Narrative:

I drove up to reading regional airport on jun/fri/03, to pick up my new airplane, an archer. Having received my private pilot training in manassas airport, I am very familiar with the requirement to file an ADIZ flight plan. I filed my ADIZ flight plan with the briefer for an XD00Z arrival in the vicinity of frederick, md. I was unable to depart rdg at XC00Z as planned because the airplane's engine quit on the taxiway. It was not until XC48Z that the airplane was cleared by mechanics and I was able to depart for manassas. I requested flight following, and remained under radar control until harrisburg approach terminated radar service. I requested a frequency for potomac approach. I attempted to contact potomac approach a number of times, and after being passed back and forth between several controllers and denied flight following each time, was told by a controller that he was too busy and that I should try him again in 30 mins. By that time, I was at waypoint eric, about 1 mi from the ADIZ. Because of my difficult departure from rdg and nagging concerns about the engine's viability, I forgot that my ADIZ flight plan would be discarded by the computer by the time I reached the vicinity of frederick. This was my first time in this particular archer. It is equipped with a color moving-map GPS. I spent many hours studying in the online manual before my flight. Feeling sufficiently qualified in its operation, I inputted 3 waypoints into the GPS prior to departing rdg. One, named eric, was located about 1 mi west of the outermost ring of dulles airport (iad) airspace, and the other 2 (roda and yvet) within the outer rings of iad airspace. I also programmed 2 flight plans into the GPS. Flight plan #1 was from rdg-eric-hef and was the one I activated before departing rdg. This flight plan was predicated on being cleared into class B airspace and allowed to fly direct to manassas. Flight plan #2 was from rdg-eric-roda-yvet-hef, should I not be allowed into class B airspace. By following its route, I would be able to reach hef by the most direct route without encroaching into class B airspace. The airplane is also equipped with an autoplt, so I was able to fly the GPS track automatically. After being told to wait 30 mins, I realized I would not be allowed into class B airspace, so I deleted the GPS's current flight plan (flight plan #1). Unexpectedly, the moving map screen went black. After a min or so, I inputted flight plan #2 and the moving map screen came back, revealing that I was within the outer ring of class B airspace. Being at 2500 ft, I knew I could not have encroached into class B airspace, but failed to remember that while the ADIZ follows the contours of the iad airspace, unlike class B airspace, it begins from the surface in its entirety. In the back of my mind, I still thought I had a valid request for clearance into the ADIZ on file, so it did not occur to me that I had committed a violation. As soon as the GPS screen came back to life and I realized where I was, I turned to a 300 degree heading in order to get west of the outer ring. Once clear, I climbed back to 3500 ft and set a course to circle counterclockwise around iad airspace. Having been trying to pick up flight following for much of the trip, I chalked up the controller's unwillingness to control me to the fact that they were too busy, and not to the fact that I had a lapsed clearance request. After about 20 mins, I called the potomac approach again requesting to go to manassas, and was told for the first time that there was no ADIZ flight plan on file for me. It is only at this point that I realized the true nature of my problem. I radioed the FSS, filed an ADIZ flight plan with the briefer, and was told to contact potomac approach. I was told to squawk XXXX, told I was 'radar contact,' and was cleared to manassas. Upon landing, manassas tower had me call potomac approach. I was told that I had penetrated the ADIZ while squawking VFR. I was very distraught and told her that I had not crossed into the ADIZ, all the time meaning that I had not crossed into class B airspace. It is only after replaying the events in my mind innumerable times that I correctly reassembled the events of the flight and drew the true conclusions. Conclusions: the reason for forgetting that my ADIZ clearance request had lapsed was unquestionably the focus on my mechanical troubles, and then replaced by my confusion regarding the incomprehensible problem I was encountering being cleared for manassas. I trace the reason for encroaching into the ADIZ to my focus on the GPS display problem. I had the terminal area chart in my lap to show where I was, but instead of using the one I am most used to, I turned my attention to a new navigational device I am not fully trained on. I have resolved to never again use the GPS as my primary means of navigation, but rather to use it in combination with the autoplt as a tool that allows me more time to focus on my charts, especially in the challenging terminal environment of washington, dc.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28 PLT ENTERED DC ADIZ WITHOUT CLRNC OR A DISCREET XPONDER CODE AFTER MDT APCH CTLR DUMPED THE PLT FROM FLT FOLLOWING, AND THE PCT APCH CTLR REFUSED TO WORK THE PLT.

Narrative: I DROVE UP TO READING REGIONAL ARPT ON JUN/FRI/03, TO PICK UP MY NEW AIRPLANE, AN ARCHER. HAVING RECEIVED MY PVT PLT TRAINING IN MANASSAS ARPT, I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE REQUIREMENT TO FILE AN ADIZ FLT PLAN. I FILED MY ADIZ FLT PLAN WITH THE BRIEFER FOR AN XD00Z ARR IN THE VICINITY OF FREDERICK, MD. I WAS UNABLE TO DEPART RDG AT XC00Z AS PLANNED BECAUSE THE AIRPLANE'S ENG QUIT ON THE TXWY. IT WAS NOT UNTIL XC48Z THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS CLRED BY MECHS AND I WAS ABLE TO DEPART FOR MANASSAS. I REQUESTED FLT FOLLOWING, AND REMAINED UNDER RADAR CTL UNTIL HARRISBURG APCH TERMINATED RADAR SVC. I REQUESTED A FREQ FOR POTOMAC APCH. I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT POTOMAC APCH A NUMBER OF TIMES, AND AFTER BEING PASSED BACK AND FORTH BTWN SEVERAL CTLRS AND DENIED FLT FOLLOWING EACH TIME, WAS TOLD BY A CTLR THAT HE WAS TOO BUSY AND THAT I SHOULD TRY HIM AGAIN IN 30 MINS. BY THAT TIME, I WAS AT WAYPOINT ERIC, ABOUT 1 MI FROM THE ADIZ. BECAUSE OF MY DIFFICULT DEP FROM RDG AND NAGGING CONCERNS ABOUT THE ENG'S VIABILITY, I FORGOT THAT MY ADIZ FLT PLAN WOULD BE DISCARDED BY THE COMPUTER BY THE TIME I REACHED THE VICINITY OF FREDERICK. THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME IN THIS PARTICULAR ARCHER. IT IS EQUIPPED WITH A COLOR MOVING-MAP GPS. I SPENT MANY HRS STUDYING IN THE ONLINE MANUAL BEFORE MY FLT. FEELING SUFFICIENTLY QUALIFIED IN ITS OP, I INPUTTED 3 WAYPOINTS INTO THE GPS PRIOR TO DEPARTING RDG. ONE, NAMED ERIC, WAS LOCATED ABOUT 1 MI W OF THE OUTERMOST RING OF DULLES ARPT (IAD) AIRSPACE, AND THE OTHER 2 (RODA AND YVET) WITHIN THE OUTER RINGS OF IAD AIRSPACE. I ALSO PROGRAMMED 2 FLT PLANS INTO THE GPS. FLT PLAN #1 WAS FROM RDG-ERIC-HEF AND WAS THE ONE I ACTIVATED BEFORE DEPARTING RDG. THIS FLT PLAN WAS PREDICATED ON BEING CLRED INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE AND ALLOWED TO FLY DIRECT TO MANASSAS. FLT PLAN #2 WAS FROM RDG-ERIC-RODA-YVET-HEF, SHOULD I NOT BE ALLOWED INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE. BY FOLLOWING ITS RTE, I WOULD BE ABLE TO REACH HEF BY THE MOST DIRECT RTE WITHOUT ENCROACHING INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE. THE AIRPLANE IS ALSO EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOPLT, SO I WAS ABLE TO FLY THE GPS TRACK AUTOMATICALLY. AFTER BEING TOLD TO WAIT 30 MINS, I REALIZED I WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE, SO I DELETED THE GPS'S CURRENT FLT PLAN (FLT PLAN #1). UNEXPECTEDLY, THE MOVING MAP SCREEN WENT BLACK. AFTER A MIN OR SO, I INPUTTED FLT PLAN #2 AND THE MOVING MAP SCREEN CAME BACK, REVEALING THAT I WAS WITHIN THE OUTER RING OF CLASS B AIRSPACE. BEING AT 2500 FT, I KNEW I COULD NOT HAVE ENCROACHED INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE, BUT FAILED TO REMEMBER THAT WHILE THE ADIZ FOLLOWS THE CONTOURS OF THE IAD AIRSPACE, UNLIKE CLASS B AIRSPACE, IT BEGINS FROM THE SURFACE IN ITS ENTIRETY. IN THE BACK OF MY MIND, I STILL THOUGHT I HAD A VALID REQUEST FOR CLRNC INTO THE ADIZ ON FILE, SO IT DID NOT OCCUR TO ME THAT I HAD COMMITTED A VIOLATION. AS SOON AS THE GPS SCREEN CAME BACK TO LIFE AND I REALIZED WHERE I WAS, I TURNED TO A 300 DEG HDG IN ORDER TO GET W OF THE OUTER RING. ONCE CLR, I CLBED BACK TO 3500 FT AND SET A COURSE TO CIRCLE COUNTERCLOCKWISE AROUND IAD AIRSPACE. HAVING BEEN TRYING TO PICK UP FLT FOLLOWING FOR MUCH OF THE TRIP, I CHALKED UP THE CTLR'S UNWILLINGNESS TO CTL ME TO THE FACT THAT THEY WERE TOO BUSY, AND NOT TO THE FACT THAT I HAD A LAPSED CLRNC REQUEST. AFTER ABOUT 20 MINS, I CALLED THE POTOMAC APCH AGAIN REQUESTING TO GO TO MANASSAS, AND WAS TOLD FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT THERE WAS NO ADIZ FLT PLAN ON FILE FOR ME. IT IS ONLY AT THIS POINT THAT I REALIZED THE TRUE NATURE OF MY PROB. I RADIOED THE FSS, FILED AN ADIZ FLT PLAN WITH THE BRIEFER, AND WAS TOLD TO CONTACT POTOMAC APCH. I WAS TOLD TO SQUAWK XXXX, TOLD I WAS 'RADAR CONTACT,' AND WAS CLRED TO MANASSAS. UPON LNDG, MANASSAS TWR HAD ME CALL POTOMAC APCH. I WAS TOLD THAT I HAD PENETRATED THE ADIZ WHILE SQUAWKING VFR. I WAS VERY DISTRAUGHT AND TOLD HER THAT I HAD NOT CROSSED INTO THE ADIZ, ALL THE TIME MEANING THAT I HAD NOT CROSSED INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE. IT IS ONLY AFTER REPLAYING THE EVENTS IN MY MIND INNUMERABLE TIMES THAT I CORRECTLY REASSEMBLED THE EVENTS OF THE FLT AND DREW THE TRUE CONCLUSIONS. CONCLUSIONS: THE REASON FOR FORGETTING THAT MY ADIZ CLRNC REQUEST HAD LAPSED WAS UNQUESTIONABLY THE FOCUS ON MY MECHANICAL TROUBLES, AND THEN REPLACED BY MY CONFUSION REGARDING THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE PROB I WAS ENCOUNTERING BEING CLRED FOR MANASSAS. I TRACE THE REASON FOR ENCROACHING INTO THE ADIZ TO MY FOCUS ON THE GPS DISPLAY PROB. I HAD THE TERMINAL AREA CHART IN MY LAP TO SHOW WHERE I WAS, BUT INSTEAD OF USING THE ONE I AM MOST USED TO, I TURNED MY ATTN TO A NEW NAVIGATIONAL DEVICE I AM NOT FULLY TRAINED ON. I HAVE RESOLVED TO NEVER AGAIN USE THE GPS AS MY PRIMARY MEANS OF NAV, BUT RATHER TO USE IT IN COMBINATION WITH THE AUTOPLT AS A TOOL THAT ALLOWS ME MORE TIME TO FOCUS ON MY CHARTS, ESPECIALLY IN THE CHALLENGING TERMINAL ENVIRONMENT OF WASHINGTON, DC.

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.