Narrative:

Filed a VFR flight plan and requested a standard WX briefing from lal (lakeland) direct lbv (la belle) direct hwo (north perry), all in florida. Briefer indicated that due to WX I should fly east of the route to avoid line of thunderstorms moving northeast of the west coast of florida. I specifically asked about status of MOA and restr airspace to the east of the proposed route, and information about the controling authority/authorized. Briefer indicated he had no information, suggested contacting the nearest FSS in-flight. Departed 10 mins after briefing, opened the flight plan, then contacted tampa approach within 10 mi of the airport and requested flight following. Flying under the WX at or below 2500 ft, tampa approach was unable to see me. Distance and bearing from lal where provided from LORAN readings to no avail. Tampa terminated radar services and requested to continue VFR own navigation. Even while flying to the east of the intended route, the downpours forced a course east of the sebring regional airport (sef) when originally intended to the west. I could see the airport covered in heavy rain. Getting closer to the restr airspace, verified limits of restr airspace on the chart printed using commercial flight planning service. From the chart printout, the vertical limits indicate that flying just east of sef at 2500 ft would have been outside the vertical limits of R-2901. Continued flying as close as possible to sef while staying clear of the heavy rain over the airport, and completely shadowing the lake ahead the airport. While visibility to the east or west was limited by downpours on either side, I could see ahead the northwestern shore of lake okeechobee. Unable to identify the signal for la belle VOR, tuned to pahokee VOR but did not have a reliable reading either. Lakeland (VOR) was fading. Tried phk with LORAN and verified I was 50 mi nnw of phk. Based on the chart information on hand, still believed 2500 ft MSL was below the boundary of R-2901 to the sse of sef as depicted by the chart printout. Flying direct to phk at 2500 ft was the choice, and I would reach north shore of okeechobee. With deteriorating WX to the east decided to look for alternatives to the west for landing. I was now past the downpours to the right and could see the west shore end of lake okeechobee with opening WX to the southwest. Requested local conditions from airglades (21S) unicom, parachute jumping in progress signaling good ceiling, and decided to fly ssw to land and wait for better WX ahead. Unable to communicate with FSS in-flight, closed flight plan by phone after landing 21S. In preparation for filing a new leg, further scrutiny of the miami sectional made me realize that the boundaries to MOA and R-2901 as presented by the chart did not correspond to the published information on the miami sectional, or the special use airspace table of the back of the chart. Realized I had flown into restr airspace without authority/authorized. The worst moment of my aviation experience ever. In summary of the situation: the briefer strongly advised to fly to the east. WX moving to the east faster than predicted. Unable to obtain flight following after departing. Being preoccupied with the deteriorating WX, and looking for options ahead. Relying on vertical limits as depicted on the printout chart on hand. Not verifying boundaries and hours printed on the back to the sectional for all the R-2901's. Not contacting controling agency while flying in the vicinity of special use (restr) airspace. Decided to fly an approximately heading to phk from sef without closer look at restrs. These items regrettably resulted in a flight path that I now believe was too close to the boundaries of R-2901-a, and most certainly within areas R-2901 G, H, and I. In retrospect, I could have minimized or eliminated these factors by: continue postponing at lal until it was possible to fly to the west of the thunderstorm line, avoiding the situation of having bad WX closing on one side, pushing the route into restr airspace on the other side. Getting additional information about, and contacting the controling agency of R-2901 airspace, when in the vicinity of restr airspace, regardless of the believed vertical limits. Relying on FAA published information, instead of the friendlier but inaccurate representation generated by the commercial flight planner printout. Avoiding 'direct to' headings without accurate account of current position, destination, and all necessary information about restrs that lay in between. Recommendations for other parties: when depicting large areas, the commercial flight planner chart should not misrepresent hours/boundaries. Additionally, it would be helpful if sectional chart listed the controling agency frequencys for special use airspace, as well as if the briefer can provide this simple information about special use airspace, in particular restr areas and MOA's, if and when requested during a standard briefing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA28 PLT ENTERS RESTR AIRSPACE IN FLORIDA AFTER ALTERING HIS PLANNED RTE USING WX INFO PROVIDED AT HIS FSS BRIEFING AND COMMERCIAL FLT PLANNING SVC REGARDING RESTR AREAS. AFTER FLT, ANALYSIS LEADS HIM TO BELIEVE THERE MAY BE INADEQUACIES IN THE INFO HE RECEIVED.

Narrative: FILED A VFR FLT PLAN AND REQUESTED A STANDARD WX BRIEFING FROM LAL (LAKELAND) DIRECT LBV (LA BELLE) DIRECT HWO (NORTH PERRY), ALL IN FLORIDA. BRIEFER INDICATED THAT DUE TO WX I SHOULD FLY E OF THE RTE TO AVOID LINE OF TSTMS MOVING NE OF THE WEST COAST OF FLORIDA. I SPECIFICALLY ASKED ABOUT STATUS OF MOA AND RESTR AIRSPACE TO THE E OF THE PROPOSED RTE, AND INFO ABOUT THE CTLING AUTH. BRIEFER INDICATED HE HAD NO INFO, SUGGESTED CONTACTING THE NEAREST FSS INFLT. DEPARTED 10 MINS AFTER BRIEFING, OPENED THE FLT PLAN, THEN CONTACTED TAMPA APCH WITHIN 10 MI OF THE ARPT AND REQUESTED FLT FOLLOWING. FLYING UNDER THE WX AT OR BELOW 2500 FT, TAMPA APCH WAS UNABLE TO SEE ME. DISTANCE AND BEARING FROM LAL WHERE PROVIDED FROM LORAN READINGS TO NO AVAIL. TAMPA TERMINATED RADAR SVCS AND REQUESTED TO CONTINUE VFR OWN NAV. EVEN WHILE FLYING TO THE E OF THE INTENDED RTE, THE DOWNPOURS FORCED A COURSE E OF THE SEBRING REGIONAL ARPT (SEF) WHEN ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO THE W. I COULD SEE THE ARPT COVERED IN HVY RAIN. GETTING CLOSER TO THE RESTR AIRSPACE, VERIFIED LIMITS OF RESTR AIRSPACE ON THE CHART PRINTED USING COMMERCIAL FLT PLANNING SVC. FROM THE CHART PRINTOUT, THE VERT LIMITS INDICATE THAT FLYING JUST E OF SEF AT 2500 FT WOULD HAVE BEEN OUTSIDE THE VERT LIMITS OF R-2901. CONTINUED FLYING AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO SEF WHILE STAYING CLR OF THE HVY RAIN OVER THE ARPT, AND COMPLETELY SHADOWING THE LAKE AHEAD THE ARPT. WHILE VISIBILITY TO THE E OR W WAS LIMITED BY DOWNPOURS ON EITHER SIDE, I COULD SEE AHEAD THE NORTHWESTERN SHORE OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE. UNABLE TO IDENT THE SIGNAL FOR LA BELLE VOR, TUNED TO PAHOKEE VOR BUT DID NOT HAVE A RELIABLE READING EITHER. LAKELAND (VOR) WAS FADING. TRIED PHK WITH LORAN AND VERIFIED I WAS 50 MI NNW OF PHK. BASED ON THE CHART INFO ON HAND, STILL BELIEVED 2500 FT MSL WAS BELOW THE BOUNDARY OF R-2901 TO THE SSE OF SEF AS DEPICTED BY THE CHART PRINTOUT. FLYING DIRECT TO PHK AT 2500 FT WAS THE CHOICE, AND I WOULD REACH N SHORE OF OKEECHOBEE. WITH DETERIORATING WX TO THE E DECIDED TO LOOK FOR ALTERNATIVES TO THE W FOR LNDG. I WAS NOW PAST THE DOWNPOURS TO THE R AND COULD SEE THE W SHORE END OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE WITH OPENING WX TO THE SW. REQUESTED LCL CONDITIONS FROM AIRGLADES (21S) UNICOM, PARACHUTE JUMPING IN PROGRESS SIGNALING GOOD CEILING, AND DECIDED TO FLY SSW TO LAND AND WAIT FOR BETTER WX AHEAD. UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH FSS INFLT, CLOSED FLT PLAN BY PHONE AFTER LNDG 21S. IN PREPARATION FOR FILING A NEW LEG, FURTHER SCRUTINY OF THE MIAMI SECTIONAL MADE ME REALIZE THAT THE BOUNDARIES TO MOA AND R-2901 AS PRESENTED BY THE CHART DID NOT CORRESPOND TO THE PUBLISHED INFO ON THE MIAMI SECTIONAL, OR THE SPECIAL USE AIRSPACE TABLE OF THE BACK OF THE CHART. REALIZED I HAD FLOWN INTO RESTR AIRSPACE WITHOUT AUTH. THE WORST MOMENT OF MY AVIATION EXPERIENCE EVER. IN SUMMARY OF THE SIT: THE BRIEFER STRONGLY ADVISED TO FLY TO THE E. WX MOVING TO THE E FASTER THAN PREDICTED. UNABLE TO OBTAIN FLT FOLLOWING AFTER DEPARTING. BEING PREOCCUPIED WITH THE DETERIORATING WX, AND LOOKING FOR OPTIONS AHEAD. RELYING ON VERT LIMITS AS DEPICTED ON THE PRINTOUT CHART ON HAND. NOT VERIFYING BOUNDARIES AND HRS PRINTED ON THE BACK TO THE SECTIONAL FOR ALL THE R-2901'S. NOT CONTACTING CTLING AGENCY WHILE FLYING IN THE VICINITY OF SPECIAL USE (RESTR) AIRSPACE. DECIDED TO FLY AN APPROX HDG TO PHK FROM SEF WITHOUT CLOSER LOOK AT RESTRS. THESE ITEMS REGRETTABLY RESULTED IN A FLT PATH THAT I NOW BELIEVE WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE BOUNDARIES OF R-2901-A, AND MOST CERTAINLY WITHIN AREAS R-2901 G, H, AND I. IN RETROSPECT, I COULD HAVE MINIMIZED OR ELIMINATED THESE FACTORS BY: CONTINUE POSTPONING AT LAL UNTIL IT WAS POSSIBLE TO FLY TO THE W OF THE TSTM LINE, AVOIDING THE SIT OF HAVING BAD WX CLOSING ON ONE SIDE, PUSHING THE RTE INTO RESTR AIRSPACE ON THE OTHER SIDE. GETTING ADDITIONAL INFO ABOUT, AND CONTACTING THE CTLING AGENCY OF R-2901 AIRSPACE, WHEN IN THE VICINITY OF RESTR AIRSPACE, REGARDLESS OF THE BELIEVED VERT LIMITS. RELYING ON FAA PUBLISHED INFO, INSTEAD OF THE FRIENDLIER BUT INACCURATE REPRESENTATION GENERATED BY THE COMMERCIAL FLT PLANNER PRINTOUT. AVOIDING 'DIRECT TO' HDGS WITHOUT ACCURATE ACCOUNT OF CURRENT POS, DEST, AND ALL NECESSARY INFO ABOUT RESTRS THAT LAY IN BTWN. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OTHER PARTIES: WHEN DEPICTING LARGE AREAS, THE COMMERCIAL FLT PLANNER CHART SHOULD NOT MISREPRESENT HRS/BOUNDARIES. ADDITIONALLY, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF SECTIONAL CHART LISTED THE CTLING AGENCY FREQS FOR SPECIAL USE AIRSPACE, AS WELL AS IF THE BRIEFER CAN PROVIDE THIS SIMPLE INFO ABOUT SPECIAL USE AIRSPACE, IN PARTICULAR RESTR AREAS AND MOA'S, IF AND WHEN REQUESTED DURING A STANDARD BRIEFING.

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.