Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) Brief Report(s)

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ASRS REPORT: 75085

Data Source AVIATION SAFETY REPORTING SYSTEM
Report Number 75085
Local Date 01-SEP-87
Local Time 1201-1800

Synopsis
ENTERED THE TCA WITHOUT CLRNC. OPERATION BANNER TOWING.

Assessment
Event Primary Problem HUMAN FACTORS
General Results NONE REPORTED / TAKEN
Flight Crew Event Results EXITED PENETRATED AIRSPACE

Anomaly Information
Other Anomaly Flag AIRSPACE VIOLATION ENTRY OR EXIT
Anomaly Detected - Person Desc AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

Location Information
Loc State Code CA
Loc Ref ATC Name SAN
Reference ID Distance (nm) 4
Altitude MSL - Single Value(ft) 1500

Environmental Information
Weather Conditions VMC
Light Condition DAYLIGHT
WX Elements Visual (sm) 15


AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

Aircraft 1
Acft Make/Model Desc SMALL AIRCRAFT, HIGH WING, 1 ENG, FIXED GEAR
Acft Operator Desc PERSONAL
Acft Flight Phase CRUISE
Acft Flight Plan NONE
Flight Crew Count 1


PERSON INFORMATION

Information For Person Sequence 1

Reporting Organization Other COMPENSATED GA
Flt Crew Exp (last 90 days) 200
Flt Crew Total Exp 500
Flt Crew Exp 160
Flt Crew Function SINGLE PILOT
Flt Crew Qual Desc COMMERCIAL


Narrative

APPROX 5 MI NW OF THE MISSION BAY VOR, WHILE AT AN ALT OF APPROX 500' OVER SAN, I PROCEEDED TO CONTACT SAN APCH CTL ON THE FREQ DEPICTED ON MY CURRENT SAN TCA CHART. AFTER APPROX 5 ATTEMPTS I WAS ABLE TO REACH A CTLR. THAT CTLR DID NOT GIVE ME A XPONDER CODE, BUT INSTEAD INSTRUCTED ME TO CONTACT SAN APCH ON ANOTHER FREQ. W/O HESITATION I QUICKLY CHANGED FREQS TO FIND THE SAME ROUTINE WITH THIS NEXT CTLR. AS I WAS TRYING TO CONTACT THE THIRD SAN APCH CTLR, I NOTICED I WAS COMING AROUND THE OUTERMOST POINT OF LAND NEARLY PASSING THE VOR. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT THIS THIRD CTLR, I RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS: "BANNER TOW, CONTACT THE TWRS AS NEEDED." THIS CTLR'S INSTRUCTIONS LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT I NEEDED ONLY TO RECEIVE CLRNC FROM THE TWRS IN THE AREAS I WOULD BE OPERATING IN. BEING SOMEWHAT UNFAMILIAR WITH THE SAN AREA, YET AWARE THAT I WAS ENTERING THE TCA, I CONTACTED LINDBERGH TWR. LINDBERGH GAVE ME A XPONDER CODE, TFC RPTS AND INSTRUCTIONS AS TO WHICH DIRECTION IS COMMON PRACTICE TO TOW BANNERS OVER MISSION BAY. AFTER SOME AMOUNT OF TIME OVER MISSION BAY, I REQUESTED VFR VECTORS TO CHARGER STADIUM AND RECEIVED DIRECTIONS. UPON LEAVING LINDBERGH AIRSPACE I WAS INFORMED THAT I WAS TO CALL THE TWR WHEN ABLE DUE TO AN UNACCEPTABLE ENTRY INTO THE TCA AND THE ATA. IT IS MY CONCERN THAT IF THE APCH CTLRS CONTINUE TO PASS THE BUCK BY AVOIDING ACFT APCHING THE TCA, OTHER PROB WITH POTENTIALLY MORE HAZARDOUS OUTCOMES WILL ARISE. I WAS OBVIOUSLY MISTAKEN TO ASSUME THAT THE CTLR WHO DIRECTED ME TO "CONTACT THE TWRS AS NEEDED" REALLY MEANT FOR ME TO CONTINUE INTO THE TCA AND PROCEED TO MY INTENDED DEST OF MISSION BAY. THE GENTLEMAN I SPOKE WITH AT LINDBERGH TWR OVER THE PHONE WAS VERY POLITE AND SEEMED TO BE PRIMARILY CONCERNED WITH THE SUDDEN SURPRISE OF MY PRESENCE IN HIS ATA. I WOULD LIKE THIS LETTER TO POINT OUT A POTENTIAL HAZARD WITH RESPECT TO PLTS WHO ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE LCL TERRAIN OF THE SAN AREA. HAD THE CTLR WHO I FIRST SPOKE WITH GIVEN ME A XPONDER CODE INSTEAD OF PASSING THE BUCK, THE WHOLE INCIDENT COULD HAVE POSSIBLY BEEN AVOIDED.

Information For Person Sequence 2

ATC Function APPROACH
ATC Qual Desc FULLY CERTIFIED


Narrative


Information For Person Sequence 3

ATC Function LOCAL
ATC Qual Desc FULLY CERTIFIED


Narrative



END REPORT