DECATUR — A small plane caused concern when it strayed into Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport’s controlled airspace above the Crystal Lake Airport without making radio contact on Feb. 13.

Pilot Larry Saunders, of Decatur, said he was unable to make radio contact with air traffic controllers because of a failure of his radio system. Saunders said he filled out an incident report with the FAA but was not fined.

"It was no big deal," he said.

The yellow Cessna 172 caught the attention of authorities after it flew into XNA’s controlled approach air space. The plane, which took off from Siloam Springs Airport, practiced touch-and-go landings at the Crystal Lake Airport at Decatur before entering the controlled air space, according to Decatur Police Officer Chuck Eggebrecht.

Police Chief Terry Luker said federal officials told Eggebrecht to wait at Crystal Lake Airport to apprehend the pilot when the plane landed and hold him forFederal Air Marshals. But the plane didn’t land in Decatur. Instead, it flew back to the Siloam Springs Airport, according to Eggebrecht.

FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford confirmed that a Cessna 172 strayed into the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport’s controlled airspace and wasn’t communicating with the control tower. Pilots may fly into controlled airspace as long as they are in communication with the air traffic controllers, he explained.

The plane landed at the Siloam Springs Airport, Lunsford said.

Lunsford said he couldn’t release any more details about the incident because it was still under investigation.

The Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport’s controlled airspace actually extends over Crystal Lake Airport, in addition to a number of other local airports, according to Curtis Schuermann, a flight instructor and chief pilot for Simmons Foods.

XNA’s controlled airspace - much like controlled airspace in general - is multidimensional and complex, he explained. From ground level to 4,000 feet, it extends in an approximately five-mile circle around the airport, with a slice cut off the circle’s eastern edge to allow room for taking offand landing at the Bentonville Airport. From 2,500 to 4,000 feet, the controlled airspace extends about 10 miles around the airport, he said.

While Schuermann emphasized that he did not know anything about Saunders’ particular situation, he explained that it would be easy for a pilot to bump above 2,500 feet without realizing it while practicing taking off and landing at Crystal Lake Airport.

If the pilot was practicing the instrument approach plan for Crystal Lake Airport, for example, the missed approach procedure dictates they turn and climb to 3,000 feet.

A plane’s altimeter can also be off as much as 100 feet, and it is not difficult to gain or lose 200 to 300 feet during flight, according to Schuermann.

“You could bump into that (airspace) and never know it. It happens a lot,” he said.

A pilot could be innocently out there practicing and following procedures and keep clipping XNA’s airspace, he explained. Bumping into controlled airspace only becomes a problem if air traffic controllers don’t know the pilot’s intentions.

The FAA is usually more interested in education than punishment, Schuermann said.

“Generally if the pilot was doing it innocently... They’re (the FAA) going to work with him to educate and train him,” he said.

Visual Flight Rules pilots are not required to communicate or even to have radios, as long as they stay out of controlled airspace, Schuermann said.

Earning a pilot’s license is not easy. General aviation pilots are highly trained and are generally conscientious, safe, professional and courteous,according to Schuermann.

“Even a private pilot has extensive training in airspace and procedures.

Ninety-nine percent of the aviation community tries to follow all these rules,” Schuermann said. Safety is always paramount to everyone and accidents can happen to the most meticulous pilots, he said.

Brenda Balk, public information officer for Siloam Springs Police Department, said no report was written on the incident.

She said Siloam Springs police did not detain the pilot. Police responded to the scene because they were called. When they arrived, they obtained the pilot's name and gave it to the FAA.

"That was not a police matter," Balk said. "There was no crime involved.”

It is unclear how many flights, if any, were disrupted by the incident. According to Decatur Police, Saunders' plane disrupted the landing of four planes at XNA. Michael Scroggin, manager of the Siloam Springs Airport, said one or two flights were diverted.

Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Manager Kelly Johnson said she was unaware of the incident.

Jeff Della Rosa of the Siloam Springs Herald Leader contributed to this report.

News, Pages 1 on 03/16/2011