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Flight instructor reported difficulty talking to passenger while wearing a face mask and had an airspace violation while attempting to fix the communication issue.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1760237 |
| Time | |
| Date | 202009 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Small Aircraft Low Wing 1 Eng Fixed Gear |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | None |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Instructor Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Commercial Flight Crew Instrument |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 1 Flight Crew Total 1200 Flight Crew Type 1000 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Airspace Violation All Types Deviation - Procedural FAR Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy |
Narrative:
Performed an intercom check on the ground; between myself and passenger; which was satisfactory. Departed on an introductory training flight as the instructor. It was my second flight using a mask required by our flight school's new covid-19 related policies and procedures. The route of flight was to be per my normal introductory flight. Turned south towards ZZZ after above a safe altitude. Experienced difficulty communicating with the passenger as my mask was interfering with my microphone. I repositioned my headset's microphone from the outside to the inside of the mask which resolved the communication problem. At this point I identified the road which runs tangentially to the northern edge of the lateral boundary of ZZZ's class D airspace. After initiating my usual turn to the west to avoid the class D airspace; I realized that I had mistakenly used the wrong road which was 1 mile south of the correct road and I was now in ZZZ's class D airspace. I continued turn to a northerly heading in order to exit the airspace and then continued on the introductory flight's route as usual. I was momentarily distracted and failed to maintain situational awareness. As a result; I entered class D airspace before establishing radio contact. Once the airplane began to turn; the error was apparent and immediately corrected. I should have prioritized tasks and addressed the intercom problem after ensuring correct navigation and situational awareness.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Flight instructor reported difficulty talking to passenger while wearing a face mask and had an airspace violation while attempting to fix the communication issue.
Narrative: Performed an intercom check on the ground; between myself and passenger; which was satisfactory. Departed on an introductory training flight as the instructor. It was my second flight using a mask required by our flight school's new COVID-19 related policies and procedures. The route of flight was to be per my normal introductory flight. Turned south towards ZZZ after above a safe altitude. Experienced difficulty communicating with the passenger as my mask was interfering with my microphone. I repositioned my headset's microphone from the outside to the inside of the mask which resolved the communication problem. At this point I identified the road which runs tangentially to the northern edge of the lateral boundary of ZZZ's Class D airspace. After initiating my usual turn to the West to avoid the Class D airspace; I realized that I had mistakenly used the wrong road which was 1 mile south of the correct road and I was now in ZZZ's Class D airspace. I continued turn to a northerly heading in order to exit the airspace and then continued on the introductory flight's route as usual. I was momentarily distracted and failed to maintain situational awareness. As a result; I entered Class D airspace before establishing radio contact. Once the airplane began to turn; the error was apparent and immediately corrected. I should have prioritized tasks and addressed the intercom problem after ensuring correct navigation and situational awareness.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.