Air Traffic controllers question..

pierre smith · #1 07-05-2011, 05:18 AM

Jenny and I were coming home from Beaufort, S.C. yestedray only to see huge thunderstorms on the 496, headed from west to east, directly over our home base ..2J3.

We notified the flight following controller, (Jacksonville, Fl.), that our new destination was KSBO, 30 miles south of home, to wait out the thunderstorms, now visually located.

On arrival at SBO, the runway had cars on it and also the taxiway, around 5:30 p.m. While we circled no one moved any vehicles and I thought about landing anyway...they were probably getting ready for a fireworks display, so we put our home base back in the 496 and 430W and decided that it looked like the last remnants of rain and that we could fit between two big ones and we did. Only the far end of the runway had rain and we hangared the airplane, with an hour of fuel remaining.

Later last night, the phone rang and it was the FAA, looking for an overdue airplane that hadn't landed at KSBO. I explained to her that I had been told by Atanta flight following that KSBO was 8 miles, 12 o'clock and I had acknowledged to squawk VFR, which I did and switched to KSBO's CTAF to no avail. That's when we saw the cars and headed home.

We weren't on a flight plan, so why did they call? I was half asleep so I returned her call this morning to clarify a coupla things and she said that all was well. I'm still scratching my head to A) figure out why they called and B) how she found my cell phone number.

Best,

TS Flightlines · #2 07-05-2011, 05:24 AM

That does seem to be a bit strange to me, but what do I know!
Stay in touch.
Tom

Jerry Fischer · #3 07-05-2011, 06:28 AM

Hi Pierre,
Glad you made it OK.
Probably would not hurt to fill out a NASA form to CYA in next 10 days. I'm surprised they called also since you had not filed a FP, but due to flight following they were'nt sure what happened. It happened to me one evening into EDE on a IFR FP as I neglected to close out after landing. I informed the controller that I had the field in sight and to cancel IFR. They must not have received the transmission as they called the location and wanted to know where I was. I too filled out the NASA form so I had no problem. See you at OSH as I'm working in HB Camping.
Blue Skies,
Jerry

tkatc · #4 07-05-2011, 07:48 AM

Nobody would come looking for you unless you filed a VFR flight plan and activated it.

Flight following does not afford you such a service.

Your story sounds very odd but i do suspect something. I suspect that the alternate airport was NOTAMed closed. I also suspect the controller who turned you loose to a closed airport (if that was the case) realized it was closed after you switched frequencies and that controller took action to locate you.

This is WILD speculation on my part but is the only thing that sort of makes sense given the details you provided. Either way, I am glad you are home safe without incident.

erich weaver · #5 07-05-2011, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tkatc

Nobody would come looking for you unless you filed a VFR flight plan and activated it.

Flight following does not afford you such a service.

REALLY? That was not my understanding. So if I disappear off the radar screen and/or lose radio contact while on flight following, the controller just shrugs his shoulders and continues with his job like nothing happened?

Doesnt make any sense to me.

erich

fehdxl · #6 07-05-2011, 11:09 AM

Similar thing happened to me back in February 2009. I was flying the newly purchased plane from Boise, ID to Wichita, KS with a fuel stop at Pines Bluff, WY. I had VFR flight following from BOI to 82V and about 10 miles from landing told the controller I had Pines Bluff in sight. He said, squawk 1200 switch to advisory, so I did and proceed to land.

Spent a short time on the ground re-fueling and then departed towards K50.

After I landed in Kansas and spoke with the previous owner letting him know I made it fine, he told me that the FAA had called him inquiring as to closing a flight plan and what happened at Pines Bluff. Of course they didn't have any of my information...I had only owned the plane for a day.

I guess once I called them back airborne on the next leg, they figured I was okay.

I also did not file a VFR plan nor activate a non-existant flight plan with Flight Service (different than ATC). Just airborne pick-up of flight following.

At the time I figured it was a mess up between Denver center and Cheyenne approach, since Cheyenne didn't seem to know what I was doing. But after hearing other strange stories, maybe this is an 'improvement' courtesy of DHS/NORAD and FAA integration post 9/11?

Just another data point.

-Jim

az_gila · #7 07-05-2011, 11:21 AM

In stormy weather we have had ATC calls to our airpark office number to check that planes have landed safely, even if they were on VFR FF only.

It just sounds like a controller is checking up a bit further than the regulations require...

pierre smith · #8 07-05-2011, 11:56 AM

I called the FSS today and there was no NOTAM for KSBO and besides, I didn't check because I wasn't planning on going there.

I then called the City manager and told him the story (phone # on Airnav.com). He was rather apologetic and was going to get to the bottom of it...ya think?

Anyway, all's well that ends well and I've learned another lesson...If you live in the Southern States, or any States where afternoon pop-up thunderstorms often happen, check NOTAMS for any airport that you might need to divert to...just in case, like we did yesterday, to be sure those airports aren't NOTAM'ed for a few hours' closures...you might need one of them!

Oh....and the money spent on the 496 and XM WX?...my wife wanted to kiss the unit

...the best bang for the buck you can spend if you travel much.

Best,

PS. The FSS just called back and said that the field at KSBO HAD, in fact, been NOTAMED but from 8:00 p.m. to midnight! We arrived at 5:30 p.m.
and the cars wouldn't move.

BillFear · #9 07-05-2011, 12:22 PM

On a recent VFR trip from Charlotte to Charleston I called for flight following. They opened a VFR flight plan all the way to my destination. I suppose the flight plan was closed because Charleston Exec has a tower. If it had been a CTAF field, I may have had the same issue. always learning!

bkthomps · #10 07-05-2011, 01:24 PM

I file IFR everywhere I go (XC's), I have yet to experience any negative results from this. Controllers are very accommodating and will gladly grant block altitudes or multiple deviations at pilots discretion, I can't think of a reason not to and continue to do so.