Narrative:

This is a summary of my analysis of the events that led to the airspace violation of the class C airspace at the toledo express airport on oct/xx/93. This violation occurred while I, being student pilot, became lost on a cross country flight. The cause of my becoming lost was a combination of events that were aggravated by moderate to severe turbulent WX conditions. I flew over the airport at wauson, but could not positively identify it as my destination and proceeded to fly south to view the name on the city water tower. That turned out to be wauson which I could not readily locate on my michigan sectional map. The turbulence inhibited my ability to thoroughly read the map as well as I should have. Wauson was on it, but I did not find it. It had not occurred to me that I was really south of my destination and actually in ohio. I thought I was still north of adrian, mi. I then turned east, flying at about 2000 ft altitude to try to identify the water tower on the next small town. I tried to call adrian unicom on 122.8 MHZ but got no answer. It was at about this time that I apparently lost the signal from the jackson VOR. In hindsight, I realize that I had probably gotten too far away at too low of an altitude to effectively receive the VOR. At this time I attempted to contact lansing radio flight service on frequency 122.2 MHZ. I got no answer. I did not realize that I should have been calling flight service in ohio, or better yet just flight service. I should have also tried frequency 122.0 but did not. I did try to contact adrian unicom on 122.8 MHZ, but no one answered. About this time I noticed a large airport to the east about 7 mi and some large buildings in a city beyond. I immediately turned north and stayed at or below 2000 ft I think realizing I did not want to get into controled airspace. Still believing I was north of adrian rather than south, I reasoned that the airport and city may have been ann arbor, mi. I tried to call on their control tower frequency and got no answer. I continued to fly around in a circle trying to find a visual reference for verification of my location. After a period of time I spotted a circular automotive race track to the east and remembered seeing one of these along one of my planned rtes. I located what I had remembered seeing due north of adrian on my map that I was to fly over on my return leg from adrian to midland. Breathing a sigh of relief thinking all I had to do is fly due south and I would be over my intended destination. This soon proved to be a wrong assumption, because I was really over an automotive test track north and east of toledo express airport. This track was only vaguely noted on my sectional chart and I found it only later while trying to reconstruct what happened. I was still flying near 2000 ft to identify ground visual points. Flying this low limits the ability to see very far and as a result, by the time I saw the large airport to the west, I must have flown too close. I continued flying south and tried to call lansing radio again on 122.2 but got no response. I then switched over to 122.8 MHZ and called for any unicom to assist. Someone answered this time and directed me to call toledo approach frequency which I did, and told them of my problem and asked for permission to land. I landed and proceeded to GA and was directed to contact the control tower on the phone. This may sound like I was flying over a large area a long way from my intended destination, but in reality I think most of it was all within 20 mi of my intended destination. What did I learn from all of this? And what an I going to do? Review the incident with my instructor. Get any additional advice or training that he recommends. (Done on oct/xy/93 and several times since.)

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: STUDENT PLT ON A SOLO XCOUNTRY BECAME LOST AND INADVERTENTLY FLEW INTO AN ARSA (CLASS C AIRSPACE).

Narrative: THIS IS A SUMMARY OF MY ANALYSIS OF THE EVENTS THAT LED TO THE AIRSPACE VIOLATION OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE AT THE TOLEDO EXPRESS ARPT ON OCT/XX/93. THIS VIOLATION OCCURRED WHILE I, BEING STUDENT PLT, BECAME LOST ON A XCOUNTRY FLT. THE CAUSE OF MY BECOMING LOST WAS A COMBINATION OF EVENTS THAT WERE AGGRAVATED BY MODERATE TO SEVERE TURBULENT WX CONDITIONS. I FLEW OVER THE ARPT AT WAUSON, BUT COULD NOT POSITIVELY IDENT IT AS MY DEST AND PROCEEDED TO FLY S TO VIEW THE NAME ON THE CITY WATER TWR. THAT TURNED OUT TO BE WAUSON WHICH I COULD NOT READILY LOCATE ON MY MICHIGAN SECTIONAL MAP. THE TURB INHIBITED MY ABILITY TO THOROUGHLY READ THE MAP AS WELL AS I SHOULD HAVE. WAUSON WAS ON IT, BUT I DID NOT FIND IT. IT HAD NOT OCCURRED TO ME THAT I WAS REALLY S OF MY DEST AND ACTUALLY IN OHIO. I THOUGHT I WAS STILL N OF ADRIAN, MI. I THEN TURNED E, FLYING AT ABOUT 2000 FT ALT TO TRY TO IDENT THE WATER TWR ON THE NEXT SMALL TOWN. I TRIED TO CALL ADRIAN UNICOM ON 122.8 MHZ BUT GOT NO ANSWER. IT WAS AT ABOUT THIS TIME THAT I APPARENTLY LOST THE SIGNAL FROM THE JACKSON VOR. IN HINDSIGHT, I REALIZE THAT I HAD PROBABLY GOTTEN TOO FAR AWAY AT TOO LOW OF AN ALT TO EFFECTIVELY RECEIVE THE VOR. AT THIS TIME I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT LANSING RADIO FLT SVC ON FREQ 122.2 MHZ. I GOT NO ANSWER. I DID NOT REALIZE THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN CALLING FLT SVC IN OHIO, OR BETTER YET JUST FLT SVC. I SHOULD HAVE ALSO TRIED FREQ 122.0 BUT DID NOT. I DID TRY TO CONTACT ADRIAN UNICOM ON 122.8 MHZ, BUT NO ONE ANSWERED. ABOUT THIS TIME I NOTICED A LARGE ARPT TO THE E ABOUT 7 MI AND SOME LARGE BUILDINGS IN A CITY BEYOND. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED N AND STAYED AT OR BELOW 2000 FT I THINK REALIZING I DID NOT WANT TO GET INTO CTLED AIRSPACE. STILL BELIEVING I WAS N OF ADRIAN RATHER THAN S, I REASONED THAT THE ARPT AND CITY MAY HAVE BEEN ANN ARBOR, MI. I TRIED TO CALL ON THEIR CTL TWR FREQ AND GOT NO ANSWER. I CONTINUED TO FLY AROUND IN A CIRCLE TRYING TO FIND A VISUAL REF FOR VERIFICATION OF MY LOCATION. AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME I SPOTTED A CIRCULAR AUTOMOTIVE RACE TRACK TO THE E AND REMEMBERED SEEING ONE OF THESE ALONG ONE OF MY PLANNED RTES. I LOCATED WHAT I HAD REMEMBERED SEEING DUE N OF ADRIAN ON MY MAP THAT I WAS TO FLY OVER ON MY RETURN LEG FROM ADRIAN TO MIDLAND. BREATHING A SIGH OF RELIEF THINKING ALL I HAD TO DO IS FLY DUE S AND I WOULD BE OVER MY INTENDED DEST. THIS SOON PROVED TO BE A WRONG ASSUMPTION, BECAUSE I WAS REALLY OVER AN AUTOMOTIVE TEST TRACK N AND E OF TOLEDO EXPRESS ARPT. THIS TRACK WAS ONLY VAGUELY NOTED ON MY SECTIONAL CHART AND I FOUND IT ONLY LATER WHILE TRYING TO RECONSTRUCT WHAT HAPPENED. I WAS STILL FLYING NEAR 2000 FT TO IDENT GND VISUAL POINTS. FLYING THIS LOW LIMITS THE ABILITY TO SEE VERY FAR AND AS A RESULT, BY THE TIME I SAW THE LARGE ARPT TO THE W, I MUST HAVE FLOWN TOO CLOSE. I CONTINUED FLYING S AND TRIED TO CALL LANSING RADIO AGAIN ON 122.2 BUT GOT NO RESPONSE. I THEN SWITCHED OVER TO 122.8 MHZ AND CALLED FOR ANY UNICOM TO ASSIST. SOMEONE ANSWERED THIS TIME AND DIRECTED ME TO CALL TOLEDO APCH FREQ WHICH I DID, AND TOLD THEM OF MY PROB AND ASKED FOR PERMISSION TO LAND. I LANDED AND PROCEEDED TO GA AND WAS DIRECTED TO CONTACT THE CTL TWR ON THE PHONE. THIS MAY SOUND LIKE I WAS FLYING OVER A LARGE AREA A LONG WAY FROM MY INTENDED DEST, BUT IN REALITY I THINK MOST OF IT WAS ALL WITHIN 20 MI OF MY INTENDED DEST. WHAT DID I LEARN FROM ALL OF THIS? AND WHAT AN I GOING TO DO? REVIEW THE INCIDENT WITH MY INSTRUCTOR. GET ANY ADDITIONAL ADVICE OR TRAINING THAT HE RECOMMENDS. (DONE ON OCT/XY/93 AND SEVERAL TIMES SINCE.)

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.