Narrative:

On 5/wed/90 while at timmerman airport and at approximately XX20, I checked with FSS and obtained a VFR WX briefing. After the briefing, the FSS person asked me if I wanted to file a flight plan and I then realized that I had left my planned route in the plane. I told him I would file it later. I intended to file it once I was in the air. Because of the WX after liftoff, I became busy and did not file a VFR flight plan. Once in the plane I obtained additional information on timmerman's ATIS (128.3). I then contacted timmerman ground on 121.7 and then the tower on 120.5 once I was ready to depart. I asked for a runway heading off of runway 22R of 220 degrees to 4500'. Then, approximately 5 mi from timmerman the tower changed me over to milwaukee departure on 125.35. I explained to milwaukee departure that I intended to fly a runway heading of 220 degrees off of timmerman to a 181 degree right off of bae VOR, then on that radial to pnt VOR, all at 4500'. I later corrected that radial to 189 degrees. I wanted to make sure I missed the chicago TCA. Before departing timmerman's airport, I set the #1 radio on bae at 189 degrees and radio #2 on timmerman on the field VOR (ljt-122.5) and at a runway heading of 220 degrees. Once I intersecting the 189 degree right off of the badger VOR, I started tracking what I thought was the 189 degree right. After a few mins past the intersection point, milwaukee departure approved me for 4500'. A few mins later they terminated my frequency and gave me chicago's frequency. I then asked milwaukee to verify my altitude and at that time they did. I should have changed to chicago frequency, but because at that time I was trying to decide on going about the clouds or below them, and also because chicago is so busy, I decided to just stay clear of chicago. I had with me a pilot with and commercial ratings and over 4000 hours. We could see rain activity both to our west and east. We had scattered clouds at 4500' but could maintain VFR. The clouds were broken enough in the vicinity to maintain VFR and we then ascended to 6500' where we would have much better visibility. After reaching 6500', we had abetter view of the rain activity to the east and to the west of us. The visibility in the direction of our flight looked good for VFR, but to be at a safe altitude, we decided to ascend to 8500' to be totally clear of the clouds that we could see off in the distance and in our route of flight. At about 8000' and climbing, we decided that the cloud cover in the direction of flight might become solid and that we should descend back to 4500' while we still could. Our forward visibility had deteriorated to approximately 5 mi. Therefore, we started our descent to 4500'. Descending through approximately 6000' or so, we noticed lake michigan to our left. I immediately started checking my radios. My #2 radio was still on timmerman in case I needed to go back there for any reason, and my #1 radio was on badger. I started dialing in radials off of other VOR's and determined that I was just north of the chicago TCA and that my #1 radio was off approximately 35 degrees from the settings on my #2 radio. I then turned back in a northwest heading to clear the TCA of chicago. At that time I noticed 2 large jets to the south and west of our position that were over 12000', descending to what appeared to be in the direction of runway 14 at od. After checking radials off several VOR's, we felt like we had not penetrated the TCA at chicago. Once we got out of the turbulence and into smoother air and south of chicago, we started checking out the radios again. Turned radio #1's switch on and off 10-12 times and it started working with the same settings as radio #2 and not 35 degrees apart. We then continued on with both radios reading within 3 degrees of each other. This radio failure should not have happened because this plane just had its annual and the radios checked and certified for IFR flight. After setting overnight at milwaukee and during the climb out in choppy wind conditions, the #1 radio setting was off 35 degrees of the needle setting of the #2 radio. Later we landed at bmi to refuel and the tower asked me to call them. I called and they informed me that chicago's FAA office called and said that we might have penetrated the chicago TCA. I believe I caught the radio failure problem and corrected our course before we entered the chicago TCA. Correction action in the future: the first thing I would correct in the future is to check the needle readings of both radios off of the same frequency. The next corrective action would be to pay closer attention to control points on the ground while on a VFR flight. This flight was my first time in this area and I had cloud cover to content with and rain on both sides of me. I depended on my radios during climb out west/O checking one radio against the other. Normally, I always have both radios set on the same frequency unless I am checking my position off of vectors from another VOR. Another corrective action is that no matter how big or busy an airport is, I will keep them advised of my position even though I do not intend to penetrate their TCA. In the future, while on VFR flts, I want to try to obtain flight following. Another point is that I am surprised milwaukee did not inform me of my heading before they assigned me to chicago because they knew my intentions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A NON IFR RATE SMA PLT GETS INVOLVED IN VARIABLE ENROUTE WX CONDITIONS AND THROUGH A NAVIGATION ERROR PENETRATES THE ORD TCA.

Narrative: ON 5/WED/90 WHILE AT TIMMERMAN ARPT AND AT APPROX XX20, I CHKED WITH FSS AND OBTAINED A VFR WX BRIEFING. AFTER THE BRIEFING, THE FSS PERSON ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO FILE A FLT PLAN AND I THEN REALIZED THAT I HAD LEFT MY PLANNED RTE IN THE PLANE. I TOLD HIM I WOULD FILE IT LATER. I INTENDED TO FILE IT ONCE I WAS IN THE AIR. BECAUSE OF THE WX AFTER LIFTOFF, I BECAME BUSY AND DID NOT FILE A VFR FLT PLAN. ONCE IN THE PLANE I OBTAINED ADDITIONAL INFO ON TIMMERMAN'S ATIS (128.3). I THEN CONTACTED TIMMERMAN GND ON 121.7 AND THEN THE TWR ON 120.5 ONCE I WAS READY TO DEPART. I ASKED FOR A RWY HDG OFF OF RWY 22R OF 220 DEGS TO 4500'. THEN, APPROX 5 MI FROM TIMMERMAN THE TWR CHANGED ME OVER TO MILWAUKEE DEP ON 125.35. I EXPLAINED TO MILWAUKEE DEP THAT I INTENDED TO FLY A RWY HDG OF 220 DEGS OFF OF TIMMERMAN TO A 181 DEG R OFF OF BAE VOR, THEN ON THAT RADIAL TO PNT VOR, ALL AT 4500'. I LATER CORRECTED THAT RADIAL TO 189 DEGS. I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I MISSED THE CHICAGO TCA. BEFORE DEPARTING TIMMERMAN'S ARPT, I SET THE #1 RADIO ON BAE AT 189 DEGS AND RADIO #2 ON TIMMERMAN ON THE FIELD VOR (LJT-122.5) AND AT A RWY HDG OF 220 DEGS. ONCE I INTERSECTING THE 189 DEG R OFF OF THE BADGER VOR, I STARTED TRACKING WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE 189 DEG R. AFTER A FEW MINS PAST THE INTXN POINT, MILWAUKEE DEP APPROVED ME FOR 4500'. A FEW MINS LATER THEY TERMINATED MY FREQ AND GAVE ME CHICAGO'S FREQ. I THEN ASKED MILWAUKEE TO VERIFY MY ALT AND AT THAT TIME THEY DID. I SHOULD HAVE CHANGED TO CHICAGO FREQ, BUT BECAUSE AT THAT TIME I WAS TRYING TO DECIDE ON GOING ABOUT THE CLOUDS OR BELOW THEM, AND ALSO BECAUSE CHICAGO IS SO BUSY, I DECIDED TO JUST STAY CLEAR OF CHICAGO. I HAD WITH ME A PLT WITH AND COMMERCIAL RATINGS AND OVER 4000 HRS. WE COULD SEE RAIN ACTIVITY BOTH TO OUR W AND E. WE HAD SCATTERED CLOUDS AT 4500' BUT COULD MAINTAIN VFR. THE CLOUDS WERE BROKEN ENOUGH IN THE VICINITY TO MAINTAIN VFR AND WE THEN ASCENDED TO 6500' WHERE WE WOULD HAVE MUCH BETTER VISIBILITY. AFTER REACHING 6500', WE HAD ABETTER VIEW OF THE RAIN ACTIVITY TO THE E AND TO THE W OF US. THE VISIBILITY IN THE DIRECTION OF OUR FLT LOOKED GOOD FOR VFR, BUT TO BE AT A SAFE ALT, WE DECIDED TO ASCEND TO 8500' TO BE TOTALLY CLR OF THE CLOUDS THAT WE COULD SEE OFF IN THE DISTANCE AND IN OUR RTE OF FLT. AT ABOUT 8000' AND CLBING, WE DECIDED THAT THE CLOUD COVER IN THE DIRECTION OF FLT MIGHT BECOME SOLID AND THAT WE SHOULD DSND BACK TO 4500' WHILE WE STILL COULD. OUR FORWARD VISIBILITY HAD DETERIORATED TO APPROX 5 MI. THEREFORE, WE STARTED OUR DSNT TO 4500'. DSNDING THROUGH APPROX 6000' OR SO, WE NOTICED LAKE MICHIGAN TO OUR LEFT. I IMMEDIATELY STARTED CHKING MY RADIOS. MY #2 RADIO WAS STILL ON TIMMERMAN IN CASE I NEEDED TO GO BACK THERE FOR ANY REASON, AND MY #1 RADIO WAS ON BADGER. I STARTED DIALING IN RADIALS OFF OF OTHER VOR'S AND DETERMINED THAT I WAS JUST N OF THE CHICAGO TCA AND THAT MY #1 RADIO WAS OFF APPROX 35 DEGS FROM THE SETTINGS ON MY #2 RADIO. I THEN TURNED BACK IN A NW HDG TO CLR THE TCA OF CHICAGO. AT THAT TIME I NOTICED 2 LARGE JETS TO THE S AND W OF OUR POS THAT WERE OVER 12000', DSNDING TO WHAT APPEARED TO BE IN THE DIRECTION OF RWY 14 AT OD. AFTER CHKING RADIALS OFF SEVERAL VOR'S, WE FELT LIKE WE HAD NOT PENETRATED THE TCA AT CHICAGO. ONCE WE GOT OUT OF THE TURB AND INTO SMOOTHER AIR AND S OF CHICAGO, WE STARTED CHKING OUT THE RADIOS AGAIN. TURNED RADIO #1'S SWITCH ON AND OFF 10-12 TIMES AND IT STARTED WORKING WITH THE SAME SETTINGS AS RADIO #2 AND NOT 35 DEGS APART. WE THEN CONTINUED ON WITH BOTH RADIOS READING WITHIN 3 DEGS OF EACH OTHER. THIS RADIO FAILURE SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED BECAUSE THIS PLANE JUST HAD ITS ANNUAL AND THE RADIOS CHKED AND CERTIFIED FOR IFR FLT. AFTER SETTING OVERNIGHT AT MILWAUKEE AND DURING THE CLBOUT IN CHOPPY WIND CONDITIONS, THE #1 RADIO SETTING WAS OFF 35 DEGS OF THE NEEDLE SETTING OF THE #2 RADIO. LATER WE LANDED AT BMI TO REFUEL AND THE TWR ASKED ME TO CALL THEM. I CALLED AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT CHICAGO'S FAA OFFICE CALLED AND SAID THAT WE MIGHT HAVE PENETRATED THE CHICAGO TCA. I BELIEVE I CAUGHT THE RADIO FAILURE PROB AND CORRECTED OUR COURSE BEFORE WE ENTERED THE CHICAGO TCA. CORRECTION ACTION IN THE FUTURE: THE FIRST THING I WOULD CORRECT IN THE FUTURE IS TO CHK THE NEEDLE READINGS OF BOTH RADIOS OFF OF THE SAME FREQ. THE NEXT CORRECTIVE ACTION WOULD BE TO PAY CLOSER ATTN TO CONTROL POINTS ON THE GND WHILE ON A VFR FLT. THIS FLT WAS MY FIRST TIME IN THIS AREA AND I HAD CLOUD COVER TO CONTENT WITH AND RAIN ON BOTH SIDES OF ME. I DEPENDED ON MY RADIOS DURING CLBOUT W/O CHKING ONE RADIO AGAINST THE OTHER. NORMALLY, I ALWAYS HAVE BOTH RADIOS SET ON THE SAME FREQ UNLESS I AM CHKING MY POS OFF OF VECTORS FROM ANOTHER VOR. ANOTHER CORRECTIVE ACTION IS THAT NO MATTER HOW BIG OR BUSY AN ARPT IS, I WILL KEEP THEM ADVISED OF MY POS EVEN THOUGH I DO NOT INTEND TO PENETRATE THEIR TCA. IN THE FUTURE, WHILE ON VFR FLTS, I WANT TO TRY TO OBTAIN FLT FOLLOWING. ANOTHER POINT IS THAT I AM SURPRISED MILWAUKEE DID NOT INFORM ME OF MY HDG BEFORE THEY ASSIGNED ME TO CHICAGO BECAUSE THEY KNEW MY INTENTIONS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.