Narrative:

I report, with regret, an inadvertent apparent incursion into the northwest periphery of the washington ADIZ. This flight was planned from new england to the mid-atlantic region with my wife. A telephone briefing was obtained 30 mins before departure which reported a widespread area of excellent WX covering the northeast and mid-atlantic. As usual, I specifically inquired about tfr's including the extent of P40. The briefer replied that NOTAMS showed no tfr's, P40 was '10 mi,' and 'did I know about the washington ADIZ?' I confirmed that I was aware of the ADIZ, and intended to remain well clear of restr airspace. In retrospect, however, I didn't know quite enough about the vertical extent of that ADIZ. Most of my flying (especially since 911) has been IFR. However, on this occasion, since the WX was excellent, I elected to fly VFR because we wanted to take aerial photographs of certain sites, and I wanted time to gain familiarity with recently installed avionics. An additional factor favoring VFR was the very limited (and circuitous) rtes permitted through the new york and dulles areas. There are only 2 choices: V16 down the eastern shore, or routings quite far to the north of both metropolitan areas. I have flown these rtes many times and am very familiar with navigation, both visually and using navaids. The cruise portion of the flight was planned at 10500 ft to safely clear class B airspace in new york, philadelphia and washington. I monitored various approach, center and guard frequencys as the flight progressed, but did not request VFR advisories (which typically involves at least 20-some frequency changes, acknowledgements and check-INS). The flight was uneventful until 50 mi north of washington, at which point I rechked navigation to assure passing well clear of P40. As the flight progressed to the wsw, I became aware that we might overfly a small slice of the washington class B airspace. It was my recollection (erroneously) that the ADIZ did not extend above the class B airspace, however, I began a careful rechk of the current washington sectional trying to verify the extent of the class B, prohibited area(south) and ADIZ. The class B and prohibited areas are clearly charted, however, the ADIZ is not. Yes, there is a box noting special flight rules referring to a 'description in chart border.' however, this requires reversing the chart and searching for fine print. Eventually, the border note describes the 'special flight rules' giving coordinates, which are difficult to interpretation quickly while flying. By the time I concluded that useful information regarding the 'special flight rules' could not be readily obtained from the current washington sectional, our track had begun to overfly the class B airspace. Since I had an uneasy feeling and was still uncertain about the extent of the ADIZ, I altered course to the right by approximately 35 degrees to exit the airspace over the class B as soon as possible. The remainder of the flight was uneventful. After landing, I was still concerned about the extent of the 'special flight rules' and did further research of the charts. It was only at this point that I became fully aware that the ADIZ extended to FL180, which, of course, meant that I had indeed penetrated this airspace by about 2 mi. I am embarrassed to admit that I made a serious mistake by failing to fully understand the extent of restr airspace 'in advance' of flight. Although there is no good excuse, I offer the following comments as contributory factors: 1) here is an example of where too much experience and familiarity with a route can be a disadvantage. I was probably overly confident about the intended flight and the excellent WX which made me somewhat less diligent about the routing aspects of preflight planning. 2) pilots who usually fly IFR can become overly dependent on ATC to avoid restr airspace. 3) older pilots need to remind themselves frequently that flying VFR in 2003 is quite different than it was 10, 25, or 40 yrs ago. Old knowledge can be a problem: rivers, mountains and the laws of physics don't change, but arbitrary airspace restrs certainly do. 4) failure to clearly show the washington ADIZ on the current sectional chart makes it much more difficult to recover quickly from preflight planning omissions. Had the ADIZ perimeter been illustrated with accompanying altitudes, I would certainly have avoided this infraction.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C210 PLT DISCOVERS HE PENETRATED WASHINGTON ADIZ, AT 10500 FT, AFTER HE LANDED. THE PLT WAS NOT INTERCEPTED OR MET BY AUTHS.

Narrative: I RPT, WITH REGRET, AN INADVERTENT APPARENT INCURSION INTO THE NW PERIPHERY OF THE WASHINGTON ADIZ. THIS FLT WAS PLANNED FROM NEW ENGLAND TO THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION WITH MY WIFE. A TELEPHONE BRIEFING WAS OBTAINED 30 MINS BEFORE DEP WHICH RPTED A WIDESPREAD AREA OF EXCELLENT WX COVERING THE NE AND MID-ATLANTIC. AS USUAL, I SPECIFICALLY INQUIRED ABOUT TFR'S INCLUDING THE EXTENT OF P40. THE BRIEFER REPLIED THAT NOTAMS SHOWED NO TFR'S, P40 WAS '10 MI,' AND 'DID I KNOW ABOUT THE WASHINGTON ADIZ?' I CONFIRMED THAT I WAS AWARE OF THE ADIZ, AND INTENDED TO REMAIN WELL CLR OF RESTR AIRSPACE. IN RETROSPECT, HOWEVER, I DIDN'T KNOW QUITE ENOUGH ABOUT THE VERT EXTENT OF THAT ADIZ. MOST OF MY FLYING (ESPECIALLY SINCE 911) HAS BEEN IFR. HOWEVER, ON THIS OCCASION, SINCE THE WX WAS EXCELLENT, I ELECTED TO FLY VFR BECAUSE WE WANTED TO TAKE AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF CERTAIN SITES, AND I WANTED TIME TO GAIN FAMILIARITY WITH RECENTLY INSTALLED AVIONICS. AN ADDITIONAL FACTOR FAVORING VFR WAS THE VERY LIMITED (AND CIRCUITOUS) RTES PERMITTED THROUGH THE NEW YORK AND DULLES AREAS. THERE ARE ONLY 2 CHOICES: V16 DOWN THE EASTERN SHORE, OR ROUTINGS QUITE FAR TO THE N OF BOTH METRO AREAS. I HAVE FLOWN THESE RTES MANY TIMES AND AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH NAV, BOTH VISUALLY AND USING NAVAIDS. THE CRUISE PORTION OF THE FLT WAS PLANNED AT 10500 FT TO SAFELY CLR CLASS B AIRSPACE IN NEW YORK, PHILADELPHIA AND WASHINGTON. I MONITORED VARIOUS APCH, CTR AND GUARD FREQS AS THE FLT PROGRESSED, BUT DID NOT REQUEST VFR ADVISORIES (WHICH TYPICALLY INVOLVES AT LEAST 20-SOME FREQ CHANGES, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND CHK-INS). THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL 50 MI N OF WASHINGTON, AT WHICH POINT I RECHKED NAV TO ASSURE PASSING WELL CLR OF P40. AS THE FLT PROGRESSED TO THE WSW, I BECAME AWARE THAT WE MIGHT OVERFLY A SMALL SLICE OF THE WASHINGTON CLASS B AIRSPACE. IT WAS MY RECOLLECTION (ERRONEOUSLY) THAT THE ADIZ DID NOT EXTEND ABOVE THE CLASS B AIRSPACE, HOWEVER, I BEGAN A CAREFUL RECHK OF THE CURRENT WASHINGTON SECTIONAL TRYING TO VERIFY THE EXTENT OF THE CLASS B, PROHIBITED AREA(S) AND ADIZ. THE CLASS B AND PROHIBITED AREAS ARE CLRLY CHARTED, HOWEVER, THE ADIZ IS NOT. YES, THERE IS A BOX NOTING SPECIAL FLT RULES REFERRING TO A 'DESCRIPTION IN CHART BORDER.' HOWEVER, THIS REQUIRES REVERSING THE CHART AND SEARCHING FOR FINE PRINT. EVENTUALLY, THE BORDER NOTE DESCRIBES THE 'SPECIAL FLT RULES' GIVING COORDINATES, WHICH ARE DIFFICULT TO INTERP QUICKLY WHILE FLYING. BY THE TIME I CONCLUDED THAT USEFUL INFO REGARDING THE 'SPECIAL FLT RULES' COULD NOT BE READILY OBTAINED FROM THE CURRENT WASHINGTON SECTIONAL, OUR TRACK HAD BEGUN TO OVERFLY THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. SINCE I HAD AN UNEASY FEELING AND WAS STILL UNCERTAIN ABOUT THE EXTENT OF THE ADIZ, I ALTERED COURSE TO THE R BY APPROX 35 DEGS TO EXIT THE AIRSPACE OVER THE CLASS B ASAP. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. AFTER LNDG, I WAS STILL CONCERNED ABOUT THE EXTENT OF THE 'SPECIAL FLT RULES' AND DID FURTHER RESEARCH OF THE CHARTS. IT WAS ONLY AT THIS POINT THAT I BECAME FULLY AWARE THAT THE ADIZ EXTENDED TO FL180, WHICH, OF COURSE, MEANT THAT I HAD INDEED PENETRATED THIS AIRSPACE BY ABOUT 2 MI. I AM EMBARRASSED TO ADMIT THAT I MADE A SERIOUS MISTAKE BY FAILING TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE EXTENT OF RESTR AIRSPACE 'IN ADVANCE' OF FLT. ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO GOOD EXCUSE, I OFFER THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS AS CONTRIBUTORY FACTORS: 1) HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHERE TOO MUCH EXPERIENCE AND FAMILIARITY WITH A RTE CAN BE A DISADVANTAGE. I WAS PROBABLY OVERLY CONFIDENT ABOUT THE INTENDED FLT AND THE EXCELLENT WX WHICH MADE ME SOMEWHAT LESS DILIGENT ABOUT THE ROUTING ASPECTS OF PREFLT PLANNING. 2) PLTS WHO USUALLY FLY IFR CAN BECOME OVERLY DEPENDENT ON ATC TO AVOID RESTR AIRSPACE. 3) OLDER PLTS NEED TO REMIND THEMSELVES FREQUENTLY THAT FLYING VFR IN 2003 IS QUITE DIFFERENT THAN IT WAS 10, 25, OR 40 YRS AGO. OLD KNOWLEDGE CAN BE A PROB: RIVERS, MOUNTAINS AND THE LAWS OF PHYSICS DON'T CHANGE, BUT ARBITRARY AIRSPACE RESTRS CERTAINLY DO. 4) FAILURE TO CLRLY SHOW THE WASHINGTON ADIZ ON THE CURRENT SECTIONAL CHART MAKES IT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO RECOVER QUICKLY FROM PREFLT PLANNING OMISSIONS. HAD THE ADIZ PERIMETER BEEN ILLUSTRATED WITH ACCOMPANYING ALTS, I WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE AVOIDED THIS INFRACTION.

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.