Narrative:

In my inexperience, I failed to consider a number of factors, and I made a number of errors. These contributed to what became a very disturbing flight, during which I was extremely uncomfortable. I only realized how bad the situation had become as each new difficulty arose, and as the stress progressively accumulated. My first mistake established my disorientation for the remainder of the flight. I departed republic on a n-erly heading, noticing that the cloud cover was broken with an opening several mi in extent along my flight path. I decided to climb above the cloud cover to see whether it appeared more or less broken along the remainder of the route. I made a # of 360 degree steep climbing turns to maintain a distance of what I hoped was 2000' or more horizontal between the aircraft and the clouds during the final portion of climb to above the tops. The tops turned out to be at least 6500'. When I did finally get above the tops and level out, I was unable to see any terrain to the north, so I decided to return the way I had come. I continued a n-erly heading, and when confirming my bearings realized that the clouds had moved and that I had descended a good deal to the southeast of where I thought I was. I probably penetrated about 2 mi into the northwest edge of the outer ring of the long island arsa. By the time I realized where my flight path had extended, I had descended to an altitude of 1800'. At about this point, I began seriously trying to locate myself again and noticed water and a very large airport perhaps 4 mi and bearing about 160 degrees from my heading. It was only later that I was able to convince myself that I had indeed strayed into the pvd arsa at an altitude of about 2000'. I didn't know where I was, thoroughly convinced that I must be north and west of where I really was, so I didn't now who to call--and I was more concerned with getting back on course. I saw a city due north of my position, and despite my expectation that it would turn out to be worcester, it began to look more and more like boston. The ceiling was about 2500'. I was constrained to a cruising altitude of about 1500'. I called bos approach and was told to standby. I realized that I was in the ILS approach extension to the norwood control zone. It seemed that the shortest and least disruptive route of the norwood area at this time was to stay north of the norwood airport inside the air traffic area passing near the edge of the inner ring of the bos TCA, which is what I did. I called again, and advised the new controller that I was near the edge of the norwood air traffic area. He contacted norwood and told me I had been much closer that I thought and that traffic had to be diverted to avoid me. He told me to stay west of the needham towers to avoid bos traffic, and pointed out that I approached closer than 500' to one of the towers. He gave me flight following and ATIS information for bedford, and I landed west/O further incident. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter said that since the time of these events, he has learned a lot about the details of using the ATC system that he did not then know. He said that his primary instrument had failed to fill him in on the fine points of radio communication, terminology, and the practical application and understanding of ATC procedures as they relate to VFR flight following. Also said that his instrument was misinformed about the character of the ASRS penalty waiver, but than an FAA accident prevention counselor had encouraged him to report. Reporter has since received additional training re: flight in less than ideal WX conditions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INEXPERIENCED PRIVATE PLT ON CROSS-COUNTRY FLT FROM FRG TO BED TRIED TO FLY BENEATH LOW CLOUDS, RESULTING IN EXTENSIVE NAVIGATION PROBLEMS AND NUMEROUS PENETRATIONS OF AIRSPACE, INCLUDING THE OWD ATA, PVD ARSA, AND ISP ARSA. REPORTER ALSO BROKE MINIMUM SAFE ALT RULE BY FLYING TOO LOW OVER TRANSMISSION TWRS.

Narrative: IN MY INEXPERIENCE, I FAILED TO CONSIDER A NUMBER OF FACTORS, AND I MADE A NUMBER OF ERRORS. THESE CONTRIBUTED TO WHAT BECAME A VERY DISTURBING FLT, DURING WHICH I WAS EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE. I ONLY REALIZED HOW BAD THE SITUATION HAD BECOME AS EACH NEW DIFFICULTY AROSE, AND AS THE STRESS PROGRESSIVELY ACCUMULATED. MY FIRST MISTAKE ESTABLISHED MY DISORIENTATION FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT. I DEPARTED REPUBLIC ON A N-ERLY HDG, NOTICING THAT THE CLOUD COVER WAS BROKEN WITH AN OPENING SEVERAL MI IN EXTENT ALONG MY FLT PATH. I DECIDED TO CLB ABOVE THE CLOUD COVER TO SEE WHETHER IT APPEARED MORE OR LESS BROKEN ALONG THE REMAINDER OF THE ROUTE. I MADE A # OF 360 DEG STEEP CLBING TURNS TO MAINTAIN A DISTANCE OF WHAT I HOPED WAS 2000' OR MORE HORIZ BTWN THE ACFT AND THE CLOUDS DURING THE FINAL PORTION OF CLB TO ABOVE THE TOPS. THE TOPS TURNED OUT TO BE AT LEAST 6500'. WHEN I DID FINALLY GET ABOVE THE TOPS AND LEVEL OUT, I WAS UNABLE TO SEE ANY TERRAIN TO THE N, SO I DECIDED TO RETURN THE WAY I HAD COME. I CONTINUED A N-ERLY HDG, AND WHEN CONFIRMING MY BEARINGS REALIZED THAT THE CLOUDS HAD MOVED AND THAT I HAD DSNDED A GOOD DEAL TO THE SE OF WHERE I THOUGHT I WAS. I PROBABLY PENETRATED ABOUT 2 MI INTO THE NW EDGE OF THE OUTER RING OF THE LONG ISLAND ARSA. BY THE TIME I REALIZED WHERE MY FLT PATH HAD EXTENDED, I HAD DSNDED TO AN ALT OF 1800'. AT ABOUT THIS POINT, I BEGAN SERIOUSLY TRYING TO LOCATE MYSELF AGAIN AND NOTICED WATER AND A VERY LARGE ARPT PERHAPS 4 MI AND BEARING ABOUT 160 DEGS FROM MY HDG. IT WAS ONLY LATER THAT I WAS ABLE TO CONVINCE MYSELF THAT I HAD INDEED STRAYED INTO THE PVD ARSA AT AN ALT OF ABOUT 2000'. I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE I WAS, THOROUGHLY CONVINCED THAT I MUST BE N AND W OF WHERE I REALLY WAS, SO I DIDN'T NOW WHO TO CALL--AND I WAS MORE CONCERNED WITH GETTING BACK ON COURSE. I SAW A CITY DUE N OF MY POS, AND DESPITE MY EXPECTATION THAT IT WOULD TURN OUT TO BE WORCESTER, IT BEGAN TO LOOK MORE AND MORE LIKE BOSTON. THE CEILING WAS ABOUT 2500'. I WAS CONSTRAINED TO A CRUISING ALT OF ABOUT 1500'. I CALLED BOS APCH AND WAS TOLD TO STANDBY. I REALIZED THAT I WAS IN THE ILS APCH EXTENSION TO THE NORWOOD CTL ZONE. IT SEEMED THAT THE SHORTEST AND LEAST DISRUPTIVE ROUTE OF THE NORWOOD AREA AT THIS TIME WAS TO STAY N OF THE NORWOOD ARPT INSIDE THE ATA PASSING NEAR THE EDGE OF THE INNER RING OF THE BOS TCA, WHICH IS WHAT I DID. I CALLED AGAIN, AND ADVISED THE NEW CTLR THAT I WAS NEAR THE EDGE OF THE NORWOOD ATA. HE CONTACTED NORWOOD AND TOLD ME I HAD BEEN MUCH CLOSER THAT I THOUGHT AND THAT TFC HAD TO BE DIVERTED TO AVOID ME. HE TOLD ME TO STAY W OF THE NEEDHAM TWRS TO AVOID BOS TFC, AND POINTED OUT THAT I APCHED CLOSER THAN 500' TO ONE OF THE TWRS. HE GAVE ME FLT FOLLOWING AND ATIS INFO FOR BEDFORD, AND I LANDED W/O FURTHER INCIDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR SAID THAT SINCE THE TIME OF THESE EVENTS, HE HAS LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE DETAILS OF USING THE ATC SYS THAT HE DID NOT THEN KNOW. HE SAID THAT HIS PRIMARY INSTR HAD FAILED TO FILL HIM IN ON THE FINE POINTS OF RADIO COM, TERMINOLOGY, AND THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF ATC PROCS AS THEY RELATE TO VFR FLT FOLLOWING. ALSO SAID THAT HIS INSTR WAS MISINFORMED ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF THE ASRS PENALTY WAIVER, BUT THAN AN FAA ACCIDENT PREVENTION COUNSELOR HAD ENCOURAGED HIM TO RPT. RPTR HAS SINCE RECEIVED ADDITIONAL TRNING RE: FLT IN LESS THAN IDEAL WX CONDITIONS.

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.