Narrative:

On apr/sun/06; I was in cancun; mexico; filing as I have many times before getting ready to return to mobile; al. I called anniston FSS in alabama; to file my DVFR or ICAO for re-entry to the united states. I was told that I needed to call miami to file because miami was better at it than anniston was. I tried to explain that I was to file with anniston. I called miami which anniston gave me; and after telling miami what I need; miami told me that I need to call anniston because I was going in to their area. I called anniston back and told them what miami said. She said she would file it then. When asked for an alternate airport; I told her that mobile was about the closest place when crossing the gulf except for jka in gulf shores and she took jka as my alternate. As the WX was perfect the only thing that would make me divert would be a mechanical problem and that would be to the closest airport which would be jka. Now I am in the plane heading back and the phone number I gave is the number at my father's house that I use when I am in the states and where our office is. He received a phone call from houston saying I did not file an alternate airport and that anniston needed to file it that he or no one else could do it but anniston; and I need to call anniston and file an alternate. He called anniston and told them that I was in the air on the way back; anniston gave him a squawk frequency to give to me. (I am in the air at this time) and they were told so; this would have happened about 1 hour after filing with anniston. He also told them that they had screwed up and that they were going to cause the military to scramble the jets on me. This would have been the first time I would have ever been given a squawk from anniston. I was always told I had to pick it up from houston or mobile as soon as I could get them on the radio. I left mexican waters talking to merida center and they cleared me out and told me to squawk 1200 as I have done on every trip back across the gulf for the past 5 yrs. As soon as I can get in radio contact I have gotten a hold of houston and tell them I am en route from cancun on a VFR flight and have filed a DVFR with anniston and need to pick up a squawk for re-entry. They have on a couple of times told me to contact mobile when I could reach them to pick up my squawk. On this trip I got in touch with houston. She was very busy; said she was going to find out who I needed to talk to and gave me a squawk. She told me area W-155 was hot. I told her that I was west of that area and she agreed that I was just outside to the west. After a while she told me that mobile was very busy and to squawk 1200 and could not hand me off; when I could; to contact mobile. I did just that. Mobile gave me a squawk and it was some time before he could pick up my transponder because of my distance out; but prior to that he told me area W-155 was hot with live fire. I told him I was to the west and turned even more to the west and on the western heading mobile said they were picking up my transponder and gave me vectors straight in to bfm downtown mobile. Mobile gave me a phone number to call when I got on the ground to a sergeant in eglin AFB in florida. He said that they had followed me all the way across the gulf squawking 1200 and did not know where I was from and that I was to squawk the last squawk that was given to me. I told him I did; 1200. He said no; the last squawk that was issued from merida center so they could back track and find out who I was. Eglin said that there was no record on me in the system. This is the second time anniston has failed to enter or activate my DVFR or ICAO. The sergeant said that I was from now on to squawk the last frequency given from mexico; all the way across the gulf from cancun; mexico; and not to go back to 1200. Eglin had scrambled the jets on me but I never saw them.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA23 AZTEC PLT HAS DIFFICULTY FILING AN ICAO FLT PLAN FROM MMUN TO BFM THROUGH THE FSS.

Narrative: ON APR/SUN/06; I WAS IN CANCUN; MEXICO; FILING AS I HAVE MANY TIMES BEFORE GETTING READY TO RETURN TO MOBILE; AL. I CALLED ANNISTON FSS IN ALABAMA; TO FILE MY DVFR OR ICAO FOR RE-ENTRY TO THE UNITED STATES. I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED TO CALL MIAMI TO FILE BECAUSE MIAMI WAS BETTER AT IT THAN ANNISTON WAS. I TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT I WAS TO FILE WITH ANNISTON. I CALLED MIAMI WHICH ANNISTON GAVE ME; AND AFTER TELLING MIAMI WHAT I NEED; MIAMI TOLD ME THAT I NEED TO CALL ANNISTON BECAUSE I WAS GOING IN TO THEIR AREA. I CALLED ANNISTON BACK AND TOLD THEM WHAT MIAMI SAID. SHE SAID SHE WOULD FILE IT THEN. WHEN ASKED FOR AN ALTERNATE ARPT; I TOLD HER THAT MOBILE WAS ABOUT THE CLOSEST PLACE WHEN XING THE GULF EXCEPT FOR JKA IN GULF SHORES AND SHE TOOK JKA AS MY ALTERNATE. AS THE WX WAS PERFECT THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD MAKE ME DIVERT WOULD BE A MECHANICAL PROB AND THAT WOULD BE TO THE CLOSEST ARPT WHICH WOULD BE JKA. NOW I AM IN THE PLANE HEADING BACK AND THE PHONE NUMBER I GAVE IS THE NUMBER AT MY FATHER'S HOUSE THAT I USE WHEN I AM IN THE STATES AND WHERE OUR OFFICE IS. HE RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM HOUSTON SAYING I DID NOT FILE AN ALTERNATE ARPT AND THAT ANNISTON NEEDED TO FILE IT THAT HE OR NO ONE ELSE COULD DO IT BUT ANNISTON; AND I NEED TO CALL ANNISTON AND FILE AN ALTERNATE. HE CALLED ANNISTON AND TOLD THEM THAT I WAS IN THE AIR ON THE WAY BACK; ANNISTON GAVE HIM A SQUAWK FREQ TO GIVE TO ME. (I AM IN THE AIR AT THIS TIME) AND THEY WERE TOLD SO; THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED ABOUT 1 HR AFTER FILING WITH ANNISTON. HE ALSO TOLD THEM THAT THEY HAD SCREWED UP AND THAT THEY WERE GOING TO CAUSE THE MIL TO SCRAMBLE THE JETS ON ME. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST TIME I WOULD HAVE EVER BEEN GIVEN A SQUAWK FROM ANNISTON. I WAS ALWAYS TOLD I HAD TO PICK IT UP FROM HOUSTON OR MOBILE AS SOON AS I COULD GET THEM ON THE RADIO. I LEFT MEXICAN WATERS TALKING TO MERIDA CTR AND THEY CLRED ME OUT AND TOLD ME TO SQUAWK 1200 AS I HAVE DONE ON EVERY TRIP BACK ACROSS THE GULF FOR THE PAST 5 YRS. AS SOON AS I CAN GET IN RADIO CONTACT I HAVE GOTTEN A HOLD OF HOUSTON AND TELL THEM I AM ENRTE FROM CANCUN ON A VFR FLT AND HAVE FILED A DVFR WITH ANNISTON AND NEED TO PICK UP A SQUAWK FOR RE-ENTRY. THEY HAVE ON A COUPLE OF TIMES TOLD ME TO CONTACT MOBILE WHEN I COULD REACH THEM TO PICK UP MY SQUAWK. ON THIS TRIP I GOT IN TOUCH WITH HOUSTON. SHE WAS VERY BUSY; SAID SHE WAS GOING TO FIND OUT WHO I NEEDED TO TALK TO AND GAVE ME A SQUAWK. SHE TOLD ME AREA W-155 WAS HOT. I TOLD HER THAT I WAS W OF THAT AREA AND SHE AGREED THAT I WAS JUST OUTSIDE TO THE W. AFTER A WHILE SHE TOLD ME THAT MOBILE WAS VERY BUSY AND TO SQUAWK 1200 AND COULD NOT HAND ME OFF; WHEN I COULD; TO CONTACT MOBILE. I DID JUST THAT. MOBILE GAVE ME A SQUAWK AND IT WAS SOME TIME BEFORE HE COULD PICK UP MY XPONDER BECAUSE OF MY DISTANCE OUT; BUT PRIOR TO THAT HE TOLD ME AREA W-155 WAS HOT WITH LIVE FIRE. I TOLD HIM I WAS TO THE W AND TURNED EVEN MORE TO THE W AND ON THE WESTERN HDG MOBILE SAID THEY WERE PICKING UP MY XPONDER AND GAVE ME VECTORS STRAIGHT IN TO BFM DOWNTOWN MOBILE. MOBILE GAVE ME A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL WHEN I GOT ON THE GND TO A SERGEANT IN EGLIN AFB IN FLORIDA. HE SAID THAT THEY HAD FOLLOWED ME ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE GULF SQUAWKING 1200 AND DID NOT KNOW WHERE I WAS FROM AND THAT I WAS TO SQUAWK THE LAST SQUAWK THAT WAS GIVEN TO ME. I TOLD HIM I DID; 1200. HE SAID NO; THE LAST SQUAWK THAT WAS ISSUED FROM MERIDA CTR SO THEY COULD BACK TRACK AND FIND OUT WHO I WAS. EGLIN SAID THAT THERE WAS NO RECORD ON ME IN THE SYS. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME ANNISTON HAS FAILED TO ENTER OR ACTIVATE MY DVFR OR ICAO. THE SERGEANT SAID THAT I WAS FROM NOW ON TO SQUAWK THE LAST FREQ GIVEN FROM MEXICO; ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE GULF FROM CANCUN; MEXICO; AND NOT TO GO BACK TO 1200. EGLIN HAD SCRAMBLED THE JETS ON ME BUT I NEVER SAW THEM.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.