Narrative:

On jul/mon/03, I returned from my vacation in maine in a PA18 on floats. Upon landing in gordonsville, gve, I was notified that I was involved in an incident with the washington, dc ADIZ. This news took me by complete surprise because I had made certain I was the proper distance away from the dca airport. I was informed that I was 32 mi from the airport, and the sector I was in had boundaries that extended out 40 mi. On jul/tue/03, I received a briefing regarding tfr's along the eastern coast. The briefer advised me of the tfr saying there was a 30 mi radius around the dca airport. This is where the misunderstanding between he and I occurred. From that point, I understood it to be a 30 mi radius around the dca airport. If I had received the correct information, I would have made absolute certain that I stayed clear of the washington, dc airspace. I did not take into consideration the baltimore and dulles airports because I did not think they were included. I knew where I was the entire route of flight. I blame myself for not looking up the exact dimensions before the flight. Furthermore, I take the blame for not contacting a controller and establishing communications along the route. They would have informed me of my inaccurate instructions, and they would have helped me stay clear. On the flight to maine, I tried to receive flight following several times, and I was rejected due to their inability to find me on radar. I find this hard to believe now since I was followed to the gordonsville airport. I have a few suggestions that could have helped me avoid this incident. The rejection from the flight following on thursday was substandard. I am not saying that they have to talk to everyone, but I would like them to at least acknowledge us or say something that would make more sense than the fact that they couldn't find me on radar. Regarding sectionals, since they are printed about every couple of months, I think that tfr's should be included on them. That is the way I was doing my navigation, and a visual of the tfr on the sectional itself would have brought to my attention the discrepancy between what I believed to be true and what were the true actual dimensions of the ADIZ. Throughout this entire process, I have learned that my VFR flight planning needs to be more in depth on a flight across country and especially beside such a major airspace. I completely understand now how serious it is to violate airspace, and I have learned that it is necessary to go to all measures to make sure this does not happen again.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF PA18 TRANSGRESSED DC ADIZ AFTER RECEIVING INACCURATE BRIEFING FROM FSS AND BEING REFUSED RADAR SVC AND FLT FOLLOWING WHEN REQUESTED.

Narrative: ON JUL/MON/03, I RETURNED FROM MY VACATION IN MAINE IN A PA18 ON FLOATS. UPON LNDG IN GORDONSVILLE, GVE, I WAS NOTIFIED THAT I WAS INVOLVED IN AN INCIDENT WITH THE WASHINGTON, DC ADIZ. THIS NEWS TOOK ME BY COMPLETE SURPRISE BECAUSE I HAD MADE CERTAIN I WAS THE PROPER DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE DCA ARPT. I WAS INFORMED THAT I WAS 32 MI FROM THE ARPT, AND THE SECTOR I WAS IN HAD BOUNDARIES THAT EXTENDED OUT 40 MI. ON JUL/TUE/03, I RECEIVED A BRIEFING REGARDING TFR'S ALONG THE EASTERN COAST. THE BRIEFER ADVISED ME OF THE TFR SAYING THERE WAS A 30 MI RADIUS AROUND THE DCA ARPT. THIS IS WHERE THE MISUNDERSTANDING BTWN HE AND I OCCURRED. FROM THAT POINT, I UNDERSTOOD IT TO BE A 30 MI RADIUS AROUND THE DCA ARPT. IF I HAD RECEIVED THE CORRECT INFO, I WOULD HAVE MADE ABSOLUTE CERTAIN THAT I STAYED CLR OF THE WASHINGTON, DC AIRSPACE. I DID NOT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE BALTIMORE AND DULLES ARPTS BECAUSE I DID NOT THINK THEY WERE INCLUDED. I KNEW WHERE I WAS THE ENTIRE RTE OF FLT. I BLAME MYSELF FOR NOT LOOKING UP THE EXACT DIMENSIONS BEFORE THE FLT. FURTHERMORE, I TAKE THE BLAME FOR NOT CONTACTING A CTLR AND ESTABLISHING COMS ALONG THE RTE. THEY WOULD HAVE INFORMED ME OF MY INACCURATE INSTRUCTIONS, AND THEY WOULD HAVE HELPED ME STAY CLR. ON THE FLT TO MAINE, I TRIED TO RECEIVE FLT FOLLOWING SEVERAL TIMES, AND I WAS REJECTED DUE TO THEIR INABILITY TO FIND ME ON RADAR. I FIND THIS HARD TO BELIEVE NOW SINCE I WAS FOLLOWED TO THE GORDONSVILLE ARPT. I HAVE A FEW SUGGESTIONS THAT COULD HAVE HELPED ME AVOID THIS INCIDENT. THE REJECTION FROM THE FLT FOLLOWING ON THURSDAY WAS SUBSTANDARD. I AM NOT SAYING THAT THEY HAVE TO TALK TO EVERYONE, BUT I WOULD LIKE THEM TO AT LEAST ACKNOWLEDGE US OR SAY SOMETHING THAT WOULD MAKE MORE SENSE THAN THE FACT THAT THEY COULDN'T FIND ME ON RADAR. REGARDING SECTIONALS, SINCE THEY ARE PRINTED ABOUT EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS, I THINK THAT TFR'S SHOULD BE INCLUDED ON THEM. THAT IS THE WAY I WAS DOING MY NAV, AND A VISUAL OF THE TFR ON THE SECTIONAL ITSELF WOULD HAVE BROUGHT TO MY ATTN THE DISCREPANCY BTWN WHAT I BELIEVED TO BE TRUE AND WHAT WERE THE TRUE ACTUAL DIMENSIONS OF THE ADIZ. THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PROCESS, I HAVE LEARNED THAT MY VFR FLT PLANNING NEEDS TO BE MORE IN DEPTH ON A FLT ACROSS COUNTRY AND ESPECIALLY BESIDE SUCH A MAJOR AIRSPACE. I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND NOW HOW SERIOUS IT IS TO VIOLATE AIRSPACE, AND I HAVE LEARNED THAT IT IS NECESSARY TO GO TO ALL MEASURES TO MAKE SURE THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.

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.