Narrative:

I fly for an EMS helicopter unit. We received a request to fly to hospital a to transfer a cardiac patient who was on an interaortic balloon pump to hospital B. It was a transport of 9.6 NM. We departed the home base hospital at XA34 and headed towards hospital a, which I had programmed into our LORAN using information provided by our dispatcher and a directory which we carry onboard the helicopter that we fly. I picked up a tail wind after takeoff and we rapidly covered the 60 NM distance. As I got closer to the metropolitan area I relied more heavily on the LORAN to keep me on track. Just as I started to realize that my navigation was in error, I crossed over what turned out to be ZZZ at 2500' MSL. I was approximately 5 NM from my destination so I started my descent when I was well clear of the airport. I arrived at the coordinates that I had plotted into my LORAN and found nothing but a football field that had been listed as an alternate landing site for the hospital. I contacted the university for assistance and they gave me updated coordinates for my destination. I quickly discovered that I was 25 NM southeast of my destination. Very quickly several VFR reporting points for the TCA came into view. I remained west of the TCA and fortunately had descended below 1900' MSL prior to my rather stupid encroachment. I continued on to my destination and completed the mission west/O further incident. Several factors contributed to my situation. I am not as familiar with the area as I should be and I had never been that close to the metropolitan area at night. I blindly trusted the information provided to me and in my haste to get airborne I failed to make an accurate map study of the area. I should not have accepted the mission with as little information as I had when I initially took off. I didn't trust the 'seat of my pants' when things just didn't look right. I was very fortunate that the WX was as good as it was and that there is not a lot of traffic that late on this night. Because there were so many flashing lights and xmas decorations being displayed I did not recognize the ZZZ beacon and I had trouble picking out the hospital beacons. It also made seeing normal VFR chkpoints difficult to see or even recognize. Pilots, especially those in my line of work, should never let the circumstances around them dictate the way they would normally fly. If a flight has to be delayed in order to safely fly that mission, then so be it. No flight is so important that the lives of the flight crew should be jeopardized due to incomplete or inaccurate preflight planning.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMS HELICOPTER FLEW THROUGH ZZZ ATA WITHOUT CONTACTING THE TWR.

Narrative: I FLY FOR AN EMS HELI UNIT. WE RECEIVED A REQUEST TO FLY TO HOSPITAL A TO TRANSFER A CARDIAC PATIENT WHO WAS ON AN INTERAORTIC BALLOON PUMP TO HOSPITAL B. IT WAS A TRANSPORT OF 9.6 NM. WE DEPARTED THE HOME BASE HOSPITAL AT XA34 AND HEADED TOWARDS HOSPITAL A, WHICH I HAD PROGRAMMED INTO OUR LORAN USING INFO PROVIDED BY OUR DISPATCHER AND A DIRECTORY WHICH WE CARRY ONBOARD THE HELI THAT WE FLY. I PICKED UP A TAIL WIND AFTER TKOF AND WE RAPIDLY COVERED THE 60 NM DISTANCE. AS I GOT CLOSER TO THE METROPOLITAN AREA I RELIED MORE HEAVILY ON THE LORAN TO KEEP ME ON TRACK. JUST AS I STARTED TO REALIZE THAT MY NAV WAS IN ERROR, I CROSSED OVER WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE ZZZ AT 2500' MSL. I WAS APPROX 5 NM FROM MY DEST SO I STARTED MY DSCNT WHEN I WAS WELL CLR OF THE ARPT. I ARRIVED AT THE COORDINATES THAT I HAD PLOTTED INTO MY LORAN AND FOUND NOTHING BUT A FOOTBALL FIELD THAT HAD BEEN LISTED AS AN ALTERNATE LNDG SITE FOR THE HOSPITAL. I CONTACTED THE UNIVERSITY FOR ASSISTANCE AND THEY GAVE ME UPDATED COORDINATES FOR MY DEST. I QUICKLY DISCOVERED THAT I WAS 25 NM SE OF MY DEST. VERY QUICKLY SEVERAL VFR RPTING POINTS FOR THE TCA CAME INTO VIEW. I REMAINED W OF THE TCA AND FORTUNATELY HAD DSNDED BELOW 1900' MSL PRIOR TO MY RATHER STUPID ENCROACHMENT. I CONTINUED ON TO MY DEST AND COMPLETED THE MISSION W/O FURTHER INCIDENT. SEVERAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO MY SITUATION. I AM NOT AS FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA AS I SHOULD BE AND I HAD NEVER BEEN THAT CLOSE TO THE METROPOLITAN AREA AT NIGHT. I BLINDLY TRUSTED THE INFO PROVIDED TO ME AND IN MY HASTE TO GET AIRBORNE I FAILED TO MAKE AN ACCURATE MAP STUDY OF THE AREA. I SHOULD NOT HAVE ACCEPTED THE MISSION WITH AS LITTLE INFO AS I HAD WHEN I INITIALLY TOOK OFF. I DIDN'T TRUST THE 'SEAT OF MY PANTS' WHEN THINGS JUST DIDN'T LOOK RIGHT. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE THAT THE WX WAS AS GOOD AS IT WAS AND THAT THERE IS NOT A LOT OF TFC THAT LATE ON THIS NIGHT. BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY FLASHING LIGHTS AND XMAS DECORATIONS BEING DISPLAYED I DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE ZZZ BEACON AND I HAD TROUBLE PICKING OUT THE HOSPITAL BEACONS. IT ALSO MADE SEEING NORMAL VFR CHKPOINTS DIFFICULT TO SEE OR EVEN RECOGNIZE. PLTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN MY LINE OF WORK, SHOULD NEVER LET THE CIRCUMSTANCES AROUND THEM DICTATE THE WAY THEY WOULD NORMALLY FLY. IF A FLT HAS TO BE DELAYED IN ORDER TO SAFELY FLY THAT MISSION, THEN SO BE IT. NO FLT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT THE LIVES OF THE FLT CREW SHOULD BE JEOPARDIZED DUE TO INCOMPLETE OR INACCURATE PREFLT PLANNING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.