Narrative:

On jan/xx/95 it appears that I may have inadvertently flown through a portion of clt class B airspace. My husband who was riding right seat was contacted by ATC upon checking into lexington airspace to return a call to charlotte ATC. They informed him that they had tracked us through a portion of class B airspace at 5500 ft. My husband informed the manager that he thought that the airspace in that area was 6000 ft. He said we would be contacted at a later date. Information on circumstances leading up to this incident: I needed to be in lexington, ky, on sun afternoon. I am student pilot. I have just recently passed my written and am in the cross country phase of flight planning/training. My spouse and I had both just finished taking a private pilot ground school. During this class and for my student flight training, I had been using the sectional chart and other materials issued at the beginning of the course. (This sectional was found later to be dated for use until aug of 95.) as an addition to my training, I was asked by my spouse to plan this flight from 3n8 to lex. I was also asked to preflight the plane and to have called WX before awakening my spouse. WX was unrestr visibility and ceilings for the entire route. After arriving at the airport, my spouse did another preflight and asked to see my marked chart. The chart line showed us going under the class B up to 3600 ft until lake norman, which at that point the class B area was 6000 ft. I had originally planned for a departure for using runway 2, but due to some practice ILS traffic, the airport was using runway 20 directly towards charlotte's airspace. We departed 3n8 on runway 20. I was riding in left seat. I started a best distance climb rate towards bzm VOR. At the center of the upper portion of lake norman I remember seeing that we had leveled off at 5500 ft MSL. We did not try to contact clt departure. Upon reaching the lexington airspace we were informed to phone the charlotte ATC. Upon returning home, my spouse looked at his sectional chart versus the one I had used and found that there had been major changes to the charlotte class B airspace in the area we had passed through since its revision. The floor had been lowered from 6000 ft to 3600 ft. Failure of PIC to use all available information before embarking on flight. Use of out dated charts for flight. (My spouse had copies of current charts in my flight bag but did not compare them against those I used for flight planning until he arrived home.) failure to use charlotte departure for class B airspace avoidance. (This may or may not have been given depending on ATC workload.) lack of sleep by my spouse on day of flight (4 hours). ATC workload. (We have in the past contacted charlotte departure on at least 4 occasions and been denied entry through class B. This leads to frustration by pilots wanting to use the system and not being allowed to do so.) FAA notification of major airspace changes. The FAA should notify all local pilots (100 mi radius) of any major changes to airspace well in advance by mail. Failure to adjust to flight plan for runway departure direction. Local airport operations on runway 2 require pilots to fly runway heading across popular tent road and climb to 1000 ft AGL before proceeding on course. This would have placed us on the outer edge of the 3600 ft class B before proceeding with a left turn toward barrets mountain VOR. Not reviewing flight plan of 20 hour student versus 1000 hour instrument rated pilot.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WHILE FLYING IN THE L SEAT, A STUDENT PLT INADVERTENTLY ENTERED CLASS B AIRSPACE. THE PIC, A PVT PLT, DID NOT CHK THE CURRENCY OF THE CHART USED FOR THE FLT. THE FLOOR OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE ALONG THE RTE OF FLT WAS LOWERED WITH THE ISSUANCE OF A NEW SECTIONAL.

Narrative: ON JAN/XX/95 IT APPEARS THAT I MAY HAVE INADVERTENTLY FLOWN THROUGH A PORTION OF CLT CLASS B AIRSPACE. MY HUSBAND WHO WAS RIDING R SEAT WAS CONTACTED BY ATC UPON CHKING INTO LEXINGTON AIRSPACE TO RETURN A CALL TO CHARLOTTE ATC. THEY INFORMED HIM THAT THEY HAD TRACKED US THROUGH A PORTION OF CLASS B AIRSPACE AT 5500 FT. MY HUSBAND INFORMED THE MGR THAT HE THOUGHT THAT THE AIRSPACE IN THAT AREA WAS 6000 FT. HE SAID WE WOULD BE CONTACTED AT A LATER DATE. INFO ON CIRCUMSTANCES LEADING UP TO THIS INCIDENT: I NEEDED TO BE IN LEXINGTON, KY, ON SUN AFTERNOON. I AM STUDENT PLT. I HAVE JUST RECENTLY PASSED MY WRITTEN AND AM IN THE XCOUNTRY PHASE OF FLT PLANNING/TRAINING. MY SPOUSE AND I HAD BOTH JUST FINISHED TAKING A PVT PLT GND SCHOOL. DURING THIS CLASS AND FOR MY STUDENT FLT TRAINING, I HAD BEEN USING THE SECTIONAL CHART AND OTHER MATERIALS ISSUED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE COURSE. (THIS SECTIONAL WAS FOUND LATER TO BE DATED FOR USE UNTIL AUG OF 95.) AS AN ADDITION TO MY TRAINING, I WAS ASKED BY MY SPOUSE TO PLAN THIS FLT FROM 3N8 TO LEX. I WAS ALSO ASKED TO PREFLT THE PLANE AND TO HAVE CALLED WX BEFORE AWAKENING MY SPOUSE. WX WAS UNRESTR VISIBILITY AND CEILINGS FOR THE ENTIRE RTE. AFTER ARRIVING AT THE ARPT, MY SPOUSE DID ANOTHER PREFLT AND ASKED TO SEE MY MARKED CHART. THE CHART LINE SHOWED US GOING UNDER THE CLASS B UP TO 3600 FT UNTIL LAKE NORMAN, WHICH AT THAT POINT THE CLASS B AREA WAS 6000 FT. I HAD ORIGINALLY PLANNED FOR A DEP FOR USING RWY 2, BUT DUE TO SOME PRACTICE ILS TFC, THE ARPT WAS USING RWY 20 DIRECTLY TOWARDS CHARLOTTE'S AIRSPACE. WE DEPARTED 3N8 ON RWY 20. I WAS RIDING IN L SEAT. I STARTED A BEST DISTANCE CLB RATE TOWARDS BZM VOR. AT THE CTR OF THE UPPER PORTION OF LAKE NORMAN I REMEMBER SEEING THAT WE HAD LEVELED OFF AT 5500 FT MSL. WE DID NOT TRY TO CONTACT CLT DEP. UPON REACHING THE LEXINGTON AIRSPACE WE WERE INFORMED TO PHONE THE CHARLOTTE ATC. UPON RETURNING HOME, MY SPOUSE LOOKED AT HIS SECTIONAL CHART VERSUS THE ONE I HAD USED AND FOUND THAT THERE HAD BEEN MAJOR CHANGES TO THE CHARLOTTE CLASS B AIRSPACE IN THE AREA WE HAD PASSED THROUGH SINCE ITS REVISION. THE FLOOR HAD BEEN LOWERED FROM 6000 FT TO 3600 FT. FAILURE OF PIC TO USE ALL AVAILABLE INFO BEFORE EMBARKING ON FLT. USE OF OUT DATED CHARTS FOR FLT. (MY SPOUSE HAD COPIES OF CURRENT CHARTS IN MY FLT BAG BUT DID NOT COMPARE THEM AGAINST THOSE I USED FOR FLT PLANNING UNTIL HE ARRIVED HOME.) FAILURE TO USE CHARLOTTE DEP FOR CLASS B AIRSPACE AVOIDANCE. (THIS MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN GIVEN DEPENDING ON ATC WORKLOAD.) LACK OF SLEEP BY MY SPOUSE ON DAY OF FLT (4 HRS). ATC WORKLOAD. (WE HAVE IN THE PAST CONTACTED CHARLOTTE DEP ON AT LEAST 4 OCCASIONS AND BEEN DENIED ENTRY THROUGH CLASS B. THIS LEADS TO FRUSTRATION BY PLTS WANTING TO USE THE SYS AND NOT BEING ALLOWED TO DO SO.) FAA NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR AIRSPACE CHANGES. THE FAA SHOULD NOTIFY ALL LCL PLTS (100 MI RADIUS) OF ANY MAJOR CHANGES TO AIRSPACE WELL IN ADVANCE BY MAIL. FAILURE TO ADJUST TO FLT PLAN FOR RWY DEP DIRECTION. LCL ARPT OPS ON RWY 2 REQUIRE PLTS TO FLY RWY HDG ACROSS POPULAR TENT ROAD AND CLB TO 1000 FT AGL BEFORE PROCEEDING ON COURSE. THIS WOULD HAVE PLACED US ON THE OUTER EDGE OF THE 3600 FT CLASS B BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH A L TURN TOWARD BARRETS MOUNTAIN VOR. NOT REVIEWING FLT PLAN OF 20 HR STUDENT VERSUS 1000 HR INST RATED PLT.

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.