Narrative:

I was on my long cross country. I left cxy and flew to the smyrna VOR and from there successfully landed at sby. There I filed my next flight plan and flew to sea isle VOR and then landed at millville. At millville I got fuel and I closed my flight plan from sby and opened a new one. After leaving millville I followed my chkpoints without problem to ilg. My altitude was about 2500-3000 ft. After passing ilg, I continued on with flight. Visibility was poor and I was flying west into the sun thus making it even less. It was probably around 4 mi. After awhile when I hadn't come to any more of my check points I was sure I was too far south. I used my vors to determine my location. They told me I was northeast of where I should have been. I didn't think that could be possible, so I continued flying north, sure that I would soon be back on course. I had contacted mdt approach. After awhile they weren't able to hear my calls because they didn't call back. It seemed as though nothing looking familiar and I couldn't see much past what was below me and little around me. I was looking frantically for something I would recognize when I saw an airport -- 1 runway. The airport said pennridge. I decided that the best thing for me to do was to land and figure out exactly where I was and to contact my home base. I landed and called my FBO and told them where I was. I also contacted a man from mdt approach. He gave me a course, a squawk code and a frequency to contact reading approach. He said as soon as I was within readings radar they would pass me on to mdt. I had my aircraft topped off and I spoke to an instructor there. I asked him if he could help me find a suitable heading back. I contacted my home base and I was told they were all looking for me and that flight service had called the airport. I was given a phone number for mdt approach and I spoke to a man like I mentioned before. I was to go direct ptw VOR and contact reading approach and they would pass me on. The instructor told me that I would be going towards 060. I thought he meant this would be my heading however now I realize that he meant my VOR radial. He just said to fly it for about 10 mins and then contact reading. So I left and after about 10 mins I contacted reading approach. It probably was a little longer. Maybe 15 mins. They called back to me and after that I didn't hear from them. I kept calling but no one answered. From there I continued on at about 2500 ft. It seemed to me that the visibility was really bad. But at this time I was beginning to get really nervous and upset. I passed over another airport, blairstown, nj, nd I called them up on unicom and asked them if they would be able to help me out. They said to land and we would figure things out. So I landed at blairstown and found out exactly where I was. When I found out I was in nj, I got really upset. The chief flight instructor at blairstown told me not to worry that he would help me out and make sure I got home. I called my home base again and after awhile we decided that the best thing to do was have someone come up and get me. I remained at blairstown until then and then came home.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SPI BECOMES DISORIENTED, SIGHTS ARPT LANDS. GETS INFO TO ORIENT SELF AND PUSHES ON. LOST AGAIN, LANDS.

Narrative: I WAS ON MY LONG XCOUNTRY. I LEFT CXY AND FLEW TO THE SMYRNA VOR AND FROM THERE SUCCESSFULLY LANDED AT SBY. THERE I FILED MY NEXT FLT PLAN AND FLEW TO SEA ISLE VOR AND THEN LANDED AT MILLVILLE. AT MILLVILLE I GOT FUEL AND I CLOSED MY FLT PLAN FROM SBY AND OPENED A NEW ONE. AFTER LEAVING MILLVILLE I FOLLOWED MY CHKPOINTS WITHOUT PROBLEM TO ILG. MY ALT WAS ABOUT 2500-3000 FT. AFTER PASSING ILG, I CONTINUED ON WITH FLT. VISIBILITY WAS POOR AND I WAS FLYING W INTO THE SUN THUS MAKING IT EVEN LESS. IT WAS PROBABLY AROUND 4 MI. AFTER AWHILE WHEN I HADN'T COME TO ANY MORE OF MY CHK POINTS I WAS SURE I WAS TOO FAR S. I USED MY VORS TO DETERMINE MY LOCATION. THEY TOLD ME I WAS NE OF WHERE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN. I DIDN'T THINK THAT COULD BE POSSIBLE, SO I CONTINUED FLYING N, SURE THAT I WOULD SOON BE BACK ON COURSE. I HAD CONTACTED MDT APCH. AFTER AWHILE THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO HEAR MY CALLS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T CALL BACK. IT SEEMED AS THOUGH NOTHING LOOKING FAMILIAR AND I COULDN'T SEE MUCH PAST WHAT WAS BELOW ME AND LITTLE AROUND ME. I WAS LOOKING FRANTICALLY FOR SOMETHING I WOULD RECOGNIZE WHEN I SAW AN ARPT -- 1 RWY. THE ARPT SAID PENNRIDGE. I DECIDED THAT THE BEST THING FOR ME TO DO WAS TO LAND AND FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHERE I WAS AND TO CONTACT MY HOME BASE. I LANDED AND CALLED MY FBO AND TOLD THEM WHERE I WAS. I ALSO CONTACTED A MAN FROM MDT APCH. HE GAVE ME A COURSE, A SQUAWK CODE AND A FREQ TO CONTACT READING APCH. HE SAID AS SOON AS I WAS WITHIN READINGS RADAR THEY WOULD PASS ME ON TO MDT. I HAD MY ACFT TOPPED OFF AND I SPOKE TO AN INSTRUCTOR THERE. I ASKED HIM IF HE COULD HELP ME FIND A SUITABLE HDG BACK. I CONTACTED MY HOME BASE AND I WAS TOLD THEY WERE ALL LOOKING FOR ME AND THAT FLT SVC HAD CALLED THE ARPT. I WAS GIVEN A PHONE NUMBER FOR MDT APCH AND I SPOKE TO A MAN LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE. I WAS TO GO DIRECT PTW VOR AND CONTACT READING APCH AND THEY WOULD PASS ME ON. THE INSTRUCTOR TOLD ME THAT I WOULD BE GOING TOWARDS 060. I THOUGHT HE MEANT THIS WOULD BE MY HDG HOWEVER NOW I REALIZE THAT HE MEANT MY VOR RADIAL. HE JUST SAID TO FLY IT FOR ABOUT 10 MINS AND THEN CONTACT READING. SO I LEFT AND AFTER ABOUT 10 MINS I CONTACTED READING APCH. IT PROBABLY WAS A LITTLE LONGER. MAYBE 15 MINS. THEY CALLED BACK TO ME AND AFTER THAT I DIDN'T HEAR FROM THEM. I KEPT CALLING BUT NO ONE ANSWERED. FROM THERE I CONTINUED ON AT ABOUT 2500 FT. IT SEEMED TO ME THAT THE VISIBILITY WAS REALLY BAD. BUT AT THIS TIME I WAS BEGINNING TO GET REALLY NERVOUS AND UPSET. I PASSED OVER ANOTHER ARPT, BLAIRSTOWN, NJ, ND I CALLED THEM UP ON UNICOM AND ASKED THEM IF THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO HELP ME OUT. THEY SAID TO LAND AND WE WOULD FIGURE THINGS OUT. SO I LANDED AT BLAIRSTOWN AND FOUND OUT EXACTLY WHERE I WAS. WHEN I FOUND OUT I WAS IN NJ, I GOT REALLY UPSET. THE CHIEF FLT INSTRUCTOR AT BLAIRSTOWN TOLD ME NOT TO WORRY THAT HE WOULD HELP ME OUT AND MAKE SURE I GOT HOME. I CALLED MY HOME BASE AGAIN AND AFTER AWHILE WE DECIDED THAT THE BEST THING TO DO WAS HAVE SOMEONE COME UP AND GET ME. I REMAINED AT BLAIRSTOWN UNTIL THEN AND THEN CAME HOME.

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.