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ASRS 1581670

ACN 1581670 · 2018-09 · Lancair ES

Lancair ES pilot reported penetrating a TFR resulting in an airborne conflict with skydivers.

Parachutist / Aircraft Conflicts Final ApproachPart 91

Pilot narrative

Verbatim, de-identified by NASA. Placeholders: ZZZ, X, Y.

I was flying practice approaches for currency in and around ZZZ airport. I was briefed and was aware of the TFR over ZZZ1 for an air show. I was flying a practice GPS XX approach. I selected the GPS XX approach as it was on the opposite side of the airport from the TFR. I was communicating and monitoring the UNICOM frequency. I announced my position multiple times. When I was on short final, a King Air suddenly appeared on downwind for Runway XY [opposite direction] and announced his intention to land on XY, despite me having announced multiple times that I was on short final for XX. My attention was on the King Air when I glanced up and saw a windshield full of skydivers. I immediately began evasive action, turning first to the left so as to pass behind the King Air. However, I realized that turning left limited my visibility of the skydivers, so I then proceeded to turn back right parallel to the runway so I could see the skydivers. I also began a climb. I was very shaken by the event. By the time I composed myself and stopped looking for skydivers, I looked at my MFD and realized I had penetrated the TFR. I immediately executed a steep turn to the right to exit the TFR space. At the same time I switched from the UNICOM frequency to 121.5. About 20 seconds later I got a call on 121.5 from ATC. I described the situation to him, and was given a number to call. My penetration of the TFR was inadvertent and a result of the emergency situation with the skydivers. I believe my actions were justified, as avoiding contact with a skydiver was my priority during the emergency. I believe the King Air that appeared had been carrying the skydivers and made no attempt on UNICOM to inform me of their presence. I exited the TFR promptly on my own volition once the emergency situation had resolved itself.

NASA classification · Anomalies

  • Airspace Violation
  • Conflict
  • Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural
  • Inflight Event / Encounter

NASA classification · Assessments

Contributing Factors / Situations
Human Factors
Primary Problem
Human Factors

ASRS reports are voluntary, de-identified by NASA, and represent the reporter's perspective; they are not investigated and cannot be used to infer prevalence. Authoritative source: asrs.arc.nasa.gov ↗