Bell Helicopter Textron Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 30; Flight Crew Total 15300; Flight Crew Type 325
Confusion; Distraction; Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; General Police / Security Involved
Airspace Structure; Human Factors
I volunteered to do a relief mission to geo-tag down power lines so they can get crews out there to restore power and down lines. My briefing with Flight Service said there were TFR's on my mission. They never mentioned it was a VIP TFR; which makes no difference because a TFR is a TFR. Our operations secured a clearance from the command headquarters managing the TFR. I was given a squawk of to enter the TFR's and contacted approach and told them of our mission. We had to fly low to get the geo-tags and I requested 300 to 500 AGL or lower and ATC said 'perfect'. I guessed they liked that because everyone else was operating higher. When over the [subject] area we lost communications with ATC. I could hear other traffic responding but never heard ATC. ATC at times was broken up. We never heard anyone try to contact us and we started back to our destination and I then picked up ATC trying to communicate with an aircraft that just entered the TFR squawking 1200 VFR; they penetrated the TFR. I contacted ATC told them we were heading back to ZZZ and would come back in the TFR's after refueling and wanted to make sure this squawk would be the same for us to return. He then started getting upset at me because we lost communication with me and was trying to get us. I never even realized it. Also that other aircraft that was close to us who entered the TFR landed at the same airport I landed at; as they told me later on when I was interviewed by the Secret Service. They thought that the aircraft squawking 1200 was me. The sequence of events that happened were very unfortunate. They were not INTENTIONAL. ATC should have known that the altitude I requested; and they approved; would have resulted in radar contact lost and communications lost for being that far away from approach control facility. My briefing from Flight Service should have been more detailed that it was a VIP TFR. I would have been extra alert. Again; nothing here was INTENTIONAL; It was just a bunch of bad timing when everything happened at once.
Bell Jet Ranger pilot reported losing communications with ATC; and inadvertently penetrating VIP TFR.