Narrative:

At approximately XA00 on sep/sat/03, my crew was tasked with positioning a helicopter in the washington dc area to respond to hurricane damage. We were to launch at XD00 local and land at davison army airfield at approximately XF00 local. We called davison and received a ppr number for landing. We also called flagplot and were given the code word for the day. We checked WX and NOTAMS for the route of flight on our unit's computer system and the notices to airmen (domestic/international) air traffic pubs air traffic area-10, neither listed any current NOTAMS for davison. The quickest and preferred route for us was a direct VFR flight from fmh to daa. That route kept us over the ocean and we planned to pick up the potomac river and fly in VFR to davison. We had current VFR sectionals for new york, washington and charlotte and a current VFR terminal area chart for baltimore-washington. However, we lacked the helicopter route chart for baltimore-washington. Our unit carries VFR sectionals for the entire country but only helicopter route charts for our area of responsibility, which is from the canadian border to new york city. When we operate outside of our area we normally call a military unit in that area and ask them to send us the local helicopter route charts and brief us on the local flight rules. The short notice of this mission did not allow us to have the helicopter route chart sent and the hurricane forced the evacuate/evacuation of all local military units making it impossible to receive a brief from them. We did not foresee this as a problem because we had no intention of flying any helicopter rtes until after the hurricane at which time we would have received the charts from davison operations. We did have a copy of transportation security waiver approval code with us. This letter and the VFR terminal area chart made us well aware of the washington dc flight restr zone (frz). However, neither the letter nor the chart mentioned anything about the ADIZ. Our VFR route was planned to keep us well clear of the frz and what the current charts depicted as the class B airspace. Unfortunately, it is the helicopter route chart that depicts military aircraft to squawk discrete transponder codes for flts in that area. We did not have this chart. The helicopter route chart and the VFR terminal area chart both clearly define the frz. Neither the helicopter route chart, the VFR terminal area chart nor the VFR sectional depict the ADIZ in any way. All 3 of these charts depict the class B airspace as having a 30 NM mode C veil and 3500 ft base to a 10000 ft ceiling from the adw/dca 20 NM in to 15 NM ring, the area our helicopter transitioned through. Upon arrival in the dc area we remained well clear of the class B airspace by flying at 300 ft under the 3500 ft class B airspace veil. We attempted to contact washington approach on 124.2 and 269.0 with no respons. This is normal due to our low altitude. We contacted davison tower 12 mi southeast of daa and were cleared to land at their airport. While on short final, tower directed us to squawk XXXX immediately. After landing tower gave us a phone number and instructed us to contact the FAA. We called them immediately and they explained to us there was an ADIZ in addition to the frz, which required us to squawk XXX and contact potomac TRACON before entering the 20 NM ring around dc. Due to the lack of a local area brief from a local unit, the lack of a helicopter route chart, the lack of our NOTAM system addressing the airspace and the immediate launch requirement for the hurricane, we had no way of knowing the ADIZ was in effect. We have now started to put together a 'fly-away' pack for the dc area containing the helicopter route chart and addressing the local flight rules to prevent any future occurrences.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN OUT OF TOWN HILLER 60 FLT CREW PENETRATES THE DC ADIZ DURING A HURRICANE RELIEF FLT TO DAA, VA.

Narrative: AT APPROX XA00 ON SEP/SAT/03, MY CREW WAS TASKED WITH POSITIONING A HELI IN THE WASHINGTON DC AREA TO RESPOND TO HURRICANE DAMAGE. WE WERE TO LAUNCH AT XD00 LCL AND LAND AT DAVISON ARMY AIRFIELD AT APPROX XF00 LCL. WE CALLED DAVISON AND RECEIVED A PPR NUMBER FOR LNDG. WE ALSO CALLED FLAGPLOT AND WERE GIVEN THE CODE WORD FOR THE DAY. WE CHKED WX AND NOTAMS FOR THE RTE OF FLT ON OUR UNIT'S COMPUTER SYS AND THE NOTICES TO AIRMEN (DOMESTIC/INTL) AIR TFC PUBS ATA-10, NEITHER LISTED ANY CURRENT NOTAMS FOR DAVISON. THE QUICKEST AND PREFERRED RTE FOR US WAS A DIRECT VFR FLT FROM FMH TO DAA. THAT RTE KEPT US OVER THE OCEAN AND WE PLANNED TO PICK UP THE POTOMAC RIVER AND FLY IN VFR TO DAVISON. WE HAD CURRENT VFR SECTIONALS FOR NEW YORK, WASHINGTON AND CHARLOTTE AND A CURRENT VFR TERMINAL AREA CHART FOR BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON. HOWEVER, WE LACKED THE HELI RTE CHART FOR BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON. OUR UNIT CARRIES VFR SECTIONALS FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTRY BUT ONLY HELI RTE CHARTS FOR OUR AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY, WHICH IS FROM THE CANADIAN BORDER TO NEW YORK CITY. WHEN WE OPERATE OUTSIDE OF OUR AREA WE NORMALLY CALL A MIL UNIT IN THAT AREA AND ASK THEM TO SEND US THE LCL HELI RTE CHARTS AND BRIEF US ON THE LCL FLT RULES. THE SHORT NOTICE OF THIS MISSION DID NOT ALLOW US TO HAVE THE HELI RTE CHART SENT AND THE HURRICANE FORCED THE EVAC OF ALL LCL MIL UNITS MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO RECEIVE A BRIEF FROM THEM. WE DID NOT FORESEE THIS AS A PROB BECAUSE WE HAD NO INTENTION OF FLYING ANY HELI RTES UNTIL AFTER THE HURRICANE AT WHICH TIME WE WOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE CHARTS FROM DAVISON OPS. WE DID HAVE A COPY OF TRANSPORTATION SECURITY WAIVER APPROVAL CODE WITH US. THIS LETTER AND THE VFR TERMINAL AREA CHART MADE US WELL AWARE OF THE WASHINGTON DC FLT RESTR ZONE (FRZ). HOWEVER, NEITHER THE LETTER NOR THE CHART MENTIONED ANYTHING ABOUT THE ADIZ. OUR VFR RTE WAS PLANNED TO KEEP US WELL CLR OF THE FRZ AND WHAT THE CURRENT CHARTS DEPICTED AS THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS THE HELI RTE CHART THAT DEPICTS MIL ACFT TO SQUAWK DISCRETE XPONDER CODES FOR FLTS IN THAT AREA. WE DID NOT HAVE THIS CHART. THE HELI RTE CHART AND THE VFR TERMINAL AREA CHART BOTH CLRLY DEFINE THE FRZ. NEITHER THE HELI RTE CHART, THE VFR TERMINAL AREA CHART NOR THE VFR SECTIONAL DEPICT THE ADIZ IN ANY WAY. ALL 3 OF THESE CHARTS DEPICT THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AS HAVING A 30 NM MODE C VEIL AND 3500 FT BASE TO A 10000 FT CEILING FROM THE ADW/DCA 20 NM IN TO 15 NM RING, THE AREA OUR HELI TRANSITIONED THROUGH. UPON ARR IN THE DC AREA WE REMAINED WELL CLR OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE BY FLYING AT 300 FT UNDER THE 3500 FT CLASS B AIRSPACE VEIL. WE ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT WASHINGTON APCH ON 124.2 AND 269.0 WITH NO RESPONS. THIS IS NORMAL DUE TO OUR LOW ALT. WE CONTACTED DAVISON TWR 12 MI SE OF DAA AND WERE CLRED TO LAND AT THEIR ARPT. WHILE ON SHORT FINAL, TWR DIRECTED US TO SQUAWK XXXX IMMEDIATELY. AFTER LNDG TWR GAVE US A PHONE NUMBER AND INSTRUCTED US TO CONTACT THE FAA. WE CALLED THEM IMMEDIATELY AND THEY EXPLAINED TO US THERE WAS AN ADIZ IN ADDITION TO THE FRZ, WHICH REQUIRED US TO SQUAWK XXX AND CONTACT POTOMAC TRACON BEFORE ENTERING THE 20 NM RING AROUND DC. DUE TO THE LACK OF A LCL AREA BRIEF FROM A LCL UNIT, THE LACK OF A HELI RTE CHART, THE LACK OF OUR NOTAM SYS ADDRESSING THE AIRSPACE AND THE IMMEDIATE LAUNCH REQUIREMENT FOR THE HURRICANE, WE HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING THE ADIZ WAS IN EFFECT. WE HAVE NOW STARTED TO PUT TOGETHER A 'FLY-AWAY' PACK FOR THE DC AREA CONTAINING THE HELI RTE CHART AND ADDRESSING THE LCL FLT RULES TO PREVENT ANY FUTURE OCCURRENCES.

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.