Narrative:

I am PIC of a news gathering helicopter contracted to a television at abc. We; as other television stations at abc; fly friday night high school football flts to film high school games for the sports departments. I was asked to fly to abc high school located on the abc military reservation. I telephonically contacted the athletic director at abc high school and coordination arrival times. I then telephonically contacted the ZZZ1 aaf control tower. I requested of the on-duty controller to give me the procedures he wished for me to follow when flying from ZZZ approximately 24 SM southeast of abc military reservation to the site of the abc high school game that evening. He was unable to give me procedures and advised me to call abc base operations. I received the telephone number from the controller and then called base operations approximately 5 mins late. The person (name unknown) at base operations was informed of the flight by me to cover the football game. He informed me that the person who normally handles these flts was not available but he would take my information. I informed him I would be flying from bcd high school at ZZZ1 direct to abc. I specifically requested to know if the ranges would be active that evening over the restr area. He advised they are usually not active on friday evenings but would pass on to ZZZ1 tower controllers my request. He asked me of approximately time of arrival and I informed him between XA00-XA30. I further asked for any particular procedures I should follow and he told me to come direct from ZZZ to ZZZ1 and contact the control tower. I advised him I would recontact ZZZ tower and he informed me he has the information and would pass on to the tower and call them as I approached abc. At exactly XA25 by my watch; I called ZZZ tower on tower frequency. ZZZ tower controller replied to me and advised to go ahead with my traffic. I informed tower I was 12.2 mi southeast of abc proceeding direct to ZZZ1 for the abc high school football game and my call sign was helicopter N123 with a television station. The controller replied to proceed. I do not recall any further instructions from the controller. At a distance of approximately 5-7 mi from ZZZ1; I began to visually see what appeared to be flashing red lights moving from left to right across my windscreen/bubble of the helicopter. With the visibility beginning to reduce from mist and rain; it took another mi or so to realize what I was looking at was 'tracer' rounds approximately 2 1/2 mi in front of me and probably (guessing) 800 ft lower than me. After recognizing I was nearing the edge of an active live fir range; I immediately turned left to a heading of 220 degrees and headed toward the town of def to avoid over-flying the range. I then radioed ZZZ1 tower and advised them I had turned left toward e-town and thought there was live range firing ahead of me on the heading I was just on. The controller replied to me; 'you are over a live fire range that I advised you to remain clear of.' I still do not recall him advising him advising me to remain clear of any live fire range. Beside the point; I flew direct e-town; turned north and followed usxx and the controller (very professional and courteous) advised me to follow usxx to the numbers of runway 36 at ZZZ1 aaf then turn east to the football field. We did that without any further communication regarding the range situation. Made 3 orbits around the football field then advised tower we were ready to proceed to ZZZ3 field and would follow usxx north out of his airspace. Tower advised to remain clear of the efg and proceed as requested. Approximately 3 1/2 mi north of ZZZ aaf the controller advised; 'N123 contact approach.' I thanked them for their assistance and changed frequency to approach. Proceeded without incident over top of; then direct ZZZ. Once I landed; the tower at ZZZ called me on cell phone to advise that control was upset that I overflew a live range. I advised him I got close but in fact don't believe I actually overflew the range and I was talking with the tower the entire time and they were not concerned. I also informed him I had made all appropriate phone calls prior to flying to abc and asked the question; 'are the ranges hot?' was informed to come direct; contacted tower 12.2 mi out; etc. The ZZZ tower controller told me they failed to tell him I had made the advance phone calls requesting to know the procedures they wished for me the pilot of N123 to follow that I had not been into abc previously in a civilian news helicopter. He told me he thought everything would be ok and he would speak with the tower at ZZZ1 and the range officer and explain that I did contact base operations in advance. I informed the ZZZ1 controller to advise the range officer and the controllers at abc that I humbly apologized if I caused there to be issues over the restr area and the live fire areas and that in the future this would not happen again. The controller at ZZZ informed me that the controllers at ZZZ1 advised him it was no big deal and that the pilot of N123 was very professional; courteous and did advise them he had turned west toward elizabethtown to avoid any further incursion of the restr area. As the PIC; I think this was a breakdown in communications between military ATC controllers; civilian employees at the base operations on a military installation and myself a civilian pilot flying into a restr military area. In hindsight; I should have avoided any direct flight path from ZZZ to ZZZ1. I should have instead flown direct to def; then turned north over highway usxx to ZZZ1 then turn right to the football field. This would have kept me totally clear of any restr range area at all times.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A NEWS HELI PLT FLEW INTO A LIVE MIL FIRING RANGE BELIEVING THAT HE HAD DONE DUE DILIGENCE AND CONTACTED THE APPROPRIATE CTLRS FOR CLRNC.

Narrative: I AM PIC OF A NEWS GATHERING HELI CONTRACTED TO A TELEVISION AT ABC. WE; AS OTHER TELEVISION STATIONS AT ABC; FLY FRIDAY NIGHT HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FLTS TO FILM HIGH SCHOOL GAMES FOR THE SPORTS DEPTS. I WAS ASKED TO FLY TO ABC HIGH SCHOOL LOCATED ON THE ABC MIL RESERVATION. I TELEPHONICALLY CONTACTED THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT ABC HIGH SCHOOL AND COORD ARR TIMES. I THEN TELEPHONICALLY CONTACTED THE ZZZ1 AAF CTL TWR. I REQUESTED OF THE ON-DUTY CTLR TO GIVE ME THE PROCS HE WISHED FOR ME TO FOLLOW WHEN FLYING FROM ZZZ APPROX 24 SM SE OF ABC MIL RESERVATION TO THE SITE OF THE ABC HIGH SCHOOL GAME THAT EVENING. HE WAS UNABLE TO GIVE ME PROCS AND ADVISED ME TO CALL ABC BASE OPS. I RECEIVED THE TELEPHONE NUMBER FROM THE CTLR AND THEN CALLED BASE OPS APPROX 5 MINS LATE. THE PERSON (NAME UNKNOWN) AT BASE OPS WAS INFORMED OF THE FLT BY ME TO COVER THE FOOTBALL GAME. HE INFORMED ME THAT THE PERSON WHO NORMALLY HANDLES THESE FLTS WAS NOT AVAILABLE BUT HE WOULD TAKE MY INFO. I INFORMED HIM I WOULD BE FLYING FROM BCD HIGH SCHOOL AT ZZZ1 DIRECT TO ABC. I SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED TO KNOW IF THE RANGES WOULD BE ACTIVE THAT EVENING OVER THE RESTR AREA. HE ADVISED THEY ARE USUALLY NOT ACTIVE ON FRIDAY EVENINGS BUT WOULD PASS ON TO ZZZ1 TWR CTLRS MY REQUEST. HE ASKED ME OF APPROX TIME OF ARR AND I INFORMED HIM BTWN XA00-XA30. I FURTHER ASKED FOR ANY PARTICULAR PROCS I SHOULD FOLLOW AND HE TOLD ME TO COME DIRECT FROM ZZZ TO ZZZ1 AND CONTACT THE CTL TWR. I ADVISED HIM I WOULD RECONTACT ZZZ TWR AND HE INFORMED ME HE HAS THE INFO AND WOULD PASS ON TO THE TWR AND CALL THEM AS I APCHED ABC. AT EXACTLY XA25 BY MY WATCH; I CALLED ZZZ TWR ON TWR FREQ. ZZZ TWR CTLR REPLIED TO ME AND ADVISED TO GO AHEAD WITH MY TFC. I INFORMED TWR I WAS 12.2 MI SE OF ABC PROCEEDING DIRECT TO ZZZ1 FOR THE ABC HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAME AND MY CALL SIGN WAS HELI N123 WITH A TELEVISION STATION. THE CTLR REPLIED TO PROCEED. I DO NOT RECALL ANY FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE CTLR. AT A DISTANCE OF APPROX 5-7 MI FROM ZZZ1; I BEGAN TO VISUALLY SEE WHAT APPEARED TO BE FLASHING RED LIGHTS MOVING FROM L TO R ACROSS MY WINDSCREEN/BUBBLE OF THE HELI. WITH THE VISIBILITY BEGINNING TO REDUCE FROM MIST AND RAIN; IT TOOK ANOTHER MI OR SO TO REALIZE WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT WAS 'TRACER' ROUNDS APPROX 2 1/2 MI IN FRONT OF ME AND PROBABLY (GUESSING) 800 FT LOWER THAN ME. AFTER RECOGNIZING I WAS NEARING THE EDGE OF AN ACTIVE LIVE FIR RANGE; I IMMEDIATELY TURNED L TO A HDG OF 220 DEGS AND HEADED TOWARD THE TOWN OF DEF TO AVOID OVER-FLYING THE RANGE. I THEN RADIOED ZZZ1 TWR AND ADVISED THEM I HAD TURNED L TOWARD E-TOWN AND THOUGHT THERE WAS LIVE RANGE FIRING AHEAD OF ME ON THE HDG I WAS JUST ON. THE CTLR REPLIED TO ME; 'YOU ARE OVER A LIVE FIRE RANGE THAT I ADVISED YOU TO REMAIN CLR OF.' I STILL DO NOT RECALL HIM ADVISING HIM ADVISING ME TO REMAIN CLR OF ANY LIVE FIRE RANGE. BESIDE THE POINT; I FLEW DIRECT E-TOWN; TURNED N AND FOLLOWED USXX AND THE CTLR (VERY PROFESSIONAL AND COURTEOUS) ADVISED ME TO FOLLOW USXX TO THE NUMBERS OF RWY 36 AT ZZZ1 AAF THEN TURN E TO THE FOOTBALL FIELD. WE DID THAT WITHOUT ANY FURTHER COM REGARDING THE RANGE SIT. MADE 3 ORBITS AROUND THE FOOTBALL FIELD THEN ADVISED TWR WE WERE READY TO PROCEED TO ZZZ3 FIELD AND WOULD FOLLOW USXX N OUT OF HIS AIRSPACE. TWR ADVISED TO REMAIN CLR OF THE EFG AND PROCEED AS REQUESTED. APPROX 3 1/2 MI N OF ZZZ AAF THE CTLR ADVISED; 'N123 CONTACT APCH.' I THANKED THEM FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE AND CHANGED FREQ TO APCH. PROCEEDED WITHOUT INCIDENT OVER TOP OF; THEN DIRECT ZZZ. ONCE I LANDED; THE TWR AT ZZZ CALLED ME ON CELL PHONE TO ADVISE THAT CTL WAS UPSET THAT I OVERFLEW A LIVE RANGE. I ADVISED HIM I GOT CLOSE BUT IN FACT DON'T BELIEVE I ACTUALLY OVERFLEW THE RANGE AND I WAS TALKING WITH THE TWR THE ENTIRE TIME AND THEY WERE NOT CONCERNED. I ALSO INFORMED HIM I HAD MADE ALL APPROPRIATE PHONE CALLS PRIOR TO FLYING TO ABC AND ASKED THE QUESTION; 'ARE THE RANGES HOT?' WAS INFORMED TO COME DIRECT; CONTACTED TWR 12.2 MI OUT; ETC. THE ZZZ TWR CTLR TOLD ME THEY FAILED TO TELL HIM I HAD MADE THE ADVANCE PHONE CALLS REQUESTING TO KNOW THE PROCS THEY WISHED FOR ME THE PLT OF N123 TO FOLLOW THAT I HAD NOT BEEN INTO ABC PREVIOUSLY IN A CIVILIAN NEWS HELI. HE TOLD ME HE THOUGHT EVERYTHING WOULD BE OK AND HE WOULD SPEAK WITH THE TWR AT ZZZ1 AND THE RANGE OFFICER AND EXPLAIN THAT I DID CONTACT BASE OPS IN ADVANCE. I INFORMED THE ZZZ1 CTLR TO ADVISE THE RANGE OFFICER AND THE CTLRS AT ABC THAT I HUMBLY APOLOGIZED IF I CAUSED THERE TO BE ISSUES OVER THE RESTR AREA AND THE LIVE FIRE AREAS AND THAT IN THE FUTURE THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. THE CTLR AT ZZZ INFORMED ME THAT THE CTLRS AT ZZZ1 ADVISED HIM IT WAS NO BIG DEAL AND THAT THE PLT OF N123 WAS VERY PROFESSIONAL; COURTEOUS AND DID ADVISE THEM HE HAD TURNED W TOWARD ELIZABETHTOWN TO AVOID ANY FURTHER INCURSION OF THE RESTR AREA. AS THE PIC; I THINK THIS WAS A BREAKDOWN IN COMS BTWN MIL ATC CTLRS; CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES AT THE BASE OPS ON A MIL INSTALLATION AND MYSELF A CIVILIAN PLT FLYING INTO A RESTR MIL AREA. IN HINDSIGHT; I SHOULD HAVE AVOIDED ANY DIRECT FLT PATH FROM ZZZ TO ZZZ1. I SHOULD HAVE INSTEAD FLOWN DIRECT TO DEF; THEN TURNED N OVER HWY USXX TO ZZZ1 THEN TURN R TO THE FOOTBALL FIELD. THIS WOULD HAVE KEPT ME TOTALLY CLR OF ANY RESTR RANGE AREA AT ALL TIMES.

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.