Narrative:

Began planning my x-country trip. Asked instructor (name) how long the flight had to be and how long each leg had to be. He told me that the fixes must be at least 50 NM apart. He also told me that I should go around the pattern a few times (with name), in order to get comfortable with the x-wind. I received WX briefing from ikk for bmi area. Chicago area, and clinton iowa. Instructor came in and told me that my route had to be 300 mi, and that if I went to logan city airport, that would make it 300 and I would not have to change my plans much. He also stated that he had another student, and did not have time to go around the pattern with me, but that he had seen me in a x-wind, and felt that I would do just fine because my destinations had n-s runways. I asked (name) (FBO operator) to run down my plan with me because I would pass through pia airspace, and wanted to use correct procedures during a flyover. Proceeded to cwi, monitored quad cities ATIS and then contacted quad cities approach into cwi. Landed bwi, refueled and filed a flight plan with ft dodge FSS from cwi to lincoln. Contacted pia approach after monitoring ATIS, requested overflt. Controller confirmed radar contact, gave permission to overfly area at 3500 and asked my destination. I was told that radar had me at 3700, and that I would have to lose altitude before I crossed the VOR. I requested altimeter and rechecked altimeter setting, with the correct setting already showing in the window, I showed 3550. I told the controller this and dropped to 3450, he said that I was at 3600 and that I was within tolerance. Radar terminated at end of arsa. I traveled on and could not determine exact location due to lack of landmarks. I was monitoring 122.8, the unicom frequency for logan cty, when I saw an airport located north of a populated area. Logan cty has a 030-210 runway, and I saw what I now know is springfield 040-220. I saw 2 military aircraft land as I called entering downwind leg for logan cty 030. I was watching for other aircraft in the area, so I did not see tower light signals. I knew that lincoln is attended part-time, so I did not know whether there was a tower located north of the airport or not. I was at approximately 2200' MSL preparing to turn to base leg when I saw an fgt on final. I broke right, added power, flaps up and climbed out of the pattern. My sectional did not provide any information south of lincoln, and I was therefore unable to determine my exact position. I looked out the left window and noticed the dome on the capital building and assumed that I was in springfield. I called on 122.8 for any listening station to provide me with the springfield frequencys. A national guard aircraft returned my call and gave me the frequencys. I contacted springfield approach and told them that I was a student pilot, I was lost, and that I thought I was near springfield. I told them that I had just passed an airport and that I was currently southwest of that airport. They said they had radar contact and that I was 7 1/2 mi southwest of capital airport, and asked the pilot's name and destination. I told them my name and that I was headed to logan cty. They told me that logan was closed, and I asked to land at capital. They gave me clearance to land on 300. I taxied over to FBO and contacted the tower manager. I was visibly upset by the situation, and the manager took me over to the tower to contact my flight instructor and get a ride home. On the return trip, the instructor was piloting the plane and incurred the same problem with the altimeter and radar being approximately 150-200' apart.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SUTDENT PLT BECAME DISORIENTED ON CROSS-COUNTRY FLT. RECEIVED FLT ASSIST AND LANDED.

Narrative: BEGAN PLANNING MY X-COUNTRY TRIP. ASKED INSTRUCTOR (NAME) HOW LONG THE FLT HAD TO BE AND HOW LONG EACH LEG HAD TO BE. HE TOLD ME THAT THE FIXES MUST BE AT LEAST 50 NM APART. HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT I SHOULD GO AROUND THE PATTERN A FEW TIMES (WITH NAME), IN ORDER TO GET COMFORTABLE WITH THE X-WIND. I RECEIVED WX BRIEFING FROM IKK FOR BMI AREA. CHICAGO AREA, AND CLINTON IOWA. INSTRUCTOR CAME IN AND TOLD ME THAT MY ROUTE HAD TO BE 300 MI, AND THAT IF I WENT TO LOGAN CITY ARPT, THAT WOULD MAKE IT 300 AND I WOULD NOT HAVE TO CHANGE MY PLANS MUCH. HE ALSO STATED THAT HE HAD ANOTHER STUDENT, AND DID NOT HAVE TIME TO GO AROUND THE PATTERN WITH ME, BUT THAT HE HAD SEEN ME IN A X-WIND, AND FELT THAT I WOULD DO JUST FINE BECAUSE MY DESTS HAD N-S RWYS. I ASKED (NAME) (FBO OPERATOR) TO RUN DOWN MY PLAN WITH ME BECAUSE I WOULD PASS THROUGH PIA AIRSPACE, AND WANTED TO USE CORRECT PROCS DURING A FLYOVER. PROCEEDED TO CWI, MONITORED QUAD CITIES ATIS AND THEN CONTACTED QUAD CITIES APCH INTO CWI. LANDED BWI, REFUELED AND FILED A FLT PLAN WITH FT DODGE FSS FROM CWI TO LINCOLN. CONTACTED PIA APCH AFTER MONITORING ATIS, REQUESTED OVERFLT. CTLR CONFIRMED RADAR CONTACT, GAVE PERMISSION TO OVERFLY AREA AT 3500 AND ASKED MY DEST. I WAS TOLD THAT RADAR HAD ME AT 3700, AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO LOSE ALT BEFORE I CROSSED THE VOR. I REQUESTED ALTIMETER AND RECHECKED ALTIMETER SETTING, WITH THE CORRECT SETTING ALREADY SHOWING IN THE WINDOW, I SHOWED 3550. I TOLD THE CTLR THIS AND DROPPED TO 3450, HE SAID THAT I WAS AT 3600 AND THAT I WAS WITHIN TOLERANCE. RADAR TERMINATED AT END OF ARSA. I TRAVELED ON AND COULD NOT DETERMINE EXACT LOCATION DUE TO LACK OF LANDMARKS. I WAS MONITORING 122.8, THE UNICOM FREQ FOR LOGAN CTY, WHEN I SAW AN ARPT LOCATED N OF A POPULATED AREA. LOGAN CTY HAS A 030-210 RWY, AND I SAW WHAT I NOW KNOW IS SPRINGFIELD 040-220. I SAW 2 MIL ACFT LAND AS I CALLED ENTERING DOWNWIND LEG FOR LOGAN CTY 030. I WAS WATCHING FOR OTHER ACFT IN THE AREA, SO I DID NOT SEE TWR LIGHT SIGNALS. I KNEW THAT LINCOLN IS ATTENDED PART-TIME, SO I DID NOT KNOW WHETHER THERE WAS A TWR LOCATED N OF THE ARPT OR NOT. I WAS AT APPROX 2200' MSL PREPARING TO TURN TO BASE LEG WHEN I SAW AN FGT ON FINAL. I BROKE RIGHT, ADDED POWER, FLAPS UP AND CLIMBED OUT OF THE PATTERN. MY SECTIONAL DID NOT PROVIDE ANY INFO S OF LINCOLN, AND I WAS THEREFORE UNABLE TO DETERMINE MY EXACT POSITION. I LOOKED OUT THE LEFT WINDOW AND NOTICED THE DOME ON THE CAPITAL BUILDING AND ASSUMED THAT I WAS IN SPRINGFIELD. I CALLED ON 122.8 FOR ANY LISTENING STATION TO PROVIDE ME WITH THE SPRINGFIELD FREQS. A NATIONAL GUARD ACFT RETURNED MY CALL AND GAVE ME THE FREQS. I CONTACTED SPRINGFIELD APCH AND TOLD THEM THAT I WAS A STUDENT PLT, I WAS LOST, AND THAT I THOUGHT I WAS NEAR SPRINGFIELD. I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD JUST PASSED AN ARPT AND THAT I WAS CURRENTLY SW OF THAT ARPT. THEY SAID THEY HAD RADAR CONTACT AND THAT I WAS 7 1/2 MI SW OF CAPITAL ARPT, AND ASKED THE PLT'S NAME AND DEST. I TOLD THEM MY NAME AND THAT I WAS HEADED TO LOGAN CTY. THEY TOLD ME THAT LOGAN WAS CLOSED, AND I ASKED TO LAND AT CAPITAL. THEY GAVE ME CLRNC TO LAND ON 300. I TAXIED OVER TO FBO AND CONTACTED THE TWR MGR. I WAS VISIBLY UPSET BY THE SITUATION, AND THE MGR TOOK ME OVER TO THE TWR TO CONTACT MY FLT INSTRUCTOR AND GET A RIDE HOME. ON THE RETURN TRIP, THE INSTRUCTOR WAS PILOTING THE PLANE AND INCURRED THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE ALTIMETER AND RADAR BEING APPROX 150-200' APART.

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.