Narrative:

On aug/sat/03, I flew for the first time in 2 yrs to ocean city, md (oxb) from culpeper, va (cjr). I was well aware of the new defense restrs around washington, dc, but I misread their extent. I believed that the new restrs were co-terminus with the class B area, which meant that the upside down wedding cake was now just a regular no-fly cake. I later learned that the restrs extended to the 30 mi marker that previously demanded only an altitude encoding transponder. The WX in va called for storms later in the day so I flew low VFR from brooke VOR along the 085 degree radial to intercept the salisbury 290 degree VOR radial about 15 mi north of patuxent VOR. As I left brooke I called patuxent to ask if the restr areas were hot. Patuxent indicated that the areas were cold and I proceeded onward without concern for the restr areas, although I paid close attention to remaining outside of the class B area. The flight was uneventful. However, on the way back beginning at XA30 local, the WX had deteriorated, but it was still VFR with scattered thunderstorms. I climbed from ocean city to 6500 ft and headed to salisbury VOR, then called patuxent again to see if the restr areas were hot. I was told that I should contact ZDC (I think on 132.55) because patuxent's radar was down. I did and indicated to ZDC that I was over salisbury heading west and asked if the restr areas were hot. Again, I was told that the restr areas were cold. I flew west VFR and in relatively good WX (although storms were coming from the south) at 6500 ft, tracking the 290 degree radial of salisbury west until just north of patuxent, then intersected with the brooke 085 degree radial. I flew to approximately 10 mi of the brooke VOR and then headed directly, approximately at 290 degrees, via hand held GPS, to culpeper. Approximately 10 mi from culpeper, a hugh twin engine plane (a king air, I think) pulled off my left wing and on the side I saw 'us customs service'). The right window had a hugh sign that read '122.75' which I dialed in the radio. When the plane made contact, the pilot (or copilot) told me to contact TRACON at potomac approach and gave me a telephone number on landing. I asked what I had done, and the customs service pilot told me I had violated the 30 mi restr zone around washington. I immediately realized that in fact I had violated the zone because I had misinterped the chart and somehow assumed the wrong contours. When I landed I called potomac approach and the duty officer repeated that I had flown VFR through the defense zone. I repeated that I had misread the chart and apologized. He told me that they had been watching me and they could see I was trying to avoid certain areas. Duty officer told me to tell the FSDO what I had told him. I completely admit I made a mistake by not xchking the exact boundaries. I had flown to ocean city and back many, many times via this route and in the back of my mind I just didn't think that the defense zone had extended so far. Further, because I had actually called patuxent and then ZDC about the restr zones around patuxent (and that they were cold), I think I took a false sense of comfort. The lesson of all this is fairly simple: read the charts and xchk against NOTAMS and current pubs. I'm sure that I had read the new restrs, but I didn't compare them to the actual chart. Everyone was very courteous to me and I certainly understand the problems of increased vigilance. I am normally very careful about restr airspace because, although I'm instrument rated and have been flying for nearly 3 decades, I enjoy the freedom of flying VFR. It would have been very easy to make an additional radio call, but I just didn't think the restrs extended so far out.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MOONEY PLT ENTERED DC ADIZ WITHOUT CLRNC OR A DISCREET XPONDER CODE.

Narrative: ON AUG/SAT/03, I FLEW FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2 YRS TO OCEAN CITY, MD (OXB) FROM CULPEPER, VA (CJR). I WAS WELL AWARE OF THE NEW DEFENSE RESTRS AROUND WASHINGTON, DC, BUT I MISREAD THEIR EXTENT. I BELIEVED THAT THE NEW RESTRS WERE CO-TERMINUS WITH THE CLASS B AREA, WHICH MEANT THAT THE UPSIDE DOWN WEDDING CAKE WAS NOW JUST A REGULAR NO-FLY CAKE. I LATER LEARNED THAT THE RESTRS EXTENDED TO THE 30 MI MARKER THAT PREVIOUSLY DEMANDED ONLY AN ALT ENCODING XPONDER. THE WX IN VA CALLED FOR STORMS LATER IN THE DAY SO I FLEW LOW VFR FROM BROOKE VOR ALONG THE 085 DEG RADIAL TO INTERCEPT THE SALISBURY 290 DEG VOR RADIAL ABOUT 15 MI N OF PATUXENT VOR. AS I LEFT BROOKE I CALLED PATUXENT TO ASK IF THE RESTR AREAS WERE HOT. PATUXENT INDICATED THAT THE AREAS WERE COLD AND I PROCEEDED ONWARD WITHOUT CONCERN FOR THE RESTR AREAS, ALTHOUGH I PAID CLOSE ATTN TO REMAINING OUTSIDE OF THE CLASS B AREA. THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. HOWEVER, ON THE WAY BACK BEGINNING AT XA30 LCL, THE WX HAD DETERIORATED, BUT IT WAS STILL VFR WITH SCATTERED TSTMS. I CLBED FROM OCEAN CITY TO 6500 FT AND HEADED TO SALISBURY VOR, THEN CALLED PATUXENT AGAIN TO SEE IF THE RESTR AREAS WERE HOT. I WAS TOLD THAT I SHOULD CONTACT ZDC (I THINK ON 132.55) BECAUSE PATUXENT'S RADAR WAS DOWN. I DID AND INDICATED TO ZDC THAT I WAS OVER SALISBURY HEADING W AND ASKED IF THE RESTR AREAS WERE HOT. AGAIN, I WAS TOLD THAT THE RESTR AREAS WERE COLD. I FLEW W VFR AND IN RELATIVELY GOOD WX (ALTHOUGH STORMS WERE COMING FROM THE S) AT 6500 FT, TRACKING THE 290 DEG RADIAL OF SALISBURY W UNTIL JUST N OF PATUXENT, THEN INTERSECTED WITH THE BROOKE 085 DEG RADIAL. I FLEW TO APPROX 10 MI OF THE BROOKE VOR AND THEN HEADED DIRECTLY, APPROX AT 290 DEGS, VIA HAND HELD GPS, TO CULPEPER. APPROX 10 MI FROM CULPEPER, A HUGH TWIN ENG PLANE (A KING AIR, I THINK) PULLED OFF MY L WING AND ON THE SIDE I SAW 'US CUSTOMS SVC'). THE R WINDOW HAD A HUGH SIGN THAT READ '122.75' WHICH I DIALED IN THE RADIO. WHEN THE PLANE MADE CONTACT, THE PLT (OR COPLT) TOLD ME TO CONTACT TRACON AT POTOMAC APCH AND GAVE ME A TELEPHONE NUMBER ON LNDG. I ASKED WHAT I HAD DONE, AND THE CUSTOMS SVC PLT TOLD ME I HAD VIOLATED THE 30 MI RESTR ZONE AROUND WASHINGTON. I IMMEDIATELY REALIZED THAT IN FACT I HAD VIOLATED THE ZONE BECAUSE I HAD MISINTERPED THE CHART AND SOMEHOW ASSUMED THE WRONG CONTOURS. WHEN I LANDED I CALLED POTOMAC APCH AND THE DUTY OFFICER REPEATED THAT I HAD FLOWN VFR THROUGH THE DEFENSE ZONE. I REPEATED THAT I HAD MISREAD THE CHART AND APOLOGIZED. HE TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD BEEN WATCHING ME AND THEY COULD SEE I WAS TRYING TO AVOID CERTAIN AREAS. DUTY OFFICER TOLD ME TO TELL THE FSDO WHAT I HAD TOLD HIM. I COMPLETELY ADMIT I MADE A MISTAKE BY NOT XCHKING THE EXACT BOUNDARIES. I HAD FLOWN TO OCEAN CITY AND BACK MANY, MANY TIMES VIA THIS RTE AND IN THE BACK OF MY MIND I JUST DIDN'T THINK THAT THE DEFENSE ZONE HAD EXTENDED SO FAR. FURTHER, BECAUSE I HAD ACTUALLY CALLED PATUXENT AND THEN ZDC ABOUT THE RESTR ZONES AROUND PATUXENT (AND THAT THEY WERE COLD), I THINK I TOOK A FALSE SENSE OF COMFORT. THE LESSON OF ALL THIS IS FAIRLY SIMPLE: READ THE CHARTS AND XCHK AGAINST NOTAMS AND CURRENT PUBS. I'M SURE THAT I HAD READ THE NEW RESTRS, BUT I DIDN'T COMPARE THEM TO THE ACTUAL CHART. EVERYONE WAS VERY COURTEOUS TO ME AND I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THE PROBS OF INCREASED VIGILANCE. I AM NORMALLY VERY CAREFUL ABOUT RESTR AIRSPACE BECAUSE, ALTHOUGH I'M INST RATED AND HAVE BEEN FLYING FOR NEARLY 3 DECADES, I ENJOY THE FREEDOM OF FLYING VFR. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY EASY TO MAKE AN ADDITIONAL RADIO CALL, BUT I JUST DIDN'T THINK THE RESTRS EXTENDED SO FAR OUT.

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.