Narrative:

I went on my third solo cross country flight from santa rosa, ca, to franklin, ca. I had received a WX briefing and filed a VFR flight plan. After departure, I climbed to 7500 ft to avoid the travis AFB alert area. Shortly after this, I started to look for franklin airport but was unable to find it. After searching for a while, rather at random, I called oakland radio on 122.5 and asked them to extend my flight plan by 40 mins. They asked my position and I said I thought I was near franklin. At this time, I started to feel uneasy and decided to return to santa rosa by climbing and turning to the reciprocal of my heading to franklin. At this time, I did not check the directional gyroscope against the magnetic compass, although I was later to discover a large discrepancy and I do not remember adjusting it since the start of the flight. This combination of the directional gyroscope being off plus the fact that I think I drifted to the south while I was looking for franklin resulted in me flying off in the wrong direction. I realized this after a while as there was a lot of water below (in retrospect, this was probably the sacramento delta) and at this point I became really nervous and concerned that I was lost. I started to climb and identify my position on the map. I also tried to identify my position with the VOR receiver although I could not accurately draw a line on the chart as I was by now nervous and somewhat disorganized as well as being concerned that I was probably heading in the direction of the san francisco area. I now thought it would be best to contact oakland radio and inform them I was lost. At the same time I spotted an airport below me and decided to circle the airport (I think by now I was at about 8000 ft) as I did not want to continue in the wrong direction and it was an obvious place for a precautionary landing. I called oakland radio and told them I was lost. They asked me for my position and I responded by saying that I did not know but was circling over an airport. They asked me again for my position and I told them I thought I was close to san francisco as this is the nearest place I know. The FSS told me to squawk 7700 and, as I was doing so, I saw that it was livermore airport I was circling. I squawked 1200 again and told the FSS I was going to land and asked them for the tower frequency. I wanted to get on the ground as soon as possible as I was not comfortable with planning my way back in the air. I headed north of the airport to descend. After I had lost sufficient altitude, I headed back to the airport and called livermore tower. I gave them my position and told them I was a student pilot. I was told to report crossing 580 which I did. I missed the next communication and didn't reply immediately, but the tower came back to me and told me to turn left, which I complied with. I was now parallel to the runway and so flew downwind, turned base, final and landed. At livermore, I called xyz aviation in santa rosa and told them what had happened. I planned a flight back to santa rosa, refueled, and headed home. Before taking off from livermore was when I realized my directional gyroscope was a long way off. The remainder of the flight passed without incident. In retrospect, I realized I had made 2 mistakes which caused the problem. I did not check my directional gyroscope with the magnetic compass after leaving santa rosa. The resultant uncorrected precession caused me to deviate seriously off my planned route and become disoriented. I did not use the VOR receiver to take a fix of my position. It also did not occur to me to fly to VOR and track outbound on a radial although we had covered this in earlier dual xcountries. I think a contributing factor was flying at a higher altitude than I was used to, which made identify of features on the ground much harder and distorted my distance perspective so that I was looking too far away for nearby features.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SPI LOST ON 3RD SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT. DIVERSION TO ALTERNATE ARPT AFTER FLT ASSIST EFFORT.

Narrative: I WENT ON MY THIRD SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT FROM SANTA ROSA, CA, TO FRANKLIN, CA. I HAD RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING AND FILED A VFR FLT PLAN. AFTER DEP, I CLBED TO 7500 FT TO AVOID THE TRAVIS AFB ALERT AREA. SHORTLY AFTER THIS, I STARTED TO LOOK FOR FRANKLIN ARPT BUT WAS UNABLE TO FIND IT. AFTER SEARCHING FOR A WHILE, RATHER AT RANDOM, I CALLED OAKLAND RADIO ON 122.5 AND ASKED THEM TO EXTEND MY FLT PLAN BY 40 MINS. THEY ASKED MY POS AND I SAID I THOUGHT I WAS NEAR FRANKLIN. AT THIS TIME, I STARTED TO FEEL UNEASY AND DECIDED TO RETURN TO SANTA ROSA BY CLBING AND TURNING TO THE RECIPROCAL OF MY HDG TO FRANKLIN. AT THIS TIME, I DID NOT CHK THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE AGAINST THE MAGNETIC COMPASS, ALTHOUGH I WAS LATER TO DISCOVER A LARGE DISCREPANCY AND I DO NOT REMEMBER ADJUSTING IT SINCE THE START OF THE FLT. THIS COMBINATION OF THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE BEING OFF PLUS THE FACT THAT I THINK I DRIFTED TO THE S WHILE I WAS LOOKING FOR FRANKLIN RESULTED IN ME FLYING OFF IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. I REALIZED THIS AFTER A WHILE AS THERE WAS A LOT OF WATER BELOW (IN RETROSPECT, THIS WAS PROBABLY THE SACRAMENTO DELTA) AND AT THIS POINT I BECAME REALLY NERVOUS AND CONCERNED THAT I WAS LOST. I STARTED TO CLB AND IDENT MY POS ON THE MAP. I ALSO TRIED TO IDENT MY POS WITH THE VOR RECEIVER ALTHOUGH I COULD NOT ACCURATELY DRAW A LINE ON THE CHART AS I WAS BY NOW NERVOUS AND SOMEWHAT DISORGANIZED AS WELL AS BEING CONCERNED THAT I WAS PROBABLY HDG IN THE DIRECTION OF THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA. I NOW THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BEST TO CONTACT OAKLAND RADIO AND INFORM THEM I WAS LOST. AT THE SAME TIME I SPOTTED AN ARPT BELOW ME AND DECIDED TO CIRCLE THE ARPT (I THINK BY NOW I WAS AT ABOUT 8000 FT) AS I DID NOT WANT TO CONTINUE IN THE WRONG DIRECTION AND IT WAS AN OBVIOUS PLACE FOR A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG. I CALLED OAKLAND RADIO AND TOLD THEM I WAS LOST. THEY ASKED ME FOR MY POS AND I RESPONDED BY SAYING THAT I DID NOT KNOW BUT WAS CIRCLING OVER AN ARPT. THEY ASKED ME AGAIN FOR MY POS AND I TOLD THEM I THOUGHT I WAS CLOSE TO SAN FRANCISCO AS THIS IS THE NEAREST PLACE I KNOW. THE FSS TOLD ME TO SQUAWK 7700 AND, AS I WAS DOING SO, I SAW THAT IT WAS LIVERMORE ARPT I WAS CIRCLING. I SQUAWKED 1200 AGAIN AND TOLD THE FSS I WAS GOING TO LAND AND ASKED THEM FOR THE TWR FREQ. I WANTED TO GET ON THE GND ASAP AS I WAS NOT COMFORTABLE WITH PLANNING MY WAY BACK IN THE AIR. I HEADED N OF THE ARPT TO DSND. AFTER I HAD LOST SUFFICIENT ALT, I HEADED BACK TO THE ARPT AND CALLED LIVERMORE TWR. I GAVE THEM MY POS AND TOLD THEM I WAS A STUDENT PLT. I WAS TOLD TO RPT XING 580 WHICH I DID. I MISSED THE NEXT COM AND DIDN'T REPLY IMMEDIATELY, BUT THE TWR CAME BACK TO ME AND TOLD ME TO TURN L, WHICH I COMPLIED WITH. I WAS NOW PARALLEL TO THE RWY AND SO FLEW DOWNWIND, TURNED BASE, FINAL AND LANDED. AT LIVERMORE, I CALLED XYZ AVIATION IN SANTA ROSA AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I PLANNED A FLT BACK TO SANTA ROSA, REFUELED, AND HEADED HOME. BEFORE TAKING OFF FROM LIVERMORE WAS WHEN I REALIZED MY DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE WAS A LONG WAY OFF. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT PASSED WITHOUT INCIDENT. IN RETROSPECT, I REALIZED I HAD MADE 2 MISTAKES WHICH CAUSED THE PROB. I DID NOT CHK MY DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE WITH THE MAGNETIC COMPASS AFTER LEAVING SANTA ROSA. THE RESULTANT UNCORRECTED PRECESSION CAUSED ME TO DEVIATE SERIOUSLY OFF MY PLANNED RTE AND BECOME DISORIENTED. I DID NOT USE THE VOR RECEIVER TO TAKE A FIX OF MY POS. IT ALSO DID NOT OCCUR TO ME TO FLY TO VOR AND TRACK OUTBOUND ON A RADIAL ALTHOUGH WE HAD COVERED THIS IN EARLIER DUAL XCOUNTRIES. I THINK A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS FLYING AT A HIGHER ALT THAN I WAS USED TO, WHICH MADE IDENT OF FEATURES ON THE GND MUCH HARDER AND DISTORTED MY DISTANCE PERSPECTIVE SO THAT I WAS LOOKING TOO FAR AWAY FOR NEARBY FEATURES.

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.