Narrative:

An IFR flight plan was filed to fly from 40N to 6a4. On the taxiway at 40N, attempts were made to pick up the clearance for the flight from phl approach to no avail. With a 2500 ft scattered to broken ceiling at 40N, a takeoff was made under VFR squawking 1200. Once the aircraft was on top of the clouds in the area, approach control at phl was called numerous times -- again to no avail. The pilot then made the decision to fly VFR to 6a4 and the aircraft was flown to a VFR altitude of 6500 ft. WX conditions along the entire route were forecast clear above 6000 ft. An attempt was made in the cockpit to review the route by piecing together low en route charts 22 and 24. The direct route was estimated at 240 degrees passing just to the north of leesburg, va. The aircraft was flown to an altitude of 10500 ft approximately 65 mi northeast of leesburg, and remained there until it was within 50 mi of 6a4. Over the route of flight, the only radio communications were tune-in's to random AWOS's for local altimeter settings. Once on the ground at 6a4, the pilot was told by the FBO the people at potomac TRACON had called while the aircraft was on approach and requested that they be called immediately. Potomac TRACON told the pilot that he had flown through a portion of the ADIZ with no flight plan, and without any radio communication. The pilot replied that it was his understanding he was clipping only a small part of the class B airspace and that an altitude of 10000 ft was sufficient to get the aircraft on top of it. Potomac then told the pilot that the washington, dc, airspace was an ADIZ and not class B airspace and furthermore, the top of the ADIZ was FL180. At the conclusion of the conversation, the pilot was told he would receive a complaint from the FAA within 6-10 weeks. The pilot of the aircraft has 3000 hours, 2500 hours of which is comprised of cross country time flown primarily on IFR flight plans. As a percentage of his past flts, very few have been flown in northeast corridor. However, he flew a flight from the southeast area of the united states into jyo 7 days before the incident. While 15 mi out to the southwest of jyo, the pilot called the airport in sight. He was vectored to the north to provide spacing for another aircraft on a base leg, and within seconds of making his turn was cleared for the visual. Upon this clearance, the pilot requested that his flight plan be canceled. He was then told that his cancellation had been received and to squawk 1200. The pilot surmises the following circumstances contributed to TRACON's complaint: 1) failure to familiarize himself with the washington, dc, ADIZ. 2) his assumption that area around leesburg was class B airspace. 3) failure to obtain an IFR clearance before entering washington's airspace. 4) failure to maintain 2-WAY communication while in washington's airspace. 5) failure to pick up his IFR clearance from phl approach. 6) improper line-up of charts in cockpit while in the air to determine heading for flight path. 7) while obtaining WX brief before flight, not asking the briefer for specifics concerning ADIZ. In summary, the pilot will take the following corrective actions with regard to future flts: 1) never fly an aircraft in the vicinity of an ADIZ or class B airspace without an IFR clearance. 2) spend more preflight time with charts. 3) from FSS, be briefed on relevant controled and/or sua's along intended rtes of flight, as well as WX conditions. 4) never take off without an IFR clearance, counting on picking up the clearance in the air shortly after takeoff, when controled airspace of sua will be in the vicinity of a proposed route.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: APPARENTLY UNAWARE OF THE EXTENT AND NATURE OF THE DC ADIZ, BE60 PLT FLIES RIGHT THROUGH IT.

Narrative: AN IFR FLT PLAN WAS FILED TO FLY FROM 40N TO 6A4. ON THE TXWY AT 40N, ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO PICK UP THE CLRNC FOR THE FLT FROM PHL APCH TO NO AVAIL. WITH A 2500 FT SCATTERED TO BROKEN CEILING AT 40N, A TKOF WAS MADE UNDER VFR SQUAWKING 1200. ONCE THE ACFT WAS ON TOP OF THE CLOUDS IN THE AREA, APCH CTL AT PHL WAS CALLED NUMEROUS TIMES -- AGAIN TO NO AVAIL. THE PLT THEN MADE THE DECISION TO FLY VFR TO 6A4 AND THE ACFT WAS FLOWN TO A VFR ALT OF 6500 FT. WX CONDITIONS ALONG THE ENTIRE RTE WERE FORECAST CLR ABOVE 6000 FT. AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE IN THE COCKPIT TO REVIEW THE RTE BY PIECING TOGETHER LOW ENRTE CHARTS 22 AND 24. THE DIRECT RTE WAS ESTIMATED AT 240 DEGS PASSING JUST TO THE N OF LEESBURG, VA. THE ACFT WAS FLOWN TO AN ALT OF 10500 FT APPROX 65 MI NE OF LEESBURG, AND REMAINED THERE UNTIL IT WAS WITHIN 50 MI OF 6A4. OVER THE RTE OF FLT, THE ONLY RADIO COMS WERE TUNE-IN'S TO RANDOM AWOS'S FOR LCL ALTIMETER SETTINGS. ONCE ON THE GND AT 6A4, THE PLT WAS TOLD BY THE FBO THE PEOPLE AT POTOMAC TRACON HAD CALLED WHILE THE ACFT WAS ON APCH AND REQUESTED THAT THEY BE CALLED IMMEDIATELY. POTOMAC TRACON TOLD THE PLT THAT HE HAD FLOWN THROUGH A PORTION OF THE ADIZ WITH NO FLT PLAN, AND WITHOUT ANY RADIO COM. THE PLT REPLIED THAT IT WAS HIS UNDERSTANDING HE WAS CLIPPING ONLY A SMALL PART OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AND THAT AN ALT OF 10000 FT WAS SUFFICIENT TO GET THE ACFT ON TOP OF IT. POTOMAC THEN TOLD THE PLT THAT THE WASHINGTON, DC, AIRSPACE WAS AN ADIZ AND NOT CLASS B AIRSPACE AND FURTHERMORE, THE TOP OF THE ADIZ WAS FL180. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE CONVERSATION, THE PLT WAS TOLD HE WOULD RECEIVE A COMPLAINT FROM THE FAA WITHIN 6-10 WKS. THE PLT OF THE ACFT HAS 3000 HRS, 2500 HRS OF WHICH IS COMPRISED OF XCOUNTRY TIME FLOWN PRIMARILY ON IFR FLT PLANS. AS A PERCENTAGE OF HIS PAST FLTS, VERY FEW HAVE BEEN FLOWN IN NE CORRIDOR. HOWEVER, HE FLEW A FLT FROM THE SE AREA OF THE UNITED STATES INTO JYO 7 DAYS BEFORE THE INCIDENT. WHILE 15 MI OUT TO THE SW OF JYO, THE PLT CALLED THE ARPT IN SIGHT. HE WAS VECTORED TO THE N TO PROVIDE SPACING FOR ANOTHER ACFT ON A BASE LEG, AND WITHIN SECONDS OF MAKING HIS TURN WAS CLRED FOR THE VISUAL. UPON THIS CLRNC, THE PLT REQUESTED THAT HIS FLT PLAN BE CANCELED. HE WAS THEN TOLD THAT HIS CANCELLATION HAD BEEN RECEIVED AND TO SQUAWK 1200. THE PLT SURMISES THE FOLLOWING CIRCUMSTANCES CONTRIBUTED TO TRACON'S COMPLAINT: 1) FAILURE TO FAMILIARIZE HIMSELF WITH THE WASHINGTON, DC, ADIZ. 2) HIS ASSUMPTION THAT AREA AROUND LEESBURG WAS CLASS B AIRSPACE. 3) FAILURE TO OBTAIN AN IFR CLRNC BEFORE ENTERING WASHINGTON'S AIRSPACE. 4) FAILURE TO MAINTAIN 2-WAY COM WHILE IN WASHINGTON'S AIRSPACE. 5) FAILURE TO PICK UP HIS IFR CLRNC FROM PHL APCH. 6) IMPROPER LINE-UP OF CHARTS IN COCKPIT WHILE IN THE AIR TO DETERMINE HDG FOR FLT PATH. 7) WHILE OBTAINING WX BRIEF BEFORE FLT, NOT ASKING THE BRIEFER FOR SPECIFICS CONCERNING ADIZ. IN SUMMARY, THE PLT WILL TAKE THE FOLLOWING CORRECTIVE ACTIONS WITH REGARD TO FUTURE FLTS: 1) NEVER FLY AN ACFT IN THE VICINITY OF AN ADIZ OR CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT AN IFR CLRNC. 2) SPEND MORE PREFLT TIME WITH CHARTS. 3) FROM FSS, BE BRIEFED ON RELEVANT CTLED AND/OR SUA'S ALONG INTENDED RTES OF FLT, AS WELL AS WX CONDITIONS. 4) NEVER TAKE OFF WITHOUT AN IFR CLRNC, COUNTING ON PICKING UP THE CLRNC IN THE AIR SHORTLY AFTER TKOF, WHEN CTLED AIRSPACE OF SUA WILL BE IN THE VICINITY OF A PROPOSED RTE.

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.