Narrative:

This submittal is in reference to an alleged washington ADIZ deviation originating a cross country flight from ged and ending at nyg. Pilot filed VFR and ADIZ flight plans with millville FSS. Worked with dispatcher to estimate entry time and location to ADIZ. Estimated entry point was southeast of esn at approximately XA30. Instructed by millville to contact potomac approach on 124.55. Pilot departed ged. Pilot contacted potomac on 126.75, who issued a discrete transponder code. Pilot entered transponder code, but potomac could not identify, so warned pilot that they could not clear pilot into ADIZ. Pilot turned away from ADIZ until further instruction was received. Potomac instructed pilot to contact patuxent approach. Patuxent acknowledged handoff from potomac and that a discrete code had already been attained. Instructed pilot to resume course while trying to identify transponder code and gave pilot heading of 245 degrees, which places pilot now over trappe, md. Patuxent declared they were unable to radar contact nor a handoff back to potomac, so instructed pilot to maintain a course heading of 245 degrees and proceed into ADIZ. Pilot reconfirmed whether entry to ADIZ was granted. Patuxent acknowledged entry to ADIZ permitted and to continue on a 245 degree heading. Patuxent instructed pilot to contact potomac when pilot was approximately over patuxent river just south of golden beach. At this point, pilot is actually approaching the ADIZ for entry. Handoff from patuxent was initiated. Potomac had difficulty finding transponder code on radar so they issued a new discrete transponder code. Pilot entered and idented new code and received confirmation from potomac that radar was tracking new code. Pilot continued to nyg. This series of events led to much confusion. However, I had complied with the components of the ADIZ NOTAM and had an ADIZ plan filed, was squawking discrete transponder codes, and was in communication at all times with approach control, all while flying an airplane. After landing, I called potomac approach to verify my return. There was no indication that there was any problem with the flight and there was no call to nyg dispatch regarding any issues. Apparently, potomac TRACON contacted a pilot later that week, while in-flight with the same aircraft, and began implicating that pilot for the jan/sat flight and alleged ADIZ infraction. The pilot assured potomac that these were isolated flts. I called and idented myself as the pilot in question. I was questioned for the initiation of a pilot deviation preliminary investigation. I was told that I had entered the ADIZ and was within 1 mi of the ADIZ to the east of easton, md (esn) without squawking a discrete code. Esn is not in the ADIZ, though this representative said that it is indeed. The manner in which potomac approach handled the sequence of events during the jan/sat flight, and the actions taken following the flight, was completely misaligned with published or promoted behavior, ultimately putting the pilots' safety and integrity in jeopardy. The manner in which an inquiry was made was completely unprofessional, particularly when all measures were made to maintain compliance within the ADIZ. Additionally, the potomac approach dispatchers during, as well as the investigators following, the flight in question were obviously not in sync with each other, provided misguiding information to the pilot, and in the last case had no concept of the ADIZ boundary.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF C172 ENCOUNTERS DIFFICULTIES WITH PCT CTLRS DURING ATTEMPT TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS FOR OPS WITHIN THE DC ADIZ.

Narrative: THIS SUBMITTAL IS IN REF TO AN ALLEGED WASHINGTON ADIZ DEV ORIGINATING A XCOUNTRY FLT FROM GED AND ENDING AT NYG. PLT FILED VFR AND ADIZ FLT PLANS WITH MILLVILLE FSS. WORKED WITH DISPATCHER TO ESTIMATE ENTRY TIME AND LOCATION TO ADIZ. ESTIMATED ENTRY POINT WAS SE OF ESN AT APPROX XA30. INSTRUCTED BY MILLVILLE TO CONTACT POTOMAC APCH ON 124.55. PLT DEPARTED GED. PLT CONTACTED POTOMAC ON 126.75, WHO ISSUED A DISCRETE XPONDER CODE. PLT ENTERED XPONDER CODE, BUT POTOMAC COULD NOT IDENT, SO WARNED PLT THAT THEY COULD NOT CLR PLT INTO ADIZ. PLT TURNED AWAY FROM ADIZ UNTIL FURTHER INSTRUCTION WAS RECEIVED. POTOMAC INSTRUCTED PLT TO CONTACT PATUXENT APCH. PATUXENT ACKNOWLEDGED HDOF FROM POTOMAC AND THAT A DISCRETE CODE HAD ALREADY BEEN ATTAINED. INSTRUCTED PLT TO RESUME COURSE WHILE TRYING TO IDENT XPONDER CODE AND GAVE PLT HDG OF 245 DEGS, WHICH PLACES PLT NOW OVER TRAPPE, MD. PATUXENT DECLARED THEY WERE UNABLE TO RADAR CONTACT NOR A HDOF BACK TO POTOMAC, SO INSTRUCTED PLT TO MAINTAIN A COURSE HDG OF 245 DEGS AND PROCEED INTO ADIZ. PLT RECONFIRMED WHETHER ENTRY TO ADIZ WAS GRANTED. PATUXENT ACKNOWLEDGED ENTRY TO ADIZ PERMITTED AND TO CONTINUE ON A 245 DEG HDG. PATUXENT INSTRUCTED PLT TO CONTACT POTOMAC WHEN PLT WAS APPROX OVER PATUXENT RIVER JUST S OF GOLDEN BEACH. AT THIS POINT, PLT IS ACTUALLY APCHING THE ADIZ FOR ENTRY. HDOF FROM PATUXENT WAS INITIATED. POTOMAC HAD DIFFICULTY FINDING XPONDER CODE ON RADAR SO THEY ISSUED A NEW DISCRETE XPONDER CODE. PLT ENTERED AND IDENTED NEW CODE AND RECEIVED CONFIRMATION FROM POTOMAC THAT RADAR WAS TRACKING NEW CODE. PLT CONTINUED TO NYG. THIS SERIES OF EVENTS LED TO MUCH CONFUSION. HOWEVER, I HAD COMPLIED WITH THE COMPONENTS OF THE ADIZ NOTAM AND HAD AN ADIZ PLAN FILED, WAS SQUAWKING DISCRETE XPONDER CODES, AND WAS IN COM AT ALL TIMES WITH APCH CTL, ALL WHILE FLYING AN AIRPLANE. AFTER LNDG, I CALLED POTOMAC APCH TO VERIFY MY RETURN. THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THERE WAS ANY PROB WITH THE FLT AND THERE WAS NO CALL TO NYG DISPATCH REGARDING ANY ISSUES. APPARENTLY, POTOMAC TRACON CONTACTED A PLT LATER THAT WK, WHILE INFLT WITH THE SAME ACFT, AND BEGAN IMPLICATING THAT PLT FOR THE JAN/SAT FLT AND ALLEGED ADIZ INFRACTION. THE PLT ASSURED POTOMAC THAT THESE WERE ISOLATED FLTS. I CALLED AND IDENTED MYSELF AS THE PLT IN QUESTION. I WAS QUESTIONED FOR THE INITIATION OF A PLTDEV PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION. I WAS TOLD THAT I HAD ENTERED THE ADIZ AND WAS WITHIN 1 MI OF THE ADIZ TO THE E OF EASTON, MD (ESN) WITHOUT SQUAWKING A DISCRETE CODE. ESN IS NOT IN THE ADIZ, THOUGH THIS REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT IT IS INDEED. THE MANNER IN WHICH POTOMAC APCH HANDLED THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS DURING THE JAN/SAT FLT, AND THE ACTIONS TAKEN FOLLOWING THE FLT, WAS COMPLETELY MISALIGNED WITH PUBLISHED OR PROMOTED BEHAVIOR, ULTIMATELY PUTTING THE PLTS' SAFETY AND INTEGRITY IN JEOPARDY. THE MANNER IN WHICH AN INQUIRY WAS MADE WAS COMPLETELY UNPROFESSIONAL, PARTICULARLY WHEN ALL MEASURES WERE MADE TO MAINTAIN COMPLIANCE WITHIN THE ADIZ. ADDITIONALLY, THE POTOMAC APCH DISPATCHERS DURING, AS WELL AS THE INVESTIGATORS FOLLOWING, THE FLT IN QUESTION WERE OBVIOUSLY NOT IN SYNC WITH EACH OTHER, PROVIDED MISGUIDING INFO TO THE PLT, AND IN THE LAST CASE HAD NO CONCEPT OF THE ADIZ BOUNDARY.

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.