Narrative:

On mar/sat/95, I was routinely cleared from the nne into the baltimore-washington class B airspace on a VFR flight from new hampshire to hyde field (W32). After being radar idented and cleared into the class B airspace, I was specifically cleared direct to bwi and direct to hyde field after passing bwi, and told to maintain 3000 ft. I followed my clearance, flying directly over bwi and then on a direct heading for hyde field. A few mins later, I was told to descend to 2000 ft, and later was told to descend further at my discretion, but given no specific altitude. Then, very unexpectedly when I was about 13-14 mi from, and on my direct heading, for hyde, I was told to squawk VFR. I complied with the VFR squawk, but was most confused and surprised by this -- because I believed that my entire route between bwi and hyde field was within the class B airspace. I was told only that I could call andrews if I wanted further VFR advisories. Because I had already been cleared direct to hyde through the class B airspace by baltimore approach, and because I then needed TA at hyde field, I next called the hyde unicom frequency on 122.8. Unfortunately, nobody answered my repeated unicom calls. In fact, I had to call about 6 times, and the only answer I got was from another pilot who advised me that they had been using runway 5 at hyde. This also left me confused, because the andrews ATIS (which I simultaneously monitored), indicated winds from 220 degrees, which clearly would favor runway 23 at hyde. So I kept trying to reach hyde, until finally they told me that they had indeed switched their active to runway 23. By this time, unfortunately, I had forgotten the andrews approach frequency for VFR advisories. With the benefit of hindsight and study of the class B airspace map, attached, I now understand what happened and where I was, when I was suddenly cut loose. Without warning, I was dumped into a 5 mi or 2 min gap which exists along my route within the class B airspace. While the FAA would no doubt say that I should have known about that 2 min gap, and some pilots may undoubtedly be prepared for it, I believed that it is outrageous for baltimore approach to fail to hand me off to andrews -- especially when they not only know, but have cleared me along my route which goes right over andrews within the class B airspace into which I had been properly cleared. This is, or is at least analogous to entrapment: the government created and led me, a pilot clearly trying to comply with class B airspace rules, into a trap. Granted that some pilots who do this route regularly might not be entrapped, but this is still unfair to those, such as myself, who were not familiar with the route. I believe that I had flown it only 1 previous time. And that time hardly prepared me: on the other occasion, maybe 6 months before, I had been handed off to andrews and rted directly over andrews. As far as I'm concerned, there is but 1 solution: baltimore approach must be directed to hand off all aircraft entering their class B airspace from the north and heading for hyde or potomac to andrews. Pilots who are not handed off are being dumped into a trap from which they have 2 mins to extricate themselves.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN INADVERTENT ENTRY, AND FLT THROUGH CLASS B AIRSPACE, WAS A RESULT OF A PVT PLT'S MISUNDERSTANDING OF ATC INSTRUCTIONS, AND A LACK OF AIRSPACE FAMILIARITY.

Narrative: ON MAR/SAT/95, I WAS ROUTINELY CLRED FROM THE NNE INTO THE BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON CLASS B AIRSPACE ON A VFR FLT FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE TO HYDE FIELD (W32). AFTER BEING RADAR IDENTED AND CLRED INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE, I WAS SPECIFICALLY CLRED DIRECT TO BWI AND DIRECT TO HYDE FIELD AFTER PASSING BWI, AND TOLD TO MAINTAIN 3000 FT. I FOLLOWED MY CLRNC, FLYING DIRECTLY OVER BWI AND THEN ON A DIRECT HDG FOR HYDE FIELD. A FEW MINS LATER, I WAS TOLD TO DSND TO 2000 FT, AND LATER WAS TOLD TO DSND FURTHER AT MY DISCRETION, BUT GIVEN NO SPECIFIC ALT. THEN, VERY UNEXPECTEDLY WHEN I WAS ABOUT 13-14 MI FROM, AND ON MY DIRECT HDG, FOR HYDE, I WAS TOLD TO SQUAWK VFR. I COMPLIED WITH THE VFR SQUAWK, BUT WAS MOST CONFUSED AND SURPRISED BY THIS -- BECAUSE I BELIEVED THAT MY ENTIRE RTE BTWN BWI AND HYDE FIELD WAS WITHIN THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. I WAS TOLD ONLY THAT I COULD CALL ANDREWS IF I WANTED FURTHER VFR ADVISORIES. BECAUSE I HAD ALREADY BEEN CLRED DIRECT TO HYDE THROUGH THE CLASS B AIRSPACE BY BALTIMORE APCH, AND BECAUSE I THEN NEEDED TA AT HYDE FIELD, I NEXT CALLED THE HYDE UNICOM FREQ ON 122.8. UNFORTUNATELY, NOBODY ANSWERED MY REPEATED UNICOM CALLS. IN FACT, I HAD TO CALL ABOUT 6 TIMES, AND THE ONLY ANSWER I GOT WAS FROM ANOTHER PLT WHO ADVISED ME THAT THEY HAD BEEN USING RWY 5 AT HYDE. THIS ALSO LEFT ME CONFUSED, BECAUSE THE ANDREWS ATIS (WHICH I SIMULTANEOUSLY MONITORED), INDICATED WINDS FROM 220 DEGS, WHICH CLRLY WOULD FAVOR RWY 23 AT HYDE. SO I KEPT TRYING TO REACH HYDE, UNTIL FINALLY THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD INDEED SWITCHED THEIR ACTIVE TO RWY 23. BY THIS TIME, UNFORTUNATELY, I HAD FORGOTTEN THE ANDREWS APCH FREQ FOR VFR ADVISORIES. WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT AND STUDY OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE MAP, ATTACHED, I NOW UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED AND WHERE I WAS, WHEN I WAS SUDDENLY CUT LOOSE. WITHOUT WARNING, I WAS DUMPED INTO A 5 MI OR 2 MIN GAP WHICH EXISTS ALONG MY RTE WITHIN THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. WHILE THE FAA WOULD NO DOUBT SAY THAT I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THAT 2 MIN GAP, AND SOME PLTS MAY UNDOUBTEDLY BE PREPARED FOR IT, I BELIEVED THAT IT IS OUTRAGEOUS FOR BALTIMORE APCH TO FAIL TO HAND ME OFF TO ANDREWS -- ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY NOT ONLY KNOW, BUT HAVE CLRED ME ALONG MY RTE WHICH GOES RIGHT OVER ANDREWS WITHIN THE CLASS B AIRSPACE INTO WHICH I HAD BEEN PROPERLY CLRED. THIS IS, OR IS AT LEAST ANALOGOUS TO ENTRAPMENT: THE GOV CREATED AND LED ME, A PLT CLRLY TRYING TO COMPLY WITH CLASS B AIRSPACE RULES, INTO A TRAP. GRANTED THAT SOME PLTS WHO DO THIS RTE REGULARLY MIGHT NOT BE ENTRAPPED, BUT THIS IS STILL UNFAIR TO THOSE, SUCH AS MYSELF, WHO WERE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE RTE. I BELIEVE THAT I HAD FLOWN IT ONLY 1 PREVIOUS TIME. AND THAT TIME HARDLY PREPARED ME: ON THE OTHER OCCASION, MAYBE 6 MONTHS BEFORE, I HAD BEEN HANDED OFF TO ANDREWS AND RTED DIRECTLY OVER ANDREWS. AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, THERE IS BUT 1 SOLUTION: BALTIMORE APCH MUST BE DIRECTED TO HAND OFF ALL ACFT ENTERING THEIR CLASS B AIRSPACE FROM THE N AND HDG FOR HYDE OR POTOMAC TO ANDREWS. PLTS WHO ARE NOT HANDED OFF ARE BEING DUMPED INTO A TRAP FROM WHICH THEY HAVE 2 MINS TO EXTRICATE THEMSELVES.

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.