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General aviation pilot questioned ATC's handling of washington D.C. Sfra entry requests.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 983576 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201112 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801-2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | PCT.TRACON |
| State Reference | VA |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | PA-28 Cherokee/Archer/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | Direct |
| Flight Plan | VFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Flight Instructor |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 15 Flight Crew Total 7000 Flight Crew Type 1000 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | ATC Issue All Types |
Narrative:
While in smooth cruise autopilot on flight at 1;420 ft indicated; controller asked twice what my altitude was and repeated altimeter setting. When I replied 1;440 ft he responded you are indicating 1;500 ft; and repeated the altimeter. I replied what my indicated altitude was and my baro meter was set correctly. I queried that maybe encoders reported in 100 ft increments. My concern is not an altitude deviation. My concern is that this kind of 'scary' inquiry and refusal for entry into class B airspace is what likely killed the people in phoenix. Controllers are for the most part professional and over worked. Naturally they want a lower workload and it has been my impression flying around the washington dc sfra that 'remain clear of the class B' is the first thing from their mouths. It is difficult to gain access to the B airspace; even if 2;000 or 2;500 ft is all you are requesting. Transitioning the quantico very sparse area; especially at night; at low altitude is bordering on dangerous. Few jets operate at 2;000 [or] 2;500 ft [that] far from the airport. Why do they guard their space so intently? I understand that the washington airspace is being redesigned. Please do not allow them to lower class B; especially near the mountains in loudin county.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: General Aviation pilot questioned ATC's handling of Washington D.C. SFRA entry requests.
Narrative: While in smooth cruise autopilot on flight at 1;420 FT indicated; Controller asked twice what my altitude was and repeated altimeter setting. When I replied 1;440 FT he responded you are indicating 1;500 FT; and repeated the altimeter. I replied what my indicated altitude was and my baro meter was set correctly. I queried that maybe encoders reported in 100 FT increments. My concern is not an altitude deviation. My concern is that this kind of 'scary' inquiry and refusal for entry into Class B airspace is what likely killed the people in Phoenix. Controllers are for the most part professional and over worked. Naturally they want a lower workload and it has been my impression flying around the Washington DC SFRA that 'Remain clear of the Class B' is the first thing from their mouths. It is difficult to gain access to the B airspace; even if 2;000 or 2;500 FT is all you are requesting. Transitioning the Quantico very sparse area; especially at night; at low altitude is bordering on dangerous. Few jets operate at 2;000 [or] 2;500 FT [that] far from the airport. Why do they guard their space so intently? I understand that the Washington airspace is being redesigned. Please do not allow them to lower Class B; especially near the mountains in Loudin County.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.