Narrative:

On 9/sun/89, a fellow pilot and I were to fly an small aircraft on a local night flight from cdw down the hudson river corridor under the ny TCA and back to cdw purely for sightseeing the city. That afternoon he stopped in at flight academy, owners of the plane, to tell them that the flight might be IFR and to see if everything was working. The young lady at the counter wasn't sure. She attempted to call the last CFI who flew the plane, but he wasn't home. Visibilities had been low all day, 3-4 mi in haze. Ceilings unlimited. At XA00 pm local same conditions prevailed. Our route of flight was a familiar one from cdw to the paterson NDB beacon, then to the alpine tower and down the hudson. We set the ADF to the paterson NDB and idented it. Shortly thereafter it appeared that the needle was not accurate. We set the RNAV to teb, and to our amazement were only 3 mi from teb. In the haze we did not visually see teb, but immediately changed course to the left. We attempted to immediately call teb, I believe on 119.1. In the stress of the moment we used the wrong frequency--the controller told us to call 125.25. We did, but this controller did not respond to us and it was apparent that it was jfk, not teb. By the time we got the teb frequency of 119.5 from the chart, we were 5.1 NM from teb and decided it was too late to call them. We flew the corridor at 900-1000', well below the 1100' minimum. On the return trip we flew to the alpine tower and then took a familiar heading of 270 degrees to intercept the localizer 22 approach into cdw. With the localizer on the RNAV and no ADF, and poor visibility, it was hard to again judge distance from teb, but this was a heading that had always worked. We are accustomed to flying our own plane with all kinds of equipment, which includes IFR certified LORAN and RNAV and synchronized ADF. With such equipment staying clear of the ny TCA is easy. Flying a rental plane with dim panel lights, ADF and #1 communication inoperative, poor visibility and less navigation equipment than we are accustomed to, all combined to create stress and errors. Upon landing at cdw, we were informed that we had broken both the teb air traffic area and the ny TCA altitude restrictions. We certainly question our inability to determine the inaccuracy of the ADF more quickly. We did change course immediately when our position was clear. It is astounding to us how quickly one can lose positional awareness at night in reduced visibility, even when close to one's home base and familiar with landmarks. We informed cfa that the #1 communication and ADF are inoperative and that the panel lights are dim for night flight. Also the #2 communication lights were inoperative. We hope this report will be helpful to you. The experience certainly taught us to be more cautious even when flying the familiar. We also understand the importance of continually questioning whether an instrument is giving you the correct indication or whether it has failed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: VFR PLEASURE FLT ENTERS ATA AND TCA.

Narrative: ON 9/SUN/89, A FELLOW PLT AND I WERE TO FLY AN SMA ON A LCL NIGHT FLT FROM CDW DOWN THE HUDSON RIVER CORRIDOR UNDER THE NY TCA AND BACK TO CDW PURELY FOR SIGHTSEEING THE CITY. THAT AFTERNOON HE STOPPED IN AT FLT ACADEMY, OWNERS OF THE PLANE, TO TELL THEM THAT THE FLT MIGHT BE IFR AND TO SEE IF EVERYTHING WAS WORKING. THE YOUNG LADY AT THE COUNTER WASN'T SURE. SHE ATTEMPTED TO CALL THE LAST CFI WHO FLEW THE PLANE, BUT HE WASN'T HOME. VISIBILITIES HAD BEEN LOW ALL DAY, 3-4 MI IN HAZE. CEILINGS UNLIMITED. AT XA00 PM LCL SAME CONDITIONS PREVAILED. OUR ROUTE OF FLT WAS A FAMILIAR ONE FROM CDW TO THE PATERSON NDB BEACON, THEN TO THE ALPINE TWR AND DOWN THE HUDSON. WE SET THE ADF TO THE PATERSON NDB AND IDENTED IT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER IT APPEARED THAT THE NEEDLE WAS NOT ACCURATE. WE SET THE RNAV TO TEB, AND TO OUR AMAZEMENT WERE ONLY 3 MI FROM TEB. IN THE HAZE WE DID NOT VISUALLY SEE TEB, BUT IMMEDIATELY CHANGED COURSE TO THE LEFT. WE ATTEMPTED TO IMMEDIATELY CALL TEB, I BELIEVE ON 119.1. IN THE STRESS OF THE MOMENT WE USED THE WRONG FREQ--THE CTLR TOLD US TO CALL 125.25. WE DID, BUT THIS CTLR DID NOT RESPOND TO US AND IT WAS APPARENT THAT IT WAS JFK, NOT TEB. BY THE TIME WE GOT THE TEB FREQ OF 119.5 FROM THE CHART, WE WERE 5.1 NM FROM TEB AND DECIDED IT WAS TOO LATE TO CALL THEM. WE FLEW THE CORRIDOR AT 900-1000', WELL BELOW THE 1100' MINIMUM. ON THE RETURN TRIP WE FLEW TO THE ALPINE TWR AND THEN TOOK A FAMILIAR HDG OF 270 DEGS TO INTERCEPT THE LOC 22 APCH INTO CDW. WITH THE LOC ON THE RNAV AND NO ADF, AND POOR VISIBILITY, IT WAS HARD TO AGAIN JUDGE DISTANCE FROM TEB, BUT THIS WAS A HDG THAT HAD ALWAYS WORKED. WE ARE ACCUSTOMED TO FLYING OUR OWN PLANE WITH ALL KINDS OF EQUIP, WHICH INCLUDES IFR CERTIFIED LORAN AND RNAV AND SYNCHRONIZED ADF. WITH SUCH EQUIP STAYING CLR OF THE NY TCA IS EASY. FLYING A RENTAL PLANE WITH DIM PANEL LIGHTS, ADF AND #1 COM INOP, POOR VISIBILITY AND LESS NAV EQUIP THAN WE ARE ACCUSTOMED TO, ALL COMBINED TO CREATE STRESS AND ERRORS. UPON LNDG AT CDW, WE WERE INFORMED THAT WE HAD BROKEN BOTH THE TEB ATA AND THE NY TCA ALT RESTRICTIONS. WE CERTAINLY QUESTION OUR INABILITY TO DETERMINE THE INACCURACY OF THE ADF MORE QUICKLY. WE DID CHANGE COURSE IMMEDIATELY WHEN OUR POS WAS CLR. IT IS ASTOUNDING TO US HOW QUICKLY ONE CAN LOSE POSITIONAL AWARENESS AT NIGHT IN REDUCED VISIBILITY, EVEN WHEN CLOSE TO ONE'S HOME BASE AND FAMILIAR WITH LANDMARKS. WE INFORMED CFA THAT THE #1 COM AND ADF ARE INOP AND THAT THE PANEL LIGHTS ARE DIM FOR NIGHT FLT. ALSO THE #2 COM LIGHTS WERE INOP. WE HOPE THIS RPT WILL BE HELPFUL TO YOU. THE EXPERIENCE CERTAINLY TAUGHT US TO BE MORE CAUTIOUS EVEN WHEN FLYING THE FAMILIAR. WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTINUALLY QUESTIONING WHETHER AN INSTRUMENT IS GIVING YOU THE CORRECT INDICATION OR WHETHER IT HAS FAILED.

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.