Narrative:

My instrument and I were flying an small aircraft. The purpose of the flight was for me to get my annual flight review and regain my night currency. My last biennial had been over 1 yr ago. Since I have less than 400 hours and am not IFR rated I didn't have the authority to operate as PIC. As soon as I rotated on takeoff instrument handed me the hood. He called out headings for me to fly until we intercepted the smo 132 right for the sfra transition. After this he called out several other headings with partial panel. Then I was supposed to intercept an ILS radial and descend to 1500'. When I removed the hood I was slightly disoriented. The long beach harbor looked closer than I remembered, but I chalked this up to non-currency. I hadn't flown at night for over 2 yrs and hadn't flown this route for probably the same amount of time. We were also nearly over an airport with 2 parallel east/west runways. Instrument said this was compton. In the past I had used a single tall bldg south of compton as a landmark. I didn't see this bldg, but it was dark. I remember looking at the DME and commenting that we were out of the TCA since the reading from lax was 16 DME. This should have been a tip off, but still things weren't adding up to me. The final piece of information that didn't register was that I saw a # of large commercial jets parked north of the north runway. I commented to instrument about this and he said that it was mcdonnell-douglas where they were manufactured. It was amazing that this didn't tip me off. I had vague memories of the area surrounding compton and also it should have been obvious that a large jet couldn't take off form compton. I only saw 2 runways and was aware of the 5 runway pattern at lga, as well as bright lead in and strobe lights for the diagonal runway which I didn't see. It seemed like it took an unusually long time to reach downtown left.a. When we arrived at smo the controller said he had a phone # for us to call. After copying the # we asked who it was. The controller replied lgb tower. It is amazing that we still didn't have a clue as to what had happened. We called the tower and spoke with the controller. She asked if I had become disoriented this evening. I replied no, I didn't think so. I then described our route of flight. She said that radar had tracked us at 1500' in the lgb air traffic area. At this point it all sunk in. However, instrument adamantly denied the possibility of being off course. The controller repeated that they didn't plan to take any action, but instrument even more adamantly denied being the airspace. I kept quiet just hoping we would be off the hook, but it was obvious to me we were over lgb as the controller said. After the conversation I measured the DME distance from both compton and lgb to lax and found the distanced to be approximately 10 DME and 16 DME, respectively. We were definitely in lgb airspace.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA TRAINING FLT PENETRATES ATA WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: MY INSTR AND I WERE FLYING AN SMA. THE PURPOSE OF THE FLT WAS FOR ME TO GET MY ANNUAL FLT REVIEW AND REGAIN MY NIGHT CURRENCY. MY LAST BIENNIAL HAD BEEN OVER 1 YR AGO. SINCE I HAVE LESS THAN 400 HRS AND AM NOT IFR RATED I DIDN'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO OPERATE AS PIC. AS SOON AS I ROTATED ON TKOF INSTR HANDED ME THE HOOD. HE CALLED OUT HDGS FOR ME TO FLY UNTIL WE INTERCEPTED THE SMO 132 R FOR THE SFRA TRANSITION. AFTER THIS HE CALLED OUT SEVERAL OTHER HDGS WITH PARTIAL PANEL. THEN I WAS SUPPOSED TO INTERCEPT AN ILS RADIAL AND DSND TO 1500'. WHEN I REMOVED THE HOOD I WAS SLIGHTLY DISORIENTED. THE LONG BEACH HARBOR LOOKED CLOSER THAN I REMEMBERED, BUT I CHALKED THIS UP TO NON-CURRENCY. I HADN'T FLOWN AT NIGHT FOR OVER 2 YRS AND HADN'T FLOWN THIS RTE FOR PROBABLY THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME. WE WERE ALSO NEARLY OVER AN ARPT WITH 2 PARALLEL E/W RWYS. INSTR SAID THIS WAS COMPTON. IN THE PAST I HAD USED A SINGLE TALL BLDG S OF COMPTON AS A LANDMARK. I DIDN'T SEE THIS BLDG, BUT IT WAS DARK. I REMEMBER LOOKING AT THE DME AND COMMENTING THAT WE WERE OUT OF THE TCA SINCE THE READING FROM LAX WAS 16 DME. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A TIP OFF, BUT STILL THINGS WEREN'T ADDING UP TO ME. THE FINAL PIECE OF INFO THAT DIDN'T REGISTER WAS THAT I SAW A # OF LARGE COMMERCIAL JETS PARKED N OF THE N RWY. I COMMENTED TO INSTR ABOUT THIS AND HE SAID THAT IT WAS MCDONNELL-DOUGLAS WHERE THEY WERE MANUFACTURED. IT WAS AMAZING THAT THIS DIDN'T TIP ME OFF. I HAD VAGUE MEMORIES OF THE AREA SURROUNDING COMPTON AND ALSO IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN OBVIOUS THAT A LARGE JET COULDN'T TAKE OFF FORM COMPTON. I ONLY SAW 2 RWYS AND WAS AWARE OF THE 5 RWY PATTERN AT LGA, AS WELL AS BRIGHT LEAD IN AND STROBE LIGHTS FOR THE DIAGONAL RWY WHICH I DIDN'T SEE. IT SEEMED LIKE IT TOOK AN UNUSUALLY LONG TIME TO REACH DOWNTOWN L.A. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT SMO THE CTLR SAID HE HAD A PHONE # FOR US TO CALL. AFTER COPYING THE # WE ASKED WHO IT WAS. THE CTLR REPLIED LGB TWR. IT IS AMAZING THAT WE STILL DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE AS TO WHAT HAD HAPPENED. WE CALLED THE TWR AND SPOKE WITH THE CTLR. SHE ASKED IF I HAD BECOME DISORIENTED THIS EVENING. I REPLIED NO, I DIDN'T THINK SO. I THEN DESCRIBED OUR ROUTE OF FLT. SHE SAID THAT RADAR HAD TRACKED US AT 1500' IN THE LGB ATA. AT THIS POINT IT ALL SUNK IN. HOWEVER, INSTR ADAMANTLY DENIED THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING OFF COURSE. THE CTLR REPEATED THAT THEY DIDN'T PLAN TO TAKE ANY ACTION, BUT INSTR EVEN MORE ADAMANTLY DENIED BEING THE AIRSPACE. I KEPT QUIET JUST HOPING WE WOULD BE OFF THE HOOK, BUT IT WAS OBVIOUS TO ME WE WERE OVER LGB AS THE CTLR SAID. AFTER THE CONVERSATION I MEASURED THE DME DISTANCE FROM BOTH COMPTON AND LGB TO LAX AND FOUND THE DISTANCED TO BE APPROX 10 DME AND 16 DME, RESPECTIVELY. WE WERE DEFINITELY IN LGB AIRSPACE.

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.