Narrative:

I fly a part 135 S76 helicopter, single pilot medical transport mission. On aug/xa/00, I received an urgent request for medical transport of a newborn from a hospital in ZZZ to a hospital in XXX. We were to pick up a medical team first, then fly to ZZZ for a pickup. I had not flown into the ZZZ area for several yrs and had never been to ZZZ. A hasty map reconnaissance did not show me the hospital, but the coordinates placed it outside of prohibited airspace, so I landed and planned to use radar to assist. Upon arrival at the reporting point, with the ZZZ helicopter route chart out, I was given clearance direct to ZZZ. After seeing I was well clear of the prohibited space, I set my map down on the center console to watch for traffic and search for the heliport using our GPS to navigation. ZZZ tower told me to turn 20 degrees right to avoid a prohibited area. I answered 'roger' and stated that 'I did have my map out.' tower replied 'you are flying in here without a map?' to which I answered that 'I had a map, but had set it down to find the helipad.' I did not at this time know where the prohibited area was. Tower gave me a frequency change which I rogered. Realizing I was still 3-4 mi from ZZZ, I called back to tower to re-establish contact. As I maneuvered the helicopter south to the ZZZ pad, the tower rogered me and told me to call landing assured at the hospital. On a 1/2 mi final to the hospital pad, I called landing assured and was given a frequency change from YYY tower. I did not know the location of the prohibited area, but tower said nothing about it. I am not certain, but I could have flown over part of the prohibited area on final to ZZZ. On the ground, I did a thorough reconnaissance of the map, noticing a 'blow up' of the area on the back of the map. On departure, I took off west following the route north to keep well clear of the prohibited area. In retrospect, I realize that I should not have launched without knowing the exact position of ZZZ on the map. I allowed the urgency of the transport of a sick infant to rush me. A more thorough map reconnaissance would have revealed the prohibited area proximity (1 mi) to ZZZ and prompted more caution on my part. Further, being unfamiliar with the area, I should have requested radar vectors from YYY tower around the prohibited areas and to ZZZ. My trimble GPS has restr airspace warnings, but did not warn me of this one. To prevent a recurrence of this event, I briefed our pilots on this event and informed my chief pilot. We now have a section in our reading file on the ZZZ area airspace.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AIR AMBULANCE HELI FLT ENRTE BTWN 2 HOSPITALS CLIPS A PROHIBITED AREA DUE TO INSUFFICIENT PREFLT PLANNING.

Narrative: I FLY A PART 135 S76 HELI, SINGLE PLT MEDICAL TRANSPORT MISSION. ON AUG/XA/00, I RECEIVED AN URGENT REQUEST FOR MEDICAL TRANSPORT OF A NEWBORN FROM A HOSPITAL IN ZZZ TO A HOSPITAL IN XXX. WE WERE TO PICK UP A MEDICAL TEAM FIRST, THEN FLY TO ZZZ FOR A PICKUP. I HAD NOT FLOWN INTO THE ZZZ AREA FOR SEVERAL YRS AND HAD NEVER BEEN TO ZZZ. A HASTY MAP RECONNAISSANCE DID NOT SHOW ME THE HOSPITAL, BUT THE COORDINATES PLACED IT OUTSIDE OF PROHIBITED AIRSPACE, SO I LANDED AND PLANNED TO USE RADAR TO ASSIST. UPON ARR AT THE RPTING POINT, WITH THE ZZZ HELI RTE CHART OUT, I WAS GIVEN CLRNC DIRECT TO ZZZ. AFTER SEEING I WAS WELL CLR OF THE PROHIBITED SPACE, I SET MY MAP DOWN ON THE CTR CONSOLE TO WATCH FOR TFC AND SEARCH FOR THE HELIPORT USING OUR GPS TO NAV. ZZZ TWR TOLD ME TO TURN 20 DEGS R TO AVOID A PROHIBITED AREA. I ANSWERED 'ROGER' AND STATED THAT 'I DID HAVE MY MAP OUT.' TWR REPLIED 'YOU ARE FLYING IN HERE WITHOUT A MAP?' TO WHICH I ANSWERED THAT 'I HAD A MAP, BUT HAD SET IT DOWN TO FIND THE HELIPAD.' I DID NOT AT THIS TIME KNOW WHERE THE PROHIBITED AREA WAS. TWR GAVE ME A FREQ CHANGE WHICH I ROGERED. REALIZING I WAS STILL 3-4 MI FROM ZZZ, I CALLED BACK TO TWR TO RE-ESTABLISH CONTACT. AS I MANEUVERED THE HELI S TO THE ZZZ PAD, THE TWR ROGERED ME AND TOLD ME TO CALL LNDG ASSURED AT THE HOSPITAL. ON A 1/2 MI FINAL TO THE HOSPITAL PAD, I CALLED LNDG ASSURED AND WAS GIVEN A FREQ CHANGE FROM YYY TWR. I DID NOT KNOW THE LOCATION OF THE PROHIBITED AREA, BUT TWR SAID NOTHING ABOUT IT. I AM NOT CERTAIN, BUT I COULD HAVE FLOWN OVER PART OF THE PROHIBITED AREA ON FINAL TO ZZZ. ON THE GND, I DID A THOROUGH RECONNAISSANCE OF THE MAP, NOTICING A 'BLOW UP' OF THE AREA ON THE BACK OF THE MAP. ON DEP, I TOOK OFF W FOLLOWING THE RTE N TO KEEP WELL CLR OF THE PROHIBITED AREA. IN RETROSPECT, I REALIZE THAT I SHOULD NOT HAVE LAUNCHED WITHOUT KNOWING THE EXACT POS OF ZZZ ON THE MAP. I ALLOWED THE URGENCY OF THE TRANSPORT OF A SICK INFANT TO RUSH ME. A MORE THOROUGH MAP RECONNAISSANCE WOULD HAVE REVEALED THE PROHIBITED AREA PROX (1 MI) TO ZZZ AND PROMPTED MORE CAUTION ON MY PART. FURTHER, BEING UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA, I SHOULD HAVE REQUESTED RADAR VECTORS FROM YYY TWR AROUND THE PROHIBITED AREAS AND TO ZZZ. MY TRIMBLE GPS HAS RESTR AIRSPACE WARNINGS, BUT DID NOT WARN ME OF THIS ONE. TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE OF THIS EVENT, I BRIEFED OUR PLTS ON THIS EVENT AND INFORMED MY CHIEF PLT. WE NOW HAVE A SECTION IN OUR READING FILE ON THE ZZZ AREA AIRSPACE.

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.