Narrative:

On a beautiful; clear afternoon/evening; I was planning to fly with 2 passenger on a sightseeing trip that included the hudson river corridor. There were some tfr's indicated for the area. At about XA15 I checked with a briefer by calling 1-800-wxbrief and; as I had determined from my flight planning; the briefer confirmed that the tfr had canceled at XA00 and the other tfr did not become active until the next day. He mentioned the stadium tfr and asked if I had checked for the game schedule. I had; but not carefully enough; and that's where I made my mistake. Given its start time; I knew the game would be over unless it had gone into extra innings. So on the way to the airport I tuned to the yankee broadcast radio station at about XA20 and verified the game was over. I even listened to the traffic report of the fans leaving the stadium. Since I still did not have the precise time the game ended; and knowing the tfr remains active 1 hour after the game ended; we took our time preflting and departed so as to arrive in the area more than 1 hour after my check with the radio station. I started down the corridor; self announcing on the unicom. As the stadium came into view I noticed the stadium lights were still on. Looking back; that was another clue something was wrong. But here I again made a mistake by convincing myself that the lights were just still on from the earlier game; and I continued. No sooner had I arrived in the lower hudson area when one of the helicopters in the area contacted me on the unicom frequency to say the tfr was active. I questioned him indicating the length of time since the game had ended; when he startled me by saying it was a doubleheader. A doubleheader. That had somehow never entered my mind. I had not anticipated all the possibilities. I had tried to be so careful but here we were on the other side of penetrating an active tfr. The flight continued -- the long way around now that I was on the far side of an active tfr -- and we returned unhappy but uneventfully. Flight planning is critical to every flight no matter how short or for whatever purpose. But I clearly had missed something important by not being more thorough in my planning. New york city; ground zero; and the statue of liberty are a strong draw and a wonderful sight from the air over the hudson river; even patriotic; but not when the PIC does not plan properly. Going forward; I will be reviewing and reviewing every aspect of every flight; especially that portion before wheels up.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 NEARLY FLIES INTO TFR AT YANKEE STADIUM BEFORE BEING ADVISED THAT; ALTHOUGH THE FIRST GAME OF A DOUBLEHEADER WAS COMPLETED; THE SECOND GAME WAS NOW UNDERWAY.

Narrative: ON A BEAUTIFUL; CLR AFTERNOON/EVENING; I WAS PLANNING TO FLY WITH 2 PAX ON A SIGHTSEEING TRIP THAT INCLUDED THE HUDSON RIVER CORRIDOR. THERE WERE SOME TFR'S INDICATED FOR THE AREA. AT ABOUT XA15 I CHKED WITH A BRIEFER BY CALLING 1-800-WXBRIEF AND; AS I HAD DETERMINED FROM MY FLT PLANNING; THE BRIEFER CONFIRMED THAT THE TFR HAD CANCELED AT XA00 AND THE OTHER TFR DID NOT BECOME ACTIVE UNTIL THE NEXT DAY. HE MENTIONED THE STADIUM TFR AND ASKED IF I HAD CHKED FOR THE GAME SCHEDULE. I HAD; BUT NOT CAREFULLY ENOUGH; AND THAT'S WHERE I MADE MY MISTAKE. GIVEN ITS START TIME; I KNEW THE GAME WOULD BE OVER UNLESS IT HAD GONE INTO EXTRA INNINGS. SO ON THE WAY TO THE ARPT I TUNED TO THE YANKEE BROADCAST RADIO STATION AT ABOUT XA20 AND VERIFIED THE GAME WAS OVER. I EVEN LISTENED TO THE TFC RPT OF THE FANS LEAVING THE STADIUM. SINCE I STILL DID NOT HAVE THE PRECISE TIME THE GAME ENDED; AND KNOWING THE TFR REMAINS ACTIVE 1 HR AFTER THE GAME ENDED; WE TOOK OUR TIME PREFLTING AND DEPARTED SO AS TO ARRIVE IN THE AREA MORE THAN 1 HR AFTER MY CHK WITH THE RADIO STATION. I STARTED DOWN THE CORRIDOR; SELF ANNOUNCING ON THE UNICOM. AS THE STADIUM CAME INTO VIEW I NOTICED THE STADIUM LIGHTS WERE STILL ON. LOOKING BACK; THAT WAS ANOTHER CLUE SOMETHING WAS WRONG. BUT HERE I AGAIN MADE A MISTAKE BY CONVINCING MYSELF THAT THE LIGHTS WERE JUST STILL ON FROM THE EARLIER GAME; AND I CONTINUED. NO SOONER HAD I ARRIVED IN THE LOWER HUDSON AREA WHEN ONE OF THE HELIS IN THE AREA CONTACTED ME ON THE UNICOM FREQ TO SAY THE TFR WAS ACTIVE. I QUESTIONED HIM INDICATING THE LENGTH OF TIME SINCE THE GAME HAD ENDED; WHEN HE STARTLED ME BY SAYING IT WAS A DOUBLEHEADER. A DOUBLEHEADER. THAT HAD SOMEHOW NEVER ENTERED MY MIND. I HAD NOT ANTICIPATED ALL THE POSSIBILITIES. I HAD TRIED TO BE SO CAREFUL BUT HERE WE WERE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF PENETRATING AN ACTIVE TFR. THE FLT CONTINUED -- THE LONG WAY AROUND NOW THAT I WAS ON THE FAR SIDE OF AN ACTIVE TFR -- AND WE RETURNED UNHAPPY BUT UNEVENTFULLY. FLT PLANNING IS CRITICAL TO EVERY FLT NO MATTER HOW SHORT OR FOR WHATEVER PURPOSE. BUT I CLRLY HAD MISSED SOMETHING IMPORTANT BY NOT BEING MORE THOROUGH IN MY PLANNING. NEW YORK CITY; GND ZERO; AND THE STATUE OF LIBERTY ARE A STRONG DRAW AND A WONDERFUL SIGHT FROM THE AIR OVER THE HUDSON RIVER; EVEN PATRIOTIC; BUT NOT WHEN THE PIC DOES NOT PLAN PROPERLY. GOING FORWARD; I WILL BE REVIEWING AND REVIEWING EVERY ASPECT OF EVERY FLT; ESPECIALLY THAT PORTION BEFORE WHEELS UP.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.