Narrative:

About 1/2 hour before departing on a local proficiency flight from dpa, I received a telephone briefing from FSS. The briefer advised of a NOTAM for rocket launches on the dpa VOR 121 degree radial at 6.2 mi. The briefer further described location of NOTAM airspace as fermi labs, which are 5 mi south of the dupage airport. The location of fermi labs is also marked on the chicago sectional and terminal charts and is marked as a VFR waypoint on the terminal chart. Before returning to the airport, I did a practice approach at naper aeronautical (approximately 10 mi sse). Although the rocket launch NOTAM should have expired, just to be safe, I flew north staying east of fermi labs and listened to the ATIS for dpa. The ATIS had a NOTAM advising VFR pilots to 'avoid the dupage 120 degrees at 5 mi, at a radius of 3 NM up to 2600 ft due to a rescue operation on the dupage river.' I adjusted my course further east to avoid the area and contacted the tower 7 mi southeast of the field. After I acknowledged my clearance to the traffic pattern, the controller asked if I was aware of the notamed airspace. I said I was staying east of highway 59 to avoid the area. The controller asked me to squawk identify, and then advised me I was in the middle of the area and directed a 270 degree heading to exit. I believe the confusion in regard to the 'dupage 120 degree at 5 mi' in the NOTAM and to a lesser extent the reference to the dupage river led to my encroaching on the notamed area. The NOTAM I received in my briefing referenced a bearing and distance from the dpa VOR, while the ATIS NOTAM was referring to the dupage airport without specifying such. The dupage VOR sits about 5 mi wsw of the dupage airport. The rocket launch NOTAM is frequently present on weekends and is familiar to anyone flying regularly from dpa. The NOTAM specifies a radial and distance from the VOR and uses a cardinal direction and distance to specify the location from the airport. The ATIS NOTAM referenced 'dupage' without specifying which dupage and used bearing and distance, then same form the published NOTAM uses to reference the VOR radial. The lack of clarification was particularly likely to cause confusion due to the rocket launch NOTAM, which references the almost identical radial off the VOR. Halfway between the dupage VOR and the dupage airport is a prominent river that is used regularly by the tower as a reporting point. When the ATIS NOTAM specified a rescue operation on the dupage river, my assumption was that the river being mentioned was the same river that is used as a check point by the tower. I looked around on hearing the NOTAM and did not notice a river in my area. When I referenced to the chart, I followed the dpa VOR 120 degree radial for 5 mi (about 1 mi short of fermi labs) and saw that the river was within about a mi or two of that point. It wasn't until after I landed and I followed the river north about 20 mi on the chart that I saw in light print that the name of the river is the fox. The dupage is not named on the chart. My suggestion for a better temporary NOTAM broadcast on ATIS such as this would be to clearly specify the reference point for the bearing and distance and also include an additional reference to a landmark that can be easily found on the VFR chart. In this case, 'avoid the area 120 degrees at 5 NM from the dupage airport at a radius of 3 NM up to 2600 ft for a rescue operation southeast of west chicago.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BEECH T34 CFI ENTERS A TEMPORARY RESTR AREA WHEN MISINTERPRETING THE ATIS BROADCAST FROM DPA, IL.

Narrative: ABOUT 1/2 HR BEFORE DEPARTING ON A LCL PROFICIENCY FLT FROM DPA, I RECEIVED A TELEPHONE BRIEFING FROM FSS. THE BRIEFER ADVISED OF A NOTAM FOR ROCKET LAUNCHES ON THE DPA VOR 121 DEG RADIAL AT 6.2 MI. THE BRIEFER FURTHER DESCRIBED LOCATION OF NOTAM AIRSPACE AS FERMI LABS, WHICH ARE 5 MI S OF THE DUPAGE ARPT. THE LOCATION OF FERMI LABS IS ALSO MARKED ON THE CHICAGO SECTIONAL AND TERMINAL CHARTS AND IS MARKED AS A VFR WAYPOINT ON THE TERMINAL CHART. BEFORE RETURNING TO THE ARPT, I DID A PRACTICE APCH AT NAPER AERO (APPROX 10 MI SSE). ALTHOUGH THE ROCKET LAUNCH NOTAM SHOULD HAVE EXPIRED, JUST TO BE SAFE, I FLEW N STAYING E OF FERMI LABS AND LISTENED TO THE ATIS FOR DPA. THE ATIS HAD A NOTAM ADVISING VFR PLTS TO 'AVOID THE DUPAGE 120 DEGS AT 5 MI, AT A RADIUS OF 3 NM UP TO 2600 FT DUE TO A RESCUE OP ON THE DUPAGE RIVER.' I ADJUSTED MY COURSE FURTHER E TO AVOID THE AREA AND CONTACTED THE TWR 7 MI SE OF THE FIELD. AFTER I ACKNOWLEDGED MY CLRNC TO THE TFC PATTERN, THE CTLR ASKED IF I WAS AWARE OF THE NOTAMED AIRSPACE. I SAID I WAS STAYING E OF HWY 59 TO AVOID THE AREA. THE CTLR ASKED ME TO SQUAWK IDENT, AND THEN ADVISED ME I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AREA AND DIRECTED A 270 DEG HDG TO EXIT. I BELIEVE THE CONFUSION IN REGARD TO THE 'DUPAGE 120 DEG AT 5 MI' IN THE NOTAM AND TO A LESSER EXTENT THE REF TO THE DUPAGE RIVER LED TO MY ENCROACHING ON THE NOTAMED AREA. THE NOTAM I RECEIVED IN MY BRIEFING REFED A BEARING AND DISTANCE FROM THE DPA VOR, WHILE THE ATIS NOTAM WAS REFERRING TO THE DUPAGE ARPT WITHOUT SPECIFYING SUCH. THE DUPAGE VOR SITS ABOUT 5 MI WSW OF THE DUPAGE ARPT. THE ROCKET LAUNCH NOTAM IS FREQUENTLY PRESENT ON WEEKENDS AND IS FAMILIAR TO ANYONE FLYING REGULARLY FROM DPA. THE NOTAM SPECIFIES A RADIAL AND DISTANCE FROM THE VOR AND USES A CARDINAL DIRECTION AND DISTANCE TO SPECIFY THE LOCATION FROM THE ARPT. THE ATIS NOTAM REFED 'DUPAGE' WITHOUT SPECIFYING WHICH DUPAGE AND USED BEARING AND DISTANCE, THEN SAME FORM THE PUBLISHED NOTAM USES TO REF THE VOR RADIAL. THE LACK OF CLARIFICATION WAS PARTICULARLY LIKELY TO CAUSE CONFUSION DUE TO THE ROCKET LAUNCH NOTAM, WHICH REFS THE ALMOST IDENTICAL RADIAL OFF THE VOR. HALFWAY BTWN THE DUPAGE VOR AND THE DUPAGE ARPT IS A PROMINENT RIVER THAT IS USED REGULARLY BY THE TWR AS A RPTING POINT. WHEN THE ATIS NOTAM SPECIFIED A RESCUE OP ON THE DUPAGE RIVER, MY ASSUMPTION WAS THAT THE RIVER BEING MENTIONED WAS THE SAME RIVER THAT IS USED AS A CHK POINT BY THE TWR. I LOOKED AROUND ON HEARING THE NOTAM AND DID NOT NOTICE A RIVER IN MY AREA. WHEN I REFED TO THE CHART, I FOLLOWED THE DPA VOR 120 DEG RADIAL FOR 5 MI (ABOUT 1 MI SHORT OF FERMI LABS) AND SAW THAT THE RIVER WAS WITHIN ABOUT A MI OR TWO OF THAT POINT. IT WASN'T UNTIL AFTER I LANDED AND I FOLLOWED THE RIVER N ABOUT 20 MI ON THE CHART THAT I SAW IN LIGHT PRINT THAT THE NAME OF THE RIVER IS THE FOX. THE DUPAGE IS NOT NAMED ON THE CHART. MY SUGGESTION FOR A BETTER TEMPORARY NOTAM BROADCAST ON ATIS SUCH AS THIS WOULD BE TO CLRLY SPECIFY THE REF POINT FOR THE BEARING AND DISTANCE AND ALSO INCLUDE AN ADDITIONAL REF TO A LANDMARK THAT CAN BE EASILY FOUND ON THE VFR CHART. IN THIS CASE, 'AVOID THE AREA 120 DEGS AT 5 NM FROM THE DUPAGE ARPT AT A RADIUS OF 3 NM UP TO 2600 FT FOR A RESCUE OP SE OF W CHICAGO.'

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.