Narrative:

I live approximately 70 mi south of stl. 2 evenings ago I took a friend, VFR, for a sightseeing excursion to view spring flood waters drowning out several communities north of stl louis. I flew over the stl TCA in excess of 10000 ft to get to my destination. I descended, north of what I visually judged to be the northernmost stl TCA boundary and started my sightseeing. My LORAN advised several times on my east and then south return to home, that I was about to enter the stl TCA. I planned to fly under and to the east of the stl TCA on the return trip home. Nightfall came on this 2 hour flight and I found myself without good visual landmarks to verify that I was not entering the stl TCA. I flew what I felt was sufficient to the east before turning south. Several times my LORAN displayed 'alerts' that I was nearing the TCA. Whenever I saw an 'alert' display, I diverted more to the east before resuming my travel to the south. I'm a low- time VFR pilot (approximately 525 hours) and recently sold my small aircraft X and bought an small aircraft Y. I have 15 hours in the small aircraft Y. I believe my confusion, or anxiety, about whether or not I entered the TCA resulted from: 1) darkness and resulting poor/disappearing ground visual clues. 2) low time in a new plane (to me). 3) different instruments/brands (in different places) to get accustomed to. I read and reread my LORAN manual upon return home and believe that I remained clear of the TCA altitude-controled areas, but possibly entered, at several points, within the 30 NM circular range of the TCA, from the data displayed by my LORAN and what visual clues I could ascertain from my current st. Louis terminal area chart that I had with me night before last. About 2/3 of the way through this trip, my transponder stopped working. I had been squawking the standard 1200 VFR code in excess of an hour before it quit. That problem was traced yesterday to a loose connection, probably occurring when some avionic work was done before I took delivery of my small aircraft Y. More time in this plane and its instruments will enable me to better judge where I am and better interpret the data coming from its avionics. If I had to do it over again, I would have left an hour earlier so I wouldn't have run out of daylight. A cloud cover induced darkness earlier than what I had hoped it would be.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT SKIRTING TCA HAS XPONDER FAIL WITHIN 30 MI VEIL.

Narrative: I LIVE APPROX 70 MI S OF STL. 2 EVENINGS AGO I TOOK A FRIEND, VFR, FOR A SIGHTSEEING EXCURSION TO VIEW SPRING FLOOD WATERS DROWNING OUT SEVERAL COMMUNITIES N OF STL LOUIS. I FLEW OVER THE STL TCA IN EXCESS OF 10000 FT TO GET TO MY DEST. I DSNDED, N OF WHAT I VISUALLY JUDGED TO BE THE NORTHERNMOST STL TCA BOUNDARY AND STARTED MY SIGHTSEEING. MY LORAN ADVISED SEVERAL TIMES ON MY E AND THEN S RETURN TO HOME, THAT I WAS ABOUT TO ENTER THE STL TCA. I PLANNED TO FLY UNDER AND TO THE E OF THE STL TCA ON THE RETURN TRIP HOME. NIGHTFALL CAME ON THIS 2 HR FLT AND I FOUND MYSELF WITHOUT GOOD VISUAL LANDMARKS TO VERIFY THAT I WAS NOT ENTERING THE STL TCA. I FLEW WHAT I FELT WAS SUFFICIENT TO THE E BEFORE TURNING S. SEVERAL TIMES MY LORAN DISPLAYED 'ALERTS' THAT I WAS NEARING THE TCA. WHENEVER I SAW AN 'ALERT' DISPLAY, I DIVERTED MORE TO THE E BEFORE RESUMING MY TRAVEL TO THE S. I'M A LOW- TIME VFR PLT (APPROX 525 HRS) AND RECENTLY SOLD MY SMA X AND BOUGHT AN SMA Y. I HAVE 15 HRS IN THE SMA Y. I BELIEVE MY CONFUSION, OR ANXIETY, ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT I ENTERED THE TCA RESULTED FROM: 1) DARKNESS AND RESULTING POOR/DISAPPEARING GND VISUAL CLUES. 2) LOW TIME IN A NEW PLANE (TO ME). 3) DIFFERENT INSTS/BRANDS (IN DIFFERENT PLACES) TO GET ACCUSTOMED TO. I READ AND REREAD MY LORAN MANUAL UPON RETURN HOME AND BELIEVE THAT I REMAINED CLR OF THE TCA ALT-CTLED AREAS, BUT POSSIBLY ENTERED, AT SEVERAL POINTS, WITHIN THE 30 NM CIRCULAR RANGE OF THE TCA, FROM THE DATA DISPLAYED BY MY LORAN AND WHAT VISUAL CLUES I COULD ASCERTAIN FROM MY CURRENT ST. LOUIS TERMINAL AREA CHART THAT I HAD WITH ME NIGHT BEFORE LAST. ABOUT 2/3 OF THE WAY THROUGH THIS TRIP, MY XPONDER STOPPED WORKING. I HAD BEEN SQUAWKING THE STANDARD 1200 VFR CODE IN EXCESS OF AN HR BEFORE IT QUIT. THAT PROB WAS TRACED YESTERDAY TO A LOOSE CONNECTION, PROBABLY OCCURRING WHEN SOME AVIONIC WORK WAS DONE BEFORE I TOOK DELIVERY OF MY SMA Y. MORE TIME IN THIS PLANE AND ITS INSTS WILL ENABLE ME TO BETTER JUDGE WHERE I AM AND BETTER INTERPRET THE DATA COMING FROM ITS AVIONICS. IF I HAD TO DO IT OVER AGAIN, I WOULD HAVE LEFT AN HR EARLIER SO I WOULDN'T HAVE RUN OUT OF DAYLIGHT. A CLOUD COVER INDUCED DARKNESS EARLIER THAN WHAT I HAD HOPED IT WOULD BE.

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.