Narrative:

Jan/xx/97, at XA21 am, after a request for a tv news helicopter flight to the marysville, ca, area to cover the flooding caused by a broken levee on the feather river, I called the FSS to confirm whether or not an far part 91.137 temporary flight restr had been placed in the marysville, ca, area. I was informed that the only far part 91.137 temporary flight restr on record was in the russian river area. Again at XC10 am, with my tv news crew on board an MD500 helicopter, I again called the FSS to confirm whether or not an far part 91.137 temporary flight restr had been placed in the marysville, ca, area. Once again I was informed that the only far part 91.137 temporary flight restr on record was in the russian river area. I was in the air by XC15 am and flew direct towards marysville via the sacramento river to the feather river through smf's airspace at 500 ft AGL. After a handoff from the smf control tower I tried to call sacramento approach and was told my transmission was unreadable (low altitude) so I tried to call the marysville FSS, the yuba county airport unicom, the sutter county airport unicom, and the ranch murrietta unicom (low altitude) with no answer. I arrived at the broken dike and tv news coverage was made of the broken dike and flooding in the vicinity of the broken dike. There was no aircraft or ground rescue activity in the area and only once was a military helicopter seen in the far distance. I stayed at least 3 NM from the sutter county airport and approximately 5 NM from olivehurst where the evacuate/evacuations were in effect. After approximately 15 mins in the area I called the beale AFB tower and was told that they were unaware of any restr area and they gave me another sacramento approach frequency. I climbed to 4000 ft to the west of the feather river, made radio contact with sacramento approach, was informed that the marysville FSS was not in service and that a temporary flight restr was now in effect. I departed the area to the south. After the flight I contacted FSS and was told that the far part 91.137 temporary flight restr was placed in effect after my takeoff and that the FSS had my 2 prior briefing calls on record at XA21 am and XC10 am. There has to be a better way to be informed of far part 91.137 temporary flight restrs. I have not been contacted by anyone regarding the above.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD500 HELI ON TV NEWS MISSION ENTERED TEMPORARY RESTR AREA. AREA WAS PUT ON TEMPORARY RESTR AFTER RPTR TOOK OFF. IT WASN'T YET LISTED WHEN RPTR CHKED WITH FSS.

Narrative: JAN/XX/97, AT XA21 AM, AFTER A REQUEST FOR A TV NEWS HELI FLT TO THE MARYSVILLE, CA, AREA TO COVER THE FLOODING CAUSED BY A BROKEN LEVEE ON THE FEATHER RIVER, I CALLED THE FSS TO CONFIRM WHETHER OR NOT AN FAR PART 91.137 TEMPORARY FLT RESTR HAD BEEN PLACED IN THE MARYSVILLE, CA, AREA. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE ONLY FAR PART 91.137 TEMPORARY FLT RESTR ON RECORD WAS IN THE RUSSIAN RIVER AREA. AGAIN AT XC10 AM, WITH MY TV NEWS CREW ON BOARD AN MD500 HELI, I AGAIN CALLED THE FSS TO CONFIRM WHETHER OR NOT AN FAR PART 91.137 TEMPORARY FLT RESTR HAD BEEN PLACED IN THE MARYSVILLE, CA, AREA. ONCE AGAIN I WAS INFORMED THAT THE ONLY FAR PART 91.137 TEMPORARY FLT RESTR ON RECORD WAS IN THE RUSSIAN RIVER AREA. I WAS IN THE AIR BY XC15 AM AND FLEW DIRECT TOWARDS MARYSVILLE VIA THE SACRAMENTO RIVER TO THE FEATHER RIVER THROUGH SMF'S AIRSPACE AT 500 FT AGL. AFTER A HDOF FROM THE SMF CTL TWR I TRIED TO CALL SACRAMENTO APCH AND WAS TOLD MY XMISSION WAS UNREADABLE (LOW ALT) SO I TRIED TO CALL THE MARYSVILLE FSS, THE YUBA COUNTY ARPT UNICOM, THE SUTTER COUNTY ARPT UNICOM, AND THE RANCH MURRIETTA UNICOM (LOW ALT) WITH NO ANSWER. I ARRIVED AT THE BROKEN DIKE AND TV NEWS COVERAGE WAS MADE OF THE BROKEN DIKE AND FLOODING IN THE VICINITY OF THE BROKEN DIKE. THERE WAS NO ACFT OR GND RESCUE ACTIVITY IN THE AREA AND ONLY ONCE WAS A MIL HELI SEEN IN THE FAR DISTANCE. I STAYED AT LEAST 3 NM FROM THE SUTTER COUNTY ARPT AND APPROX 5 NM FROM OLIVEHURST WHERE THE EVACS WERE IN EFFECT. AFTER APPROX 15 MINS IN THE AREA I CALLED THE BEALE AFB TWR AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WERE UNAWARE OF ANY RESTR AREA AND THEY GAVE ME ANOTHER SACRAMENTO APCH FREQ. I CLBED TO 4000 FT TO THE W OF THE FEATHER RIVER, MADE RADIO CONTACT WITH SACRAMENTO APCH, WAS INFORMED THAT THE MARYSVILLE FSS WAS NOT IN SVC AND THAT A TEMPORARY FLT RESTR WAS NOW IN EFFECT. I DEPARTED THE AREA TO THE S. AFTER THE FLT I CONTACTED FSS AND WAS TOLD THAT THE FAR PART 91.137 TEMPORARY FLT RESTR WAS PLACED IN EFFECT AFTER MY TKOF AND THAT THE FSS HAD MY 2 PRIOR BRIEFING CALLS ON RECORD AT XA21 AM AND XC10 AM. THERE HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY TO BE INFORMED OF FAR PART 91.137 TEMPORARY FLT RESTRS. I HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED BY ANYONE REGARDING THE ABOVE.

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.