Pilot of small aircraft lost in haze landed at military airport.

Attributes
ACN	188268
Time
Date	199108
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : stc airport : mn19 airport : dtl
State Reference	MN
Altitude	msl bound lower : 2500 msl bound upper : 2500
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : slc
Operator	general aviation : instructional
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft, Low Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear
Flight Phase	cruise other
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 8 flight time total : 81 flight time type : 8
ASRS Report	188268
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : far other anomaly other other anomaly other other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified cockpit
Resolutory Action	flight crew : became reoriented
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Problem: orientation due to haze. Concern regarding convective SIGMET in route of flight near destination, dtl. Contributing factors: inexperience in VOR orientation, inexperience in flying in haze with VFR mins. Some difficulty understanding princeton FSS due to high pitched voice and radio signal. Now discovered: position fixes requested from FSS instructed to squawk 7700 by FSS. Problem identing landmark and locating st cloud VOR and little falls airport. Corrective actions: diverted from flight plan intending to land at little falls overshot and landed at arf (due to poor visibility) safely. Reported landing to princeton FSS. Perception, judgement, decisions: due to difficulty in radio communication with FSS, inexperience in haze, and locating airport, I landed at camp ripley mistakenly (considering it to be little falls or st cloud) to wait until front passed or haze lifted. En route WX concerns prompted my decision to land. Factors affecting quality of human performance: inexperience in haze, inexperience in VOR orientation, radio communication with princeton FSS. Actions or inactions: waited on ground at camp ripley upon receiving permission from airfield commander. Reported landing to princeton FSS. Received permission from aaf to depart, fly through southwest corner of R4301 en route to dtl. Arrived dtl. Flight plan aaf-dtl filed, opened, and closed with princeton FSS. Comment: an small aircraft aircraft relayed communications. At no time was outcome of flight in doubt.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SMA LOST IN HAZE LANDED AT MIL ARPT.

Narrative: PROBLEM: ORIENTATION DUE TO HAZE. CONCERN REGARDING CONVECTIVE SIGMET IN RTE OF FLT NEAR DEST, DTL. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: INEXPERIENCE IN VOR ORIENTATION, INEXPERIENCE IN FLYING IN HAZE WITH VFR MINS. SOME DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING PRINCETON FSS DUE TO HIGH PITCHED VOICE AND RADIO SIGNAL. NOW DISCOVERED: POS FIXES REQUESTED FROM FSS INSTRUCTED TO SQUAWK 7700 BY FSS. PROBLEM IDENTING LANDMARK AND LOCATING ST CLOUD VOR AND LITTLE FALLS ARPT. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: DIVERTED FROM FLT PLAN INTENDING TO LAND AT LITTLE FALLS OVERSHOT AND LANDED AT ARF (DUE TO POOR VISIBILITY) SAFELY. RPTED LNDG TO PRINCETON FSS. PERCEPTION, JUDGEMENT, DECISIONS: DUE TO DIFFICULTY IN RADIO COM WITH FSS, INEXPERIENCE IN HAZE, AND LOCATING ARPT, I LANDED AT CAMP RIPLEY MISTAKENLY (CONSIDERING IT TO BE LITTLE FALLS OR ST CLOUD) TO WAIT UNTIL FRONT PASSED OR HAZE LIFTED. ENRTE WX CONCERNS PROMPTED MY DECISION TO LAND. FACTORS AFFECTING QUALITY OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE: INEXPERIENCE IN HAZE, INEXPERIENCE IN VOR ORIENTATION, RADIO COM WITH PRINCETON FSS. ACTIONS OR INACTIONS: WAITED ON GND AT CAMP RIPLEY UPON RECEIVING PERMISSION FROM AIRFIELD COMMANDER. RPTED LNDG TO PRINCETON FSS. RECEIVED PERMISSION FROM AAF TO DEPART, FLY THROUGH SW CORNER OF R4301 ENRTE TO DTL. ARRIVED DTL. FLT PLAN AAF-DTL FILED, OPENED, AND CLOSED WITH PRINCETON FSS. COMMENT: AN SMA ACFT RELAYED COMS. AT NO TIME WAS OUTCOME OF FLT IN DOUBT.

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.