Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 45; Flight Crew Total 935; Flight Crew Type 852
Communication Breakdown; Other / Unknown
Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Human Factors; Procedure
Departing from SQL; I believe I may have unintentionally violated a TFR for the sporting event at Stanford Stadium that afternoon; (3 mile radius from stadium; 3;000 FT). I planned my route and did a standard FAA flight briefing through DUATS just prior to departure. As part of that I specifically reviewed the TFR's listed in the briefing print out. The Stanford TFR was not listed; nor was it mentioned by the San Carlos ATIS or the Tower. I was in communication with San Carlos Tower as I proceeded on a 120 degree heading (downwind). Tower held me longer on downwind for landing traffic and I then turned right along approximately a 160-170 degree heading towards the mountains. Immediately upon leaving San Carlos airspace I contacted NorCal TRACON; requested advisories; received a transponder code and subsequently was in radar contact with them. As I passed near Stanford at about 2;000 FT MSL; NorCal asked me if I was aware of the Stanford TFR. I was surprised and replied 'negative' and asked them for vectors to keep me clear of it. They said to keep on my present heading and I would be clear of it shortly. From my post flight analysis; I believe I was within the 3 mile radius of the TFR. Also; I had landed earlier at San Carlos; which I believe was close to the beginning of the TFR time frame. I flew a similar inbound route to that of my departure; so I may have also violated the TFR on my inbound flight. (I also had run a DUATS briefing for that flight shortly before departure with no mention of the TFR.) I was also receiving advisories from NorCal on that inbound flight; but no mention of the TFR was made; so I may have just missed it then. I now understand that these sporting event TFR's (especially major college games) are not always listed with the TFR's given to pilots in regular FAA approved flight briefings; including those via DUATS (nor on my Garmin 696 XM Radio in-flight TFR display). At my time of flight and possible TFR violation; I believed I had correctly checked via my FAA flight briefing for the potential TFRs in my directions of flight; and they were not showing on my Garmin 696 XM radio TFR display; but obviously relying on my FAA standard briefings and Garmin 696 display was insufficient. It is clearly my responsibility as pilot in command to use all available information to determine if a major sporting event of this type is along my route of flight and to avoid a potential TFR. It is no excuse to rely just on my FAA flight briefing; since they may not be listed there. In the future I am marking my charts with a 3 mile radius around all of the major stadiums; raceways etc. in the area of my flights as a reminder to double check for major sporting events and to generally avoid those areas. In addition to reviewing TFR's during my normal standard FAA briefing prior to flight; I'll also now check the related sporting event web sites and news sources for these stadiums and raceways for additional event information that indicates a TFR is likely. It would be helpful if the local towered airports reported the sporting event TFR's on their ATIS prior to and during the TFR; and for tower controllers to confirm with pilots that they are aware of the TFR as a double check. Even better would for these sporting event TFR's to -always- show up on the FAA standard briefing pilots receive before their flight. As it is now sporting event TFR information is not 100% reliably presented to pilots during both FAA DUAT's and telephone standard briefings. It is quite difficult for even a careful pilot to insure that they have 100% checked every possible alternate source of information when there are no centralized sources for the exact times of all sporting event TFR's. I believe that until this information is presented to pilots in a more centralized and standardized manner; such as via their FAA standard briefings; well intentioned pilots will inadvertently miss and end up violating these sporting event TFR's.
Pilot departing SQL reports inadvertently entering a TFR over a football stadium. The TFR did not appear in a DUAT's briefing and did not show up on the Garmin 696 with XM Radio in-flight TFR display.