Narrative:

Last sat my wife and I received word that her father had fallen and was very ill. We were told that he looked to be dying but would not go to see a doctor. We flew down on mon to find him 80 to 100 pounds lighter and was unable to stand. This was the first we knew of his illness. We slept very poorly all through a very stressful week but had to leave to come home and return to our jobs. Sat we said goodbye for the last time. The low pressure area that hung around the phoenix basin for the previous few days looked to be clearing to the west and VFR flight was approved. I could not go out my usual route to prescott because of IFR conditions in that area but could go to the west to blythe. My LORAN would not come on line because of the rainshowers in the area. My plan was to depart from dear valley and fly out past lake pleasant on the 300 degree VOR radial skirting the luke restr area and then turn around the wickenburg airport and pick up the 160 degree radial to the buckeye VOR then fly outbound on V-16, 262 degrees for the blythe VOR. I took off and climbed out at 285 degrees and figured I would pick up the 300 degree VOR signal before I reached lake pleasant. I started picking up the signal but had erratic readings all the way out to wickenburg. I turned around the wickenburg airport and switched to the buckeye VOR. I then started getting very poor signals from the buckeye VOR and switched to the gila bend VOR where the signals were also very poor. I realized I was not getting reliable information and tried and failed to bring the LORAN on line again. I looked back towards phoenix but could not see it for the rain and had poor visibility and rain that was causing me to divert as I tried to sort the radio mess out. By this time, I also realized I was unsure of my position and had better take a magnetic heading and follow it. At the same time I passed a good sized hole in the overcast and chose to climb up through. When I arrived on top I found my VOR signal was still erratic and going on and off line. I continued to climb and after an hour or so my VOR came back on line. I reached the blythe VOR and turned 290 degrees outbound for the twenty- nine palms VOR and then inbound on the goffs VOR. When I reached las vegas and called approach to enter their airspace to land at henderson, I was told to call the FAA at yuma. I landed and called and was told I had entered the restr airspace R-2308A and R-2306B. I immediately admitted I had become lost for the first time in 15 yrs and that I had experienced problems with my VOR. I gave my name address and license numbers and asked the person about the paper work I needed to report the incident. The person refused to say anything about the reporting procedures. I have never entered restr airspace without permission before or broken a TCA, so I was unfamiliar with the reporting procedures. I do have friends who have done so and they had told me of the report but the briefer would not say a word about it. After thinking of what happened, I have come to the following conclusions. My LORAN would not come on line because of the rain in the area. My airplane had sat out in the rain for a few days and water had shorted my navigation antenna causing the erratic readings and loss of signal, I contacted a mechanic who said he thinks the problem might be the result of the scissors type connectors to the antenna. I spent too much time trying to solve the radio problems and lost track of my position. I had never been to the west of phoenix and was not familiar with the lay of the land. I was very tired and had been under stress the previous days. Under normal conditions, I would have sorted the situation out quicker and called phx approach for help. I know my performance under the conditions was seriously affected by fatigue. Yesterday, I ordered a GPS with airspace alerts and traded in my LORAN. By next week it will be installed and by all reports should give me superior navigational abilities. My biggest mistake was not getting in touch with phoenix to get radar vectoring out of the area. My only excuse for this is that my brain was not firing on all 8 cylinders that day.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT ENTERS RESTR AREA WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: LAST SAT MY WIFE AND I RECEIVED WORD THAT HER FATHER HAD FALLEN AND WAS VERY ILL. WE WERE TOLD THAT HE LOOKED TO BE DYING BUT WOULD NOT GO TO SEE A DOCTOR. WE FLEW DOWN ON MON TO FIND HIM 80 TO 100 POUNDS LIGHTER AND WAS UNABLE TO STAND. THIS WAS THE FIRST WE KNEW OF HIS ILLNESS. WE SLEPT VERY POORLY ALL THROUGH A VERY STRESSFUL WK BUT HAD TO LEAVE TO COME HOME AND RETURN TO OUR JOBS. SAT WE SAID GOODBYE FOR THE LAST TIME. THE LOW PRESSURE AREA THAT HUNG AROUND THE PHOENIX BASIN FOR THE PREVIOUS FEW DAYS LOOKED TO BE CLRING TO THE W AND VFR FLT WAS APPROVED. I COULD NOT GO OUT MY USUAL RTE TO PRESCOTT BECAUSE OF IFR CONDITIONS IN THAT AREA BUT COULD GO TO THE W TO BLYTHE. MY LORAN WOULD NOT COME ON LINE BECAUSE OF THE RAINSHOWERS IN THE AREA. MY PLAN WAS TO DEPART FROM DEAR VALLEY AND FLY OUT PAST LAKE PLEASANT ON THE 300 DEG VOR RADIAL SKIRTING THE LUKE RESTR AREA AND THEN TURN AROUND THE WICKENBURG ARPT AND PICK UP THE 160 DEG RADIAL TO THE BUCKEYE VOR THEN FLY OUTBOUND ON V-16, 262 DEGS FOR THE BLYTHE VOR. I TOOK OFF AND CLBED OUT AT 285 DEGS AND FIGURED I WOULD PICK UP THE 300 DEG VOR SIGNAL BEFORE I REACHED LAKE PLEASANT. I STARTED PICKING UP THE SIGNAL BUT HAD ERRATIC READINGS ALL THE WAY OUT TO WICKENBURG. I TURNED AROUND THE WICKENBURG ARPT AND SWITCHED TO THE BUCKEYE VOR. I THEN STARTED GETTING VERY POOR SIGNALS FROM THE BUCKEYE VOR AND SWITCHED TO THE GILA BEND VOR WHERE THE SIGNALS WERE ALSO VERY POOR. I REALIZED I WAS NOT GETTING RELIABLE INFO AND TRIED AND FAILED TO BRING THE LORAN ON LINE AGAIN. I LOOKED BACK TOWARDS PHOENIX BUT COULD NOT SEE IT FOR THE RAIN AND HAD POOR VISIBILITY AND RAIN THAT WAS CAUSING ME TO DIVERT AS I TRIED TO SORT THE RADIO MESS OUT. BY THIS TIME, I ALSO REALIZED I WAS UNSURE OF MY POS AND HAD BETTER TAKE A MAGNETIC HDG AND FOLLOW IT. AT THE SAME TIME I PASSED A GOOD SIZED HOLE IN THE OVCST AND CHOSE TO CLB UP THROUGH. WHEN I ARRIVED ON TOP I FOUND MY VOR SIGNAL WAS STILL ERRATIC AND GOING ON AND OFF LINE. I CONTINUED TO CLB AND AFTER AN HR OR SO MY VOR CAME BACK ON LINE. I REACHED THE BLYTHE VOR AND TURNED 290 DEGS OUTBOUND FOR THE TWENTY- NINE PALMS VOR AND THEN INBOUND ON THE GOFFS VOR. WHEN I REACHED LAS VEGAS AND CALLED APCH TO ENTER THEIR AIRSPACE TO LAND AT HENDERSON, I WAS TOLD TO CALL THE FAA AT YUMA. I LANDED AND CALLED AND WAS TOLD I HAD ENTERED THE RESTR AIRSPACE R-2308A AND R-2306B. I IMMEDIATELY ADMITTED I HAD BECOME LOST FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 15 YRS AND THAT I HAD EXPERIENCED PROBS WITH MY VOR. I GAVE MY NAME ADDRESS AND LICENSE NUMBERS AND ASKED THE PERSON ABOUT THE PAPER WORK I NEEDED TO RPT THE INCIDENT. THE PERSON REFUSED TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE RPTING PROCS. I HAVE NEVER ENTERED RESTR AIRSPACE WITHOUT PERMISSION BEFORE OR BROKEN A TCA, SO I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE RPTING PROCS. I DO HAVE FRIENDS WHO HAVE DONE SO AND THEY HAD TOLD ME OF THE RPT BUT THE BRIEFER WOULD NOT SAY A WORD ABOUT IT. AFTER THINKING OF WHAT HAPPENED, I HAVE COME TO THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSIONS. MY LORAN WOULD NOT COME ON LINE BECAUSE OF THE RAIN IN THE AREA. MY AIRPLANE HAD SAT OUT IN THE RAIN FOR A FEW DAYS AND WATER HAD SHORTED MY NAV ANTENNA CAUSING THE ERRATIC READINGS AND LOSS OF SIGNAL, I CONTACTED A MECH WHO SAID HE THINKS THE PROB MIGHT BE THE RESULT OF THE SCISSORS TYPE CONNECTORS TO THE ANTENNA. I SPENT TOO MUCH TIME TRYING TO SOLVE THE RADIO PROBS AND LOST TRACK OF MY POS. I HAD NEVER BEEN TO THE W OF PHOENIX AND WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE LAY OF THE LAND. I WAS VERY TIRED AND HAD BEEN UNDER STRESS THE PREVIOUS DAYS. UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS, I WOULD HAVE SORTED THE SIT OUT QUICKER AND CALLED PHX APCH FOR HELP. I KNOW MY PERFORMANCE UNDER THE CONDITIONS WAS SERIOUSLY AFFECTED BY FATIGUE. YESTERDAY, I ORDERED A GPS WITH AIRSPACE ALERTS AND TRADED IN MY LORAN. BY NEXT WK IT WILL BE INSTALLED AND BY ALL RPTS SHOULD GIVE ME SUPERIOR NAVIGATIONAL ABILITIES. MY BIGGEST MISTAKE WAS NOT GETTING IN TOUCH WITH PHOENIX TO GET RADAR VECTORING OUT OF THE AREA. MY ONLY EXCUSE FOR THIS IS THAT MY BRAIN WAS NOT FIRING ON ALL 8 CYLINDERS THAT DAY.

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.