Narrative:

This was the return leg of a cross country lesson. When the student got his WX briefing for the trip, he was not issued any NOTAMS. Our return leg brought us directly over the sikorsky heliport (jsd), a class D helicopter base 5 NM northeast of bridgeport (bdr), our destination. Bdr is also a class D airport. The heliport's published hours indicate that is closed on sunday, but it was open on this particular sunday and the operator had issued a NOTAM. It is bdr tower's custom to include a notice on the ATIS whenever jsd is operating. That notice had been on the ATIS in the morning, but it was not on the ATIS when we were returning from this trip. Therefore, I believed that the heliport had been open for part of the day, and had since closed. Therefore, I was surprised when bdr's local controller informed me that we had violated jsd's airspace as we descended to land at bdr. Corrective actions that would have helped: 1) I should have backed up my student's briefing by checking a computerized service (duats). Although duats briefings print many irrelevant NOTAMS, I would have found the one that said the heliport was operating that day. 2) bdr tower's ATIS is so long that many pilots don't listen to it anyway. It usually contains notices about hazardous WX briefings that are available elsewhere, that pilots must read back the assigned runway, etc. It also includes a notice whenever the heliport is operating, even during their normal published hours. This ATIS sometimes lasts for a full min, during which most light aircraft fly about 2 mi. Pilots become accustomed to hearing unchanging information appended to the ATIS, and often don't listen to that part. 3) it would help if jsd's class D boundary reflected their actual needs. Bdr's VOR runway 24 approach is inside jsd's airspace, but nobody calls the tower there when on this approach. As far as the pilot community knows, ATC in the area doesn't call them either. 4) bdr tower could either handoff traffic or issue early frequency changes to all pilots departing to the east or northeast, which takes them through at least the lateral boundary of jsd's class D airspace. Often, if a pilot requests a frequency change, bdr tower will say, 'leaving bdr class D airspace, frequency change is approved.' this is useless, especially for a pilot whose airplane has only one radio: the airspaces abut, and it is impossible to leave bdr airspace without violating jsd airspace if this instruction is obeyed. (Not all training aircraft can climb above 2500 ft AGL before leaving the lateral boundary of bdr airspace.) 5) in the same fashion, jsd tower could coordinate arrs to bdr. Or the 2 control towers could work out some kind of cooperative arrangement.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GRUMMAN AMERICAN AA5A INSTRUCTOR PLT, WITH STUDENT, RETURNING FROM A XCOUNTRY FLT TO THEIR HOME BASE, INADVERTENTLY CUT THROUGH THE CLASS D AIRSPACE OF AN ADJOINING JSD ARPT ON DSNDING TO LAND AT BDR.

Narrative: THIS WAS THE RETURN LEG OF A XCOUNTRY LESSON. WHEN THE STUDENT GOT HIS WX BRIEFING FOR THE TRIP, HE WAS NOT ISSUED ANY NOTAMS. OUR RETURN LEG BROUGHT US DIRECTLY OVER THE SIKORSKY HELIPORT (JSD), A CLASS D HELI BASE 5 NM NE OF BRIDGEPORT (BDR), OUR DEST. BDR IS ALSO A CLASS D ARPT. THE HELIPORT'S PUBLISHED HRS INDICATE THAT IS CLOSED ON SUNDAY, BUT IT WAS OPEN ON THIS PARTICULAR SUNDAY AND THE OPERATOR HAD ISSUED A NOTAM. IT IS BDR TWR'S CUSTOM TO INCLUDE A NOTICE ON THE ATIS WHENEVER JSD IS OPERATING. THAT NOTICE HAD BEEN ON THE ATIS IN THE MORNING, BUT IT WAS NOT ON THE ATIS WHEN WE WERE RETURNING FROM THIS TRIP. THEREFORE, I BELIEVED THAT THE HELIPORT HAD BEEN OPEN FOR PART OF THE DAY, AND HAD SINCE CLOSED. THEREFORE, I WAS SURPRISED WHEN BDR'S LCL CTLR INFORMED ME THAT WE HAD VIOLATED JSD'S AIRSPACE AS WE DSNDED TO LAND AT BDR. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS THAT WOULD HAVE HELPED: 1) I SHOULD HAVE BACKED UP MY STUDENT'S BRIEFING BY CHKING A COMPUTERIZED SVC (DUATS). ALTHOUGH DUATS BRIEFINGS PRINT MANY IRRELEVANT NOTAMS, I WOULD HAVE FOUND THE ONE THAT SAID THE HELIPORT WAS OPERATING THAT DAY. 2) BDR TWR'S ATIS IS SO LONG THAT MANY PLTS DON'T LISTEN TO IT ANYWAY. IT USUALLY CONTAINS NOTICES ABOUT HAZARDOUS WX BRIEFINGS THAT ARE AVAILABLE ELSEWHERE, THAT PLTS MUST READ BACK THE ASSIGNED RWY, ETC. IT ALSO INCLUDES A NOTICE WHENEVER THE HELIPORT IS OPERATING, EVEN DURING THEIR NORMAL PUBLISHED HRS. THIS ATIS SOMETIMES LASTS FOR A FULL MIN, DURING WHICH MOST LIGHT ACFT FLY ABOUT 2 MI. PLTS BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO HEARING UNCHANGING INFO APPENDED TO THE ATIS, AND OFTEN DON'T LISTEN TO THAT PART. 3) IT WOULD HELP IF JSD'S CLASS D BOUNDARY REFLECTED THEIR ACTUAL NEEDS. BDR'S VOR RWY 24 APCH IS INSIDE JSD'S AIRSPACE, BUT NOBODY CALLS THE TWR THERE WHEN ON THIS APCH. AS FAR AS THE PLT COMMUNITY KNOWS, ATC IN THE AREA DOESN'T CALL THEM EITHER. 4) BDR TWR COULD EITHER HDOF TFC OR ISSUE EARLY FREQ CHANGES TO ALL PLTS DEPARTING TO THE E OR NE, WHICH TAKES THEM THROUGH AT LEAST THE LATERAL BOUNDARY OF JSD'S CLASS D AIRSPACE. OFTEN, IF A PLT REQUESTS A FREQ CHANGE, BDR TWR WILL SAY, 'LEAVING BDR CLASS D AIRSPACE, FREQ CHANGE IS APPROVED.' THIS IS USELESS, ESPECIALLY FOR A PLT WHOSE AIRPLANE HAS ONLY ONE RADIO: THE AIRSPACES ABUT, AND IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO LEAVE BDR AIRSPACE WITHOUT VIOLATING JSD AIRSPACE IF THIS INSTRUCTION IS OBEYED. (NOT ALL TRAINING ACFT CAN CLB ABOVE 2500 FT AGL BEFORE LEAVING THE LATERAL BOUNDARY OF BDR AIRSPACE.) 5) IN THE SAME FASHION, JSD TWR COULD COORDINATE ARRS TO BDR. OR THE 2 CTL TWRS COULD WORK OUT SOME KIND OF COOPERATIVE ARRANGEMENT.

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.