Narrative:

I was flying a patient on an air ambulance flight from tij to myf. The patient was very critical and the flight was obviously rushed. I filed a border crossing flight plan with FSS, however, I decided to activate in the air, not on the ground. I was in a hurry, and departed tij without turning on my transponder or checking my directional gyro. I was concentrating on departing as quickly as possible due to our critical patient. After liftoff, I only had 1 mi before entering the united states, and my watch showed me crossing the border almost 30 mins past my ETA. I contacted FSS (san diego) prior to crossing the border, to open my border crossing flight plan, however, I didn't have time to explain why I was late, or give them more than about 30 seconds notice to crossing. I then also realized that I crossed the border without my transponder on. After talking to FSS, I contacted brown field tower for an air traffic area clearance. Due to the close proximity of the airport to tij, and my distraction of opening my border crossing flight plan, I entered brown field air traffic area without radio communication, and maneuvered in tij's air traffic area without radio communication, because I was tied up opening my border crossing flight plan. I flew north after contacting brown tower and was handed off to san approach. I was clear of the san TCA and asked for advisories to myf. I was told to fly heading 360 degrees, and I turned to that heading. The controller told me I was tracking 270 degrees, and turn more to the north. I turned even more the opposite direction. The controller questioned me several times about my track and I then discovered I had not checked my directional control gyro on takeoff from tij. I was flying west, not north. I corrected quickly, but I confused the controller and entered the TCA by flying the wrong direction. I also had no clearance into the TCA. The controller quickly idented that I was tracking the wrong direction and helped me identify my inaccurate directional gyro. I then landed without incident. All these errors on this flight could have been prevented if I had not rushed the departure from tij, and opened my border crossing flight plan by phone on the ground in tij. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that this incident occurred on a clear day and his haste of departure with the air ambulance patient causing his neglect of setting his directional gyroscope on the ground prior to takeoff (could not really remember) was compounded by his lack of looking at terrain features for traffic watch advisories. He was very appreciative of the help received by ATC when he had not been given clearance to enter the air traffic area or TCA and was heading at a right angle to his destination. He further stated that the FAA had not contacted him with regard to this matter. He was operating a cessna model 421 type aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF AN ATX AIR AMBULANCE SMT TWIN FAILED TO OPEN A DVFR BORDER XING FLT PLAN BEFORE XING THE ADIZ. IN ADDITION, INADVERTENTLY ENTERED AN ATA AND TCA AIRSPACE.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING A PATIENT ON AN AIR AMBULANCE FLT FROM TIJ TO MYF. THE PATIENT WAS VERY CRITICAL AND THE FLT WAS OBVIOUSLY RUSHED. I FILED A BORDER XING FLT PLAN WITH FSS, HOWEVER, I DECIDED TO ACTIVATE IN THE AIR, NOT ON THE GND. I WAS IN A HURRY, AND DEPARTED TIJ WITHOUT TURNING ON MY XPONDER OR CHKING MY DIRECTIONAL GYRO. I WAS CONCENTRATING ON DEPARTING AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE DUE TO OUR CRITICAL PATIENT. AFTER LIFTOFF, I ONLY HAD 1 MI BEFORE ENTERING THE UNITED STATES, AND MY WATCH SHOWED ME XING THE BORDER ALMOST 30 MINS PAST MY ETA. I CONTACTED FSS (SAN DIEGO) PRIOR TO XING THE BORDER, TO OPEN MY BORDER XING FLT PLAN, HOWEVER, I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO EXPLAIN WHY I WAS LATE, OR GIVE THEM MORE THAN ABOUT 30 SECONDS NOTICE TO XING. I THEN ALSO REALIZED THAT I CROSSED THE BORDER WITHOUT MY XPONDER ON. AFTER TALKING TO FSS, I CONTACTED BROWN FIELD TWR FOR AN ATA CLRNC. DUE TO THE CLOSE PROX OF THE ARPT TO TIJ, AND MY DISTR OF OPENING MY BORDER XING FLT PLAN, I ENTERED BROWN FIELD ATA WITHOUT RADIO COM, AND MANEUVERED IN TIJ'S ATA WITHOUT RADIO COM, BECAUSE I WAS TIED UP OPENING MY BORDER XING FLT PLAN. I FLEW N AFTER CONTACTING BROWN TWR AND WAS HANDED OFF TO SAN APCH. I WAS CLR OF THE SAN TCA AND ASKED FOR ADVISORIES TO MYF. I WAS TOLD TO FLY HDG 360 DEGS, AND I TURNED TO THAT HDG. THE CTLR TOLD ME I WAS TRACKING 270 DEGS, AND TURN MORE TO THE N. I TURNED EVEN MORE THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THE CTLR QUESTIONED ME SEVERAL TIMES ABOUT MY TRACK AND I THEN DISCOVERED I HAD NOT CHKED MY DIRECTIONAL CTL GYRO ON TKOF FROM TIJ. I WAS FLYING W, NOT N. I CORRECTED QUICKLY, BUT I CONFUSED THE CTLR AND ENTERED THE TCA BY FLYING THE WRONG DIRECTION. I ALSO HAD NO CLRNC INTO THE TCA. THE CTLR QUICKLY IDENTED THAT I WAS TRACKING THE WRONG DIRECTION AND HELPED ME IDENT MY INACCURATE DIRECTIONAL GYRO. I THEN LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. ALL THESE ERRORS ON THIS FLT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF I HAD NOT RUSHED THE DEP FROM TIJ, AND OPENED MY BORDER XING FLT PLAN BY PHONE ON THE GND IN TIJ. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED ON A CLR DAY AND HIS HASTE OF DEP WITH THE AIR AMBULANCE PATIENT CAUSING HIS NEGLECT OF SETTING HIS DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE ON THE GND PRIOR TO TKOF (COULD NOT REALLY REMEMBER) WAS COMPOUNDED BY HIS LACK OF LOOKING AT TERRAIN FEATURES FOR TFC WATCH ADVISORIES. HE WAS VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THE HELP RECEIVED BY ATC WHEN HE HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN CLRNC TO ENTER THE ATA OR TCA AND WAS HDG AT A R ANGLE TO HIS DEST. HE FURTHER STATED THAT THE FAA HAD NOT CONTACTED HIM WITH REGARD TO THIS MATTER. HE WAS OPERATING A CESSNA MODEL 421 TYPE ACFT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.