A 23-year-old St. Augustine flight instructor and his 52-year-old Swiss flight student found themselves answering some pointed questions from authorities after flying through restricted airspace over the Florida Power’s Crystal River nuclear plant. The two men were en route from St. Augustine to Cedar Key in a single-engine Piper when they got lost. Before they could get themselves reoriented, they violated the restricted airspace over the nuclear plant. The FAA was notified and the men were instructed to land at Crystal River Airport. They were questioned and released after authorities determined it was accidental, but the pair may still face more questions from the FAA. TFR violations are becoming so prevalent the FAA sent out a plea to aviation organizations last week encouraging them to encourage their members to quit breaking the rules. The request came after 15 incursions into the 10-nautical-mile, 18,000-foot TFR around Camp David last weekend.
Too Near The Nuke
Key Takeaways:
- A flight instructor and student accidentally flew into restricted airspace over the Crystal River nuclear plant after getting lost during a cross-country flight.
- They were questioned by authorities and released after the violation was determined to be accidental, but may still face further action from the FAA.
- This incident highlights a growing problem of TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) violations, prompting the FAA to issue a general plea to aviation organizations for better compliance.
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