Narrative:

I was a passenger aboard a piper archer PA28-181. The flight was a pleasure flight from estherville, ia, to anoka county- blaine airport (janes field). The PIC of the aircraft is a private pilot. The flight started at XX00 am from the estherville airport with a route of flight to the anoka airport. The PIC established radio communications with ZMP 50 mi southwest of the anoka airport and received the proper clearance ('cleared to enter the minneapolis class B airspace'). The PIC received a transponder code as I recall, I believe it was XXXX. We were on a heading of 030 degrees when the controller gave us a heading of 360 degrees and a clearance to descend from 3500 ft to 2500 ft. We had passed over the flying cloud airspace, but the lower clearance to 2500 ft with the heading of 360 degrees put the aircraft on a course to the crystal airport and when the controller had cleared us to the anoka airport and resume own navigation the pilot mistook the crystal airport inadvertently for the anoka airport. The PIC (thinking that the anoka airport was about 3 mi ahead of us) left the ATC radio frequency to call anoka for a TA which we received, but we continued to monitor the ATC frequency. ATC called and requested that we make a phone call after landing. The pilot was making an attempt to enter a 'left base leg' for runway 35 so he thought, but when he idented the airport to be crystal, he climbed immediately and landed at anoka. When we landed I found a telephone and called the phone number. The person answering the phone did not identify himself, but I would assume that he as a supervisor at ZMP by the comments that he made. He told me that we had busted crystal airspace and left ZMP frequency without permission. I was not the PIC of the aircraft, but when asked for a name I gave him mine as well as my phone number. I was quite nervous at the time of the phone call and I was not thinking clearly. Now that I have taken a couple hours to sort things out I feel that the controller could have been more explicit as to the direction of anoka and the distance. We would not have been in crystal airspace if the ATC controller had not cleared us to 2500 ft. The phone call that I made is involving me because I made the call to ATC. May the record stand that I was not PIC.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPT FROM PAX OF PA28-181 REGARDING PENETRATION OF CLASS D AIRSPACE WHEN IN CONTACT WITH APCH CTL.

Narrative: I WAS A PAX ABOARD A PIPER ARCHER PA28-181. THE FLT WAS A PLEASURE FLT FROM ESTHERVILLE, IA, TO ANOKA COUNTY- BLAINE ARPT (JANES FIELD). THE PIC OF THE ACFT IS A PVT PLT. THE FLT STARTED AT XX00 AM FROM THE ESTHERVILLE ARPT WITH A RTE OF FLT TO THE ANOKA ARPT. THE PIC ESTABLISHED RADIO COMS WITH ZMP 50 MI SW OF THE ANOKA ARPT AND RECEIVED THE PROPER CLRNC ('CLRED TO ENTER THE MINNEAPOLIS CLASS B AIRSPACE'). THE PIC RECEIVED A XPONDER CODE AS I RECALL, I BELIEVE IT WAS XXXX. WE WERE ON A HDG OF 030 DEGS WHEN THE CTLR GAVE US A HDG OF 360 DEGS AND A CLRNC TO DSND FROM 3500 FT TO 2500 FT. WE HAD PASSED OVER THE FLYING CLOUD AIRSPACE, BUT THE LOWER CLRNC TO 2500 FT WITH THE HDG OF 360 DEGS PUT THE ACFT ON A COURSE TO THE CRYSTAL ARPT AND WHEN THE CTLR HAD CLRED US TO THE ANOKA ARPT AND RESUME OWN NAV THE PLT MISTOOK THE CRYSTAL ARPT INADVERTENTLY FOR THE ANOKA ARPT. THE PIC (THINKING THAT THE ANOKA ARPT WAS ABOUT 3 MI AHEAD OF US) LEFT THE ATC RADIO FREQ TO CALL ANOKA FOR A TA WHICH WE RECEIVED, BUT WE CONTINUED TO MONITOR THE ATC FREQ. ATC CALLED AND REQUESTED THAT WE MAKE A PHONE CALL AFTER LNDG. THE PLT WAS MAKING AN ATTEMPT TO ENTER A 'L BASE LEG' FOR RWY 35 SO HE THOUGHT, BUT WHEN HE IDENTED THE ARPT TO BE CRYSTAL, HE CLBED IMMEDIATELY AND LANDED AT ANOKA. WHEN WE LANDED I FOUND A TELEPHONE AND CALLED THE PHONE NUMBER. THE PERSON ANSWERING THE PHONE DID NOT IDENT HIMSELF, BUT I WOULD ASSUME THAT HE AS A SUPVR AT ZMP BY THE COMMENTS THAT HE MADE. HE TOLD ME THAT WE HAD BUSTED CRYSTAL AIRSPACE AND LEFT ZMP FREQ WITHOUT PERMISSION. I WAS NOT THE PIC OF THE ACFT, BUT WHEN ASKED FOR A NAME I GAVE HIM MINE AS WELL AS MY PHONE NUMBER. I WAS QUITE NERVOUS AT THE TIME OF THE PHONE CALL AND I WAS NOT THINKING CLRLY. NOW THAT I HAVE TAKEN A COUPLE HRS TO SORT THINGS OUT I FEEL THAT THE CTLR COULD HAVE BEEN MORE EXPLICIT AS TO THE DIRECTION OF ANOKA AND THE DISTANCE. WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN CRYSTAL AIRSPACE IF THE ATC CTLR HAD NOT CLRED US TO 2500 FT. THE PHONE CALL THAT I MADE IS INVOLVING ME BECAUSE I MADE THE CALL TO ATC. MAY THE RECORD STAND THAT I WAS NOT PIC.

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.