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8 Answers

ATC handoff question

Asked by: 9253 views Airspace

Yesterday I was flying into a Class D airspace underlying a class C airspace VFR. I was under a flight following and approach told me to fly straight in for runway 2. Just after I crossed into the class D airspace. Approach said "Radar services terminated, contact tower". I contacted tower and they were a little bit confused why I was already in there airspace, with a squawk code, while vfr. On my way out I asked tower if I had done something wrong and they said I should have requested to cancel flight following outside of the airspace. Could I have gotten into trouble. I was under 2way communication the entire time with the exception of the switch from approach to tower and I was never asked to squawk 1200. ?

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8 Answers



  1. Nathan Parker on Oct 22, 2012

    You got caught by a disconnect between ATC policy and our legal requirements as pilots. According to the ATC handbook, they’re supposed to negotiate traversal of airspaces while you’re under flight following. According to the regulations, the responsibility in meeting airspace entry requirements falls on you.

    So you really need to make a choice between practicality and and self-protection. The odds for getting pursued for a pilot deviation in this scenario are probably remote, but if you did, you wouldn’t have much defense. I generally choose practicality, but your risk/reward evaluation may be different.

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  2. Koehn on Oct 22, 2012

    In my experience, approach would have contacted the tower and informed them of what was going on, and then handed you over prior to entering their airspace. However, that approach should have done this doesn’t absolve me as PIC of my responsibility to communicate with the tower before entering B/C/D airspace. If I’m getting close to the adjoining airspace under VFR, I’ll ask approach to hand me off to the tower. Usually I’ll make the call when I’m under ten miles from the airspace I’m about to enter. If approach really screws up and gives you a vector that sends you into class B airspace without a clearance it’s still your problem as PIC (I’ve had ATC give me vectors under flight following, but they’re not binding like clearances in class B airspace or IFR).

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  3. Bill Trussell on Oct 22, 2012

    This is a great question and one that I have some direct personal experience. The short answer is that it is your responsibility to ensure that all rules are followed. This would include VFR “handoffs” during flight following. You will need to assume that there are no “letters of authorization” between FAA facilities which might allow for the direct handoff of flights outside of established rules for equipment, communications, and training and qualifications for entry into any other airspace. The situation is similar for vectors into special use airspace or weather. The PIC is held responsible for and is the final authority for the flight.

    If you are ever questioned on why such a situation occurred you will need to explain to the receiving facility that you made an attempt to contact the controller to request to leave his control in favor of contacting the “tower” or whatever other facility is your next point of contact. In my case, during dual instruction with a student, the current facility (Baltimore Approach at the time(class B)) was too busy to contact in enough time to prevent airspace penetration while on vectors for approach. Martin State Tower (class D) indicated it was up to me to circle outside of their airspace prior to establishing communications. My response was “don’t you guys talk?” The answer was no.

    Bottom line: Assume nothing and ask prior to breaking any rules.

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  4. Pete Kemble on Oct 22, 2012

    You can always pick up the phone and call the tower, and if you really want to CYA, a NASA form wouldn’t hurt in these situations:

    http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/

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  5. Brent on Oct 22, 2012

    I’ve had related experience flying below Class B airspace on flight following. I was once assigned an altitude that, combined with my current heading, I was certain would take me through the Class D airspace of an airport which was not my destination. When I queried if I was clear to enter that airport’s airspace, the approach controller responded that I was clear through that airport’s class D as well as the adjacent one (another class D airport that was still not my destination) in a tone of voice that implied that it was a silly question. I certainly don’t regret asking, but I do wish the rules and procedures were clearer and more uniform.

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  6. Will Liebhaber on Oct 23, 2012

    According to both the 7110.65 and AIM, ATC clearly has the responsibility to cancel your radar services prior to entering the class D airspace of an underlying airport. In both references the requirement is to allow the pilot sufficient time to change frequencies and contact either the tower or traffic advisory service.

    From the 7110.65 ATC Manual Regarding Class C Approach Services:

    PARA 7-8-8 “… Terminate Class C service to aircraft landing at other than the primary airport at a sufficient distance from the airport to allow the pilot to change to the appropriate frequency for traffic and airport information.”

    From the AIM:

    PARA 3-2-4(f)(2) ”Aircraft proceeding inbound to a satellite airport will be terminated at a sufficient distance to allow time to change to the appropriate tower or advisory frequency. Class C services to these aircraft will be discontinued when the aircraft is instructed to contact the tower or change to advisory frequency.”

    While many letters of agreement between facilities may preclude the above references, it is always a good idea to plan on the regulation and not on the local policy. Your responsibility would have been to query the controller a little further out about a frequency change or to cancel flight following.

    If you have 2 radios, why not dial up tower in the #2 and give them a quick call? If they are expecting you to still be with approach until a handoff they will let you know. At least that way you have covered yourself.

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  7. Anrboy on Oct 23, 2012

    These are a lot of great answers. Thank you. I have filed a report with the ASRS. My final synopsis of the situation is that although the approach should have handed me off earlier, I should have said something earlier. I didn’t realize the problem until just before reaching the airspace and I think this may be partially due to the fact that I had just spend 1.5-2 hours between 10,000 and 12,000 feet because of high terrain and my judgement of the situation may have been impaired enough to not realize I wasn’t handed off in time. Possible reasons for the situation were ATCs failure to handoff, My failure to realize I wasn’t being handed off in time and a possible slight case of hypoxia.

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  8. Bob Watson on Oct 24, 2012

    I’ve been bit by this confusion, as well. Reading 91.129, it says that the pilot must establish communication with the controlling facility (i.e the tower) before entering the Class D. So, when on flight following, it would be up to the pilot to request a frequency change in time to contact the tower before entering the Class D airspace. After being chewed out by the tower in a situation that was very similar to anrboy’s, I know I won’t let that happen again. We were waiting to be transferred, and it never happened.

    In my case, I think we were in Class-B headed to a secondary airport below it, which added to the confusion. In an airspace with such positive control, we [mistakenly] expected that to go all the way to our destination airport. We still should have been more pro-active and asked for a freq. change in a timely manner, but in busy airspace, just getting a word in edge-wise can be a challenge. Nevertheless, it was our responsibility to call the tower in time, whether we were handed off or not.

    Lesson learned!

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