PLAN AS SOON AS I FILED IT. THEY COULDN'T EXPLAIN WHAT HAD HAPPENED BUT SENT ANOTHER. I CALLED CLRNC DELIVERY, BUT STILL THEY HAD NO EVIDENCE OF MY FLT PLAN. THIS WENT BACK AND FORTH A FEW TIMES AND EVERYONE WAS PUZZLED, INCLUDING ME. I EVENTUALLY DECIDED TO TAKE OFF AND OPEN MY FLT PLAN THROUGH THE TWR FREQ. STILL NO FLT PLAN. BACK ON THE RADIO TO FSS AND THEY TOLD ME THEY HAD TRIED TO FILE SEVERAL DIFFERENT VERSIONS AND FINALLY SUCCEEDED IN FILING ONE TO NASSAU INSTEAD OF ANDROS TOWN. THAT SOUNDED FINE TO ME, I COULD ALWAYS CHANGE DESTS FROM THE AIR. I QUIPPED THAT IT MUST BE THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE AND FSS LAUGHED. CONTENT THAT AT LEAST I HAD SOME FLT PLAN, EVEN A WRONG ONE, I CHANGED FREQ TO CALL MIAMI APCH CTL. IT WAS SO BUSY I HAD TO WAIT 10 MINS TO GET A WORD IN EDGEWISE. 'STAND BY,' I WAS TOLD. 10 MINS LATER, I HEARD 2 SECOND GAP AND CALLED AGAIN. 'STAND BY AND WAIT YOUR TURN. YOU'RE THIRD FOR FLT FOLLOWING.' I DIDN'T WANT FLT FOLLOWING, BUT WAITED. I TRIED A DIFFERENT MIAMI FREQ AND GOT THE SAME TREATMENT. PRETTY SOON I WAS ABOUT TO LEAVE UNITED STATES AIRSPACE AND CALLED THE FIRST CTLR AGAIN. THIS TIME SHE WAS VERY IMPATIENT AND INFORMED ME THAT SHE HAD MY CALL SIGN AND I WOULD SIMPLY HAVE TO WAIT MY TURN. ABOUT 20 MINS LATER, I HEARD A LONG GAP IN COMS AND CALLED AGAIN. AND AGAIN THE CTLR BERATED ME FOR NOT WAITING MY TURN. I WAS SUFFICIENTLY COWED THAT I DIDN'T CALL BACK AT ALL. INSTEAD I JUST FLEW WITH 1200 ON THE XPONDER AND NO POSITIVE CTL UNTIL I SAW ANDROS ISLAND AHEAD. I KNEW IT WAS ILLEGAL TO MAKE SUCH A FLT WITHOUT A FLT PLAN, SO I TRIED TO GET ANOTHER CTLR AND TOLD HIM I WANTED TO OPEN MY FLT PLAN EVEN THOUGH I WAS APCHING MY DEST. HE TOLD ME TO SQUAWK A XPONDER CODE AND GAVE ME VECTORS. I SAW THE RWY AND TOLD HIM HE COULD CANCEL MY FLT PLAN. HE TOLD ME HE HAD NEVER OPENED MY FLT PLAN IN THE FIRST PLACE. BUT IF I WANTED TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED TO IT I SHOULD CALL FROM THE GND. THE ONLY PAY PHONE AT THE ANDROS TOWN ARPT WAS OUT OF ORDER. MY CELL PHONE DIDN'T WORK, AND THE 800 NUMBER TO WXBRIEF WAS INOP. SO I MUST HAVE VIOLATED THE LAW, BUT COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT CHOICE I HAD. SOME STRANGE THING HAPPENED TO MY FLT PLAN AFTER I FILED IT, IT DISAPPEARED IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE. THEN THE MIAMI CTLRS WERE INCREDIBLY RUDE, EVEN WHEN THERE WAS A REASONABLE GAP IN COM. AND FINALLY THERE WAS NO ACCESS TO TELEPHONE COM ON THE GND AT MY DEST.

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	542068
Time
Date	200203
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : mia.tracon
State Reference	FL
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zma.artcc tracon : mia.tracon tower : mlb.tower
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff cruise : level
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 35 flight time total : 700 flight time type : 700
ASRS Report	542068
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	other personnel
Events
Anomaly	airspace violation : entry non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted none taken : unable
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	ATC Facility ATC Human Performance Flight Crew Human Performance Airspace Structure
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Unauthorized uncoord penetration of an ADIZ when a C172 private pilot flies from mlb to the bahamas without an active flight plan west of myaf, first officer.