Narrative:

Adcus was placed in flight plan. Customs was supposed to be advised of our arrival. From center, I changed frequencys and asked miami FSS to advise customs of our XA20 arrival at ktmb. Customs was not advised. I was told I would be fined $500.00 for not calling and so would adcus. Further, investigators were called because the customs supervisor believed that the flight was in violation. The customs supervisor was very unpleasant and unprofessional even though I was a united states citizen. He did not allow me to speak and warned me I could be arrested. I had to situation in customs for 2 hours, quietly, not being told what happened or what violations, if any, were being investigated. I believe that was a violation of my rights. I was assigned to this flight from ktmb to myat the day before as an instructor in a multi-engine aircraft on a flight to the bahamas. The passenger had made a reservation at our flight school to have an instructor fly him to the bahamas for an instructional type of flight. In-flight, the supposed student showed little interest in training. He did not show any interest in flying the aircraft. We discussed training options since he wanted to buy land in the bahamas near an airport. The supposed student rode in the left seat and I, the instructor, on the right. The student was from italy. I do not know if he understood we were a flight school, but this flight turned out to be a flight that should have been done by a charter company. I do not know if he used us knowingly or unknowingly for his personal purposes. On the way back he showed even less interest in controling the aircraft. His nationality leaves me to believe this was all a misunderstanding. He took pictures of an island in the bahamas and that is when I started feeling that he was more interested in taking pictures than receiving instruction. When we landed at the customs office in ktmb we were asked our business in the bahamas and we both confirmed that we had been doing some flight instruction and taking pictures. This is when the supervisor jumped in. His belief was that we were doing something illegal and separated us. He had investigators come to the airport. I was questioned in a padded cell. The questioning was relentless and I answered all their questions only to have them used against me later. I was never read my rights or given a concrete reason why I was held for 4 hours in united states customs. I understand the importance of protecting our borders and the importance of their job. However, they should not have the power to treat people as they see fit and not as the law allows. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter advised that the angry customs agent called the FAA regarding the incident. An agent of that department was dispatched and examined reporter's documents. He discovered that reporter's medical certificate was not on his person and required him to take 2 hours remedial training regarding FARS to avoid a violation. Reporter has subsequently determined the likely reason for the passenger/student's lack of interest in flight training was due to the fact that 2 hours of multi-engine 'training' for the flight was approximately half the cost of actually chartering a similar aircraft for the real purpose of his flight, which was a visual inspection of a property the passenger was interested in purchasing. Reporter satisfied the FAA's training requirement and has heard nothing further from their customs or the FAA.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT AND STUDENT PLT OF PA23, NOTWITHSTANDING THEIR INDICATION OF 'ADCUS' ON THEIR FLT PLAN AND REMINDERS TO ENRTE CTLRS TO ADVISE CUSTOMS, ARE DETAINED FOR 5 HRS BY TMB CUSTOMS OFFICIALS FOR ALLEGEDLY NOT PROVIDING PROPER NOTIFICATION OF THEIR ARR.

Narrative: ADCUS WAS PLACED IN FLT PLAN. CUSTOMS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ADVISED OF OUR ARR. FROM CTR, I CHANGED FREQS AND ASKED MIAMI FSS TO ADVISE CUSTOMS OF OUR XA20 ARR AT KTMB. CUSTOMS WAS NOT ADVISED. I WAS TOLD I WOULD BE FINED $500.00 FOR NOT CALLING AND SO WOULD ADCUS. FURTHER, INVESTIGATORS WERE CALLED BECAUSE THE CUSTOMS SUPVR BELIEVED THAT THE FLT WAS IN VIOLATION. THE CUSTOMS SUPVR WAS VERY UNPLEASANT AND UNPROFESSIONAL EVEN THOUGH I WAS A UNITED STATES CITIZEN. HE DID NOT ALLOW ME TO SPEAK AND WARNED ME I COULD BE ARRESTED. I HAD TO SIT IN CUSTOMS FOR 2 HRS, QUIETLY, NOT BEING TOLD WHAT HAPPENED OR WHAT VIOLATIONS, IF ANY, WERE BEING INVESTIGATED. I BELIEVE THAT WAS A VIOLATION OF MY RIGHTS. I WAS ASSIGNED TO THIS FLT FROM KTMB TO MYAT THE DAY BEFORE AS AN INSTRUCTOR IN A MULTI-ENG ACFT ON A FLT TO THE BAHAMAS. THE PAX HAD MADE A RESERVATION AT OUR FLT SCHOOL TO HAVE AN INSTRUCTOR FLY HIM TO THE BAHAMAS FOR AN INSTRUCTIONAL TYPE OF FLT. INFLT, THE SUPPOSED STUDENT SHOWED LITTLE INTEREST IN TRAINING. HE DID NOT SHOW ANY INTEREST IN FLYING THE ACFT. WE DISCUSSED TRAINING OPTIONS SINCE HE WANTED TO BUY LAND IN THE BAHAMAS NEAR AN ARPT. THE SUPPOSED STUDENT RODE IN THE L SEAT AND I, THE INSTRUCTOR, ON THE R. THE STUDENT WAS FROM ITALY. I DO NOT KNOW IF HE UNDERSTOOD WE WERE A FLT SCHOOL, BUT THIS FLT TURNED OUT TO BE A FLT THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE BY A CHARTER COMPANY. I DO NOT KNOW IF HE USED US KNOWINGLY OR UNKNOWINGLY FOR HIS PERSONAL PURPOSES. ON THE WAY BACK HE SHOWED EVEN LESS INTEREST IN CTLING THE ACFT. HIS NATIONALITY LEAVES ME TO BELIEVE THIS WAS ALL A MISUNDERSTANDING. HE TOOK PICTURES OF AN ISLAND IN THE BAHAMAS AND THAT IS WHEN I STARTED FEELING THAT HE WAS MORE INTERESTED IN TAKING PICTURES THAN RECEIVING INSTRUCTION. WHEN WE LANDED AT THE CUSTOMS OFFICE IN KTMB WE WERE ASKED OUR BUSINESS IN THE BAHAMAS AND WE BOTH CONFIRMED THAT WE HAD BEEN DOING SOME FLT INSTRUCTION AND TAKING PICTURES. THIS IS WHEN THE SUPVR JUMPED IN. HIS BELIEF WAS THAT WE WERE DOING SOMETHING ILLEGAL AND SEPARATED US. HE HAD INVESTIGATORS COME TO THE ARPT. I WAS QUESTIONED IN A PADDED CELL. THE QUESTIONING WAS RELENTLESS AND I ANSWERED ALL THEIR QUESTIONS ONLY TO HAVE THEM USED AGAINST ME LATER. I WAS NEVER READ MY RIGHTS OR GIVEN A CONCRETE REASON WHY I WAS HELD FOR 4 HRS IN UNITED STATES CUSTOMS. I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING OUR BORDERS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR JOB. HOWEVER, THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE THE PWR TO TREAT PEOPLE AS THEY SEE FIT AND NOT AS THE LAW ALLOWS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR ADVISED THAT THE ANGRY CUSTOMS AGENT CALLED THE FAA REGARDING THE INCIDENT. AN AGENT OF THAT DEPT WAS DISPATCHED AND EXAMINED RPTR'S DOCUMENTS. HE DISCOVERED THAT RPTR'S MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WAS NOT ON HIS PERSON AND REQUIRED HIM TO TAKE 2 HRS REMEDIAL TRAINING REGARDING FARS TO AVOID A VIOLATION. RPTR HAS SUBSEQUENTLY DETERMINED THE LIKELY REASON FOR THE PAX/STUDENT'S LACK OF INTEREST IN FLT TRAINING WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT 2 HRS OF MULTI-ENG 'TRAINING' FOR THE FLT WAS APPROX HALF THE COST OF ACTUALLY CHARTERING A SIMILAR ACFT FOR THE REAL PURPOSE OF HIS FLT, WHICH WAS A VISUAL INSPECTION OF A PROPERTY THE PAX WAS INTERESTED IN PURCHASING. RPTR SATISFIED THE FAA'S TRAINING REQUIREMENT AND HAS HEARD NOTHING FURTHER FROM THEIR CUSTOMS OR THE FAA.

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.