Narrative:

I called 1-800-wxbrief from solomons; md; to file an IFR flight plan for the next morning and to get a WX outlook. It took several phone calls before I could get through to a briefer as I was cut off or put on hold for 15-20 mins so I had to start all over again. Because of the new system; you have no idea where the briefer is who answers the phone as they do not identify where they are. So I do not know which FSS the briefer was working for. I filed the flight plan; was assured the plan was in the system; and received my briefing. The next morning I called again to get a WX update and the latest on tfr's and NOTAMS. I again asked if my flight plan was in the system and was told yes because the briefer was able to access it. My plane was parked at 2w6. This airport is located about 6 mi west of the united states naval air base; patuxent; and the airspace above 2w6 is controled by pxt approach control. My IFR flight plan was an IFR flight. From the ground at 2w6 one can call pxt approach on 120.06 to obtain the clearance (I fly into 2w6 once or twice a yr and have been doing it for 20 odd yrs). Pxt answered me but wouldn't give me my clearance so I departed VFR and contacted pxt in the air; where I was VFR. I again requested my IFR clearance and was then told I was not in the system and they couldn't help me. I asked where I could get my clearance and they said from leesburg FSS. I asked for a frequency and was given 122.1 (for the pxt VOR which I knew was down per a NOTAM in my morning briefing.) so much for their help! I was able to use another VOR and contacted leesburg FSS and explained I needed my clearance for my IFR flight; explaining that pxt said I wasn't in the system. At this time my first radio was still monitoring pxt at 120.06. Leesburg said my flight plan was in the system and pxt did have it. I received what I understood to be a clearance from leesburg. Leesburg told me to go back to pxt for my transponder code and back to their control. I called pxt again and asked for the code. Their first response was they had no information on me. When I explained what leesburg said; another controller at pxt said over the radio that they needed to amend my flight plan. I again asked for my code and another controller came on and said I was leaving their airspace and I again asked for my clearance code. By now I am approaching the dc ADIZ as my flight plan would have me just cutting the southern edge of the ADIZ. While pxt wouldn't give me a code I thought I was authority/authorized to enter the ADIZ because I was on my IFR flight plan; was in radio contact with ATC (pxt) and was on their radar. Also; pxt never advised me I had no authority/authorized to enter the ADIZ so apparently they also believed I was authority/authorized to enter the ADIZ. After my last request for my clearance code pxt went silent; finally in the backgnd I heard someone say; 'I found it.' I was given a code and pxt turned me over to potomac approach. Somewhere along the line I was asked to call the potomac TRACON about the flight plan mix-up after I landed. I called TRACON and found out they were concerned because I entered the ADIZ with the 1200 code. The man I talked to said the radar people were concerned because I didn't have a code different than 1200. Yet he said they knew who I was because they had my IFR flight plan and I was the only plane on that route. He also said they called all over trying to contact me on the radio; saying they called quantico approach and several other frequencys. Now why they never contacted the ATC (pxt) working where I was; I have no idea. Then my IFR came up and there was no more concern. To make matters worse is the IFR flight plan I filed later (and was assured was in the system) also became lost. When I contacted ZID on the ground prior to departure; I was told there was no flight plan in the system. After I explained this was the second IFR flight plan of mine lost today; I was allowed to depart VFR. The center controller asked where I wanted to go and upon receiving my flight route gave me a clearance to my next stop. I am submitting this report for 2 reasons. The first problem is obvious because the contractor FSS program is not working. It becomes next to impossible to get a briefing and file a flight plan. Then the flight plans become lost. The second problem is the complete lack of assistance; concern; or awareness of safety on the part of the pxt controllers. Everything they did was aimed at fostering me off to my own devices. My flight plan was in their system but they made no effort to give me my clearance or my transponder code. Their attitude was; 'don't bother us; we are not interested in helping you; just go away.' compounding that attitude was the total lack of interaction and communication between pxt and the rest of the ATC. I was on a 1200 code; I was talking to pxt; I was on their radar; I was on an IFR flight plan but potomac approach control was not even talking to pxt who knew who I was; where I was; and only they know why they withheld my IFR code. I am an experienced pilot with some 6300 hours and over 900 hours of actual IFR flying. I know not to enter the ADIZ without the proper compliance. I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing. I did not have an IFR code because pxt refused to give me one; yet they never told me to stay clear of the ADIZ if I wasn't authority/authorized to fly my cleared flight plan through the ADIZ. I don't know who was at fault for my filed flight plan to be lost (FSS or pxt) but I do know the contractor FSS system is a real failure. As for the pxt controllers; they also failed to do their job by either ignoring my flight plan or deliberately deciding to not provide the services they are charged with doing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A GA PILOT REPORTS ARTCC WAS UNABLE TO FIND HIS FLIGHT PLAN THAT HE FILED THE NIGHT BEFORE WITH FSS.

Narrative: I CALLED 1-800-WXBRIEF FROM SOLOMONS; MD; TO FILE AN IFR FLT PLAN FOR THE NEXT MORNING AND TO GET A WX OUTLOOK. IT TOOK SEVERAL PHONE CALLS BEFORE I COULD GET THROUGH TO A BRIEFER AS I WAS CUT OFF OR PUT ON HOLD FOR 15-20 MINS SO I HAD TO START ALL OVER AGAIN. BECAUSE OF THE NEW SYS; YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THE BRIEFER IS WHO ANSWERS THE PHONE AS THEY DO NOT IDENT WHERE THEY ARE. SO I DO NOT KNOW WHICH FSS THE BRIEFER WAS WORKING FOR. I FILED THE FLT PLAN; WAS ASSURED THE PLAN WAS IN THE SYS; AND RECEIVED MY BRIEFING. THE NEXT MORNING I CALLED AGAIN TO GET A WX UPDATE AND THE LATEST ON TFR'S AND NOTAMS. I AGAIN ASKED IF MY FLT PLAN WAS IN THE SYS AND WAS TOLD YES BECAUSE THE BRIEFER WAS ABLE TO ACCESS IT. MY PLANE WAS PARKED AT 2W6. THIS ARPT IS LOCATED ABOUT 6 MI W OF THE UNITED STATES NAVAL AIR BASE; PATUXENT; AND THE AIRSPACE ABOVE 2W6 IS CTLED BY PXT APCH CTL. MY IFR FLT PLAN WAS AN IFR FLT. FROM THE GND AT 2W6 ONE CAN CALL PXT APCH ON 120.06 TO OBTAIN THE CLRNC (I FLY INTO 2W6 ONCE OR TWICE A YR AND HAVE BEEN DOING IT FOR 20 ODD YRS). PXT ANSWERED ME BUT WOULDN'T GIVE ME MY CLRNC SO I DEPARTED VFR AND CONTACTED PXT IN THE AIR; WHERE I WAS VFR. I AGAIN REQUESTED MY IFR CLRNC AND WAS THEN TOLD I WAS NOT IN THE SYS AND THEY COULDN'T HELP ME. I ASKED WHERE I COULD GET MY CLRNC AND THEY SAID FROM LEESBURG FSS. I ASKED FOR A FREQ AND WAS GIVEN 122.1 (FOR THE PXT VOR WHICH I KNEW WAS DOWN PER A NOTAM IN MY MORNING BRIEFING.) SO MUCH FOR THEIR HELP! I WAS ABLE TO USE ANOTHER VOR AND CONTACTED LEESBURG FSS AND EXPLAINED I NEEDED MY CLRNC FOR MY IFR FLT; EXPLAINING THAT PXT SAID I WASN'T IN THE SYS. AT THIS TIME MY FIRST RADIO WAS STILL MONITORING PXT AT 120.06. LEESBURG SAID MY FLT PLAN WAS IN THE SYS AND PXT DID HAVE IT. I RECEIVED WHAT I UNDERSTOOD TO BE A CLRNC FROM LEESBURG. LEESBURG TOLD ME TO GO BACK TO PXT FOR MY XPONDER CODE AND BACK TO THEIR CTL. I CALLED PXT AGAIN AND ASKED FOR THE CODE. THEIR FIRST RESPONSE WAS THEY HAD NO INFO ON ME. WHEN I EXPLAINED WHAT LEESBURG SAID; ANOTHER CTLR AT PXT SAID OVER THE RADIO THAT THEY NEEDED TO AMEND MY FLT PLAN. I AGAIN ASKED FOR MY CODE AND ANOTHER CTLR CAME ON AND SAID I WAS LEAVING THEIR AIRSPACE AND I AGAIN ASKED FOR MY CLRNC CODE. BY NOW I AM APCHING THE DC ADIZ AS MY FLT PLAN WOULD HAVE ME JUST CUTTING THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE ADIZ. WHILE PXT WOULDN'T GIVE ME A CODE I THOUGHT I WAS AUTH TO ENTER THE ADIZ BECAUSE I WAS ON MY IFR FLT PLAN; WAS IN RADIO CONTACT WITH ATC (PXT) AND WAS ON THEIR RADAR. ALSO; PXT NEVER ADVISED ME I HAD NO AUTH TO ENTER THE ADIZ SO APPARENTLY THEY ALSO BELIEVED I WAS AUTH TO ENTER THE ADIZ. AFTER MY LAST REQUEST FOR MY CLRNC CODE PXT WENT SILENT; FINALLY IN THE BACKGND I HEARD SOMEONE SAY; 'I FOUND IT.' I WAS GIVEN A CODE AND PXT TURNED ME OVER TO POTOMAC APCH. SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE I WAS ASKED TO CALL THE POTOMAC TRACON ABOUT THE FLT PLAN MIX-UP AFTER I LANDED. I CALLED TRACON AND FOUND OUT THEY WERE CONCERNED BECAUSE I ENTERED THE ADIZ WITH THE 1200 CODE. THE MAN I TALKED TO SAID THE RADAR PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE A CODE DIFFERENT THAN 1200. YET HE SAID THEY KNEW WHO I WAS BECAUSE THEY HAD MY IFR FLT PLAN AND I WAS THE ONLY PLANE ON THAT RTE. HE ALSO SAID THEY CALLED ALL OVER TRYING TO CONTACT ME ON THE RADIO; SAYING THEY CALLED QUANTICO APCH AND SEVERAL OTHER FREQS. NOW WHY THEY NEVER CONTACTED THE ATC (PXT) WORKING WHERE I WAS; I HAVE NO IDEA. THEN MY IFR CAME UP AND THERE WAS NO MORE CONCERN. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE IS THE IFR FLT PLAN I FILED LATER (AND WAS ASSURED WAS IN THE SYS) ALSO BECAME LOST. WHEN I CONTACTED ZID ON THE GND PRIOR TO DEP; I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO FLT PLAN IN THE SYS. AFTER I EXPLAINED THIS WAS THE SECOND IFR FLT PLAN OF MINE LOST TODAY; I WAS ALLOWED TO DEPART VFR. THE CTR CTLR ASKED WHERE I WANTED TO GO AND UPON RECEIVING MY FLT RTE GAVE ME A CLRNC TO MY NEXT STOP. I AM SUBMITTING THIS RPT FOR 2 REASONS. THE FIRST PROB IS OBVIOUS BECAUSE THE CONTRACTOR FSS PROGRAM IS NOT WORKING. IT BECOMES NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A BRIEFING AND FILE A FLT PLAN. THEN THE FLT PLANS BECOME LOST. THE SECOND PROB IS THE COMPLETE LACK OF ASSISTANCE; CONCERN; OR AWARENESS OF SAFETY ON THE PART OF THE PXT CTLRS. EVERYTHING THEY DID WAS AIMED AT FOSTERING ME OFF TO MY OWN DEVICES. MY FLT PLAN WAS IN THEIR SYS BUT THEY MADE NO EFFORT TO GIVE ME MY CLRNC OR MY XPONDER CODE. THEIR ATTITUDE WAS; 'DON'T BOTHER US; WE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN HELPING YOU; JUST GO AWAY.' COMPOUNDING THAT ATTITUDE WAS THE TOTAL LACK OF INTERACTION AND COM BTWN PXT AND THE REST OF THE ATC. I WAS ON A 1200 CODE; I WAS TALKING TO PXT; I WAS ON THEIR RADAR; I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN BUT POTOMAC APCH CTL WAS NOT EVEN TALKING TO PXT WHO KNEW WHO I WAS; WHERE I WAS; AND ONLY THEY KNOW WHY THEY WITHHELD MY IFR CODE. I AM AN EXPERIENCED PLT WITH SOME 6300 HRS AND OVER 900 HRS OF ACTUAL IFR FLYING. I KNOW NOT TO ENTER THE ADIZ WITHOUT THE PROPER COMPLIANCE. I WAS DOING EXACTLY WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DOING. I DID NOT HAVE AN IFR CODE BECAUSE PXT REFUSED TO GIVE ME ONE; YET THEY NEVER TOLD ME TO STAY CLR OF THE ADIZ IF I WASN'T AUTH TO FLY MY CLRED FLT PLAN THROUGH THE ADIZ. I DON'T KNOW WHO WAS AT FAULT FOR MY FILED FLT PLAN TO BE LOST (FSS OR PXT) BUT I DO KNOW THE CONTRACTOR FSS SYS IS A REAL FAILURE. AS FOR THE PXT CTLRS; THEY ALSO FAILED TO DO THEIR JOB BY EITHER IGNORING MY FLT PLAN OR DELIBERATELY DECIDING TO NOT PROVIDE THE SVCS THEY ARE CHARGED WITH DOING.

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.