Narrative:

On may/thu/03, after completion of a power line patrol, I was contacted by mr X, a former company employee. He informed me that I had violated 'private property' airspace and had endangered personnel on the ground near the power line, that we were patrolling. Furthermore I had harassed an endangered species (bald eagle) that was nesting on that portion of power easement. That this nesting site was registered with the united states fish and wildlife service as an avoidance area. This violation was discovered by mr X personal observation and his fellow workers. I checked NOTAMS for the ZZZ area, also talked to ZZZ tower and could not find any information on this avoidance area. I also contacted dispatch prior to flight and also flight followed with national park dispatch during my patrol. No one mentioned an airspace restr. As for overflt of people on the ground, I did not see anyone directly below my flight path. I did see people in this area just to the side of our flight path after passing by them. They were not visible from a distance because of the trees. This area has no homes or structures other than the power line near our flight path. This power line survey was conducted at speeds between 60-80 KTS. Our primary objective was location of any potential ignition sources such as dead trees, etc, that may be in contact with the power line. Due to extreme drought conditions the power company, is conducting these flts prior to fire season. The area we were patrolling is in a canyon and is heavily forested. One other subject that I have discovered on my own which, I was not aware of was, even though I am working in a non radar environment that I must contact ATC to inform them of my proposed pipeline/power line patrol route so that I will have a special transponder code for awacs planes to identify my mission assigned. My suggestions for corrective actions will be that anytime the united states fish and wildlife designates a nesting site for endangered species as an avoidance area, that they notify ATC to establish a tfr and allow the aviation system to employ the NOTAM system. Also, suggest that public utilities that intend to conduct power line patrols notify the public in advance as to the date and time as well as rtes to be flown. I will also inform the other pilots I work with of this series of incidents so that we all can be better informed. In retrospect, the most serious portion of this flight planning that I missed was the squawk code oversight. This will not happen again. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter indicated that this operation is performed at least twice a yr. The national park service contracts his company through the owners of the power lines to ensure that no growth such as trees or brush contact the power lines and cause a fire. The aircraft is flight followed by the national park service dispatcher and the pilot indicated he checks in every 15 mins. There has never been any negative reports concerning the flts in the past and it is common practice for the national park service to use this method to prevent forest fires along the power line easement. The reporter also indicated that the individual who reported that the aircraft had entered a wildlife preserve had been terminated by his company due to a personal problem and may have been attempting to cause the company problems. Normal altitude for the power line patrol is 200-300 ft. He indicated that there were no NOTAMS or warnings that a tfr was in effect. He did indicate that he would acquire a discrete transponder code from ARTCC for future flts for security reasons.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BELL 206 PLT FLIES INTO A WILDLIFE PRESERVE DURING A PWR LINE PATROL.

Narrative: ON MAY/THU/03, AFTER COMPLETION OF A PWR LINE PATROL, I WAS CONTACTED BY MR X, A FORMER COMPANY EMPLOYEE. HE INFORMED ME THAT I HAD VIOLATED 'PVT PROPERTY' AIRSPACE AND HAD ENDANGERED PERSONNEL ON THE GND NEAR THE PWR LINE, THAT WE WERE PATROLLING. FURTHERMORE I HAD HARASSED AN ENDANGERED SPECIES (BALD EAGLE) THAT WAS NESTING ON THAT PORTION OF PWR EASEMENT. THAT THIS NESTING SITE WAS REGISTERED WITH THE UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SVC AS AN AVOIDANCE AREA. THIS VIOLATION WAS DISCOVERED BY MR X PERSONAL OBSERVATION AND HIS FELLOW WORKERS. I CHKED NOTAMS FOR THE ZZZ AREA, ALSO TALKED TO ZZZ TWR AND COULD NOT FIND ANY INFO ON THIS AVOIDANCE AREA. I ALSO CONTACTED DISPATCH PRIOR TO FLT AND ALSO FLT FOLLOWED WITH NATIONAL PARK DISPATCH DURING MY PATROL. NO ONE MENTIONED AN AIRSPACE RESTR. AS FOR OVERFLT OF PEOPLE ON THE GND, I DID NOT SEE ANYONE DIRECTLY BELOW MY FLT PATH. I DID SEE PEOPLE IN THIS AREA JUST TO THE SIDE OF OUR FLT PATH AFTER PASSING BY THEM. THEY WERE NOT VISIBLE FROM A DISTANCE BECAUSE OF THE TREES. THIS AREA HAS NO HOMES OR STRUCTURES OTHER THAN THE PWR LINE NEAR OUR FLT PATH. THIS PWR LINE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED AT SPDS BTWN 60-80 KTS. OUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE WAS LOCATION OF ANY POTENTIAL IGNITION SOURCES SUCH AS DEAD TREES, ETC, THAT MAY BE IN CONTACT WITH THE PWR LINE. DUE TO EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS THE POWER COMPANY, IS CONDUCTING THESE FLTS PRIOR TO FIRE SEASON. THE AREA WE WERE PATROLLING IS IN A CANYON AND IS HEAVILY FORESTED. ONE OTHER SUBJECT THAT I HAVE DISCOVERED ON MY OWN WHICH, I WAS NOT AWARE OF WAS, EVEN THOUGH I AM WORKING IN A NON RADAR ENVIRONMENT THAT I MUST CONTACT ATC TO INFORM THEM OF MY PROPOSED PIPELINE/PWR LINE PATROL RTE SO THAT I WILL HAVE A SPECIAL XPONDER CODE FOR AWACS PLANES TO IDENT MY MISSION ASSIGNED. MY SUGGESTIONS FOR CORRECTIVE ACTIONS WILL BE THAT ANYTIME THE UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE DESIGNATES A NESTING SITE FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES AS AN AVOIDANCE AREA, THAT THEY NOTIFY ATC TO ESTABLISH A TFR AND ALLOW THE AVIATION SYS TO EMPLOY THE NOTAM SYS. ALSO, SUGGEST THAT PUBLIC UTILITIES THAT INTEND TO CONDUCT PWR LINE PATROLS NOTIFY THE PUBLIC IN ADVANCE AS TO THE DATE AND TIME AS WELL AS RTES TO BE FLOWN. I WILL ALSO INFORM THE OTHER PLTS I WORK WITH OF THIS SERIES OF INCIDENTS SO THAT WE ALL CAN BE BETTER INFORMED. IN RETROSPECT, THE MOST SERIOUS PORTION OF THIS FLT PLANNING THAT I MISSED WAS THE SQUAWK CODE OVERSIGHT. THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR INDICATED THAT THIS OP IS PERFORMED AT LEAST TWICE A YR. THE NATIONAL PARK SVC CONTRACTS HIS COMPANY THROUGH THE OWNERS OF THE PWR LINES TO ENSURE THAT NO GROWTH SUCH AS TREES OR BRUSH CONTACT THE PWR LINES AND CAUSE A FIRE. THE ACFT IS FLT FOLLOWED BY THE NATIONAL PARK SVC DISPATCHER AND THE PLT INDICATED HE CHKS IN EVERY 15 MINS. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANY NEGATIVE RPTS CONCERNING THE FLTS IN THE PAST AND IT IS COMMON PRACTICE FOR THE NATIONAL PARK SVC TO USE THIS METHOD TO PREVENT FOREST FIRES ALONG THE PWR LINE EASEMENT. THE RPTR ALSO INDICATED THAT THE INDIVIDUAL WHO RPTED THAT THE ACFT HAD ENTERED A WILDLIFE PRESERVE HAD BEEN TERMINATED BY HIS COMPANY DUE TO A PERSONAL PROB AND MAY HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTING TO CAUSE THE COMPANY PROBS. NORMAL ALT FOR THE PWR LINE PATROL IS 200-300 FT. HE INDICATED THAT THERE WERE NO NOTAMS OR WARNINGS THAT A TFR WAS IN EFFECT. HE DID INDICATE THAT HE WOULD ACQUIRE A DISCRETE XPONDER CODE FROM ARTCC FOR FUTURE FLTS FOR SECURITY REASONS.

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.