Narrative:

On this day I was ferrying an aircraft along the east coast. To be able to use a more direct route I was using a GPS. A stationary front was in my way and, as I was getting closer to it, I requested an IFR clearance. It was given to me without delay and I entered the clouds. Right away I knew something was wrong. For some reason the heading didn't make sense to me. My directional gyroscope, magnetic compass, and GPS were showing 3 different things. I told the controller that I had a hard time verifying my heading. Instead of pushing through the WX I had in front of me, I also requested to change my destination. I wanted to go back and land at an airport that I had passed, where I knew I had a good chance of getting a visual approach. The controller had no problem with this and started giving me no gyroscope vectors. As I was figuring out my current position and my new clearance, my attitude indicator failed. While all this was going on, I lost priority #1: flying the airplane. I didn't pay enough attention to the attitude of the airplane. This led to that I put myself in an unusual attitude with 1500 ft of altitude loss before I could recover. I told the controller that I had some problems. He assigned me a new altitude and informed me that there was another airport closer by that reported VFR. I gladly accepted this idea. From this point, I only concentrated on flying the airplane. I was given an ASR approach and landed safely. I have been through the event a million times in my mind. I give myself an F minus for my performance. A combination of not quickly enough recognizing what was wrong with the airplane and getting my priorities wrong led to this very much undesirable situation. I know now that I lost my directional gyroscope and attitude indicator. The GPS didn't show the correct heading because it was only receiving 2 out of 3 required satellites. Therefore, it was not updating itself and was still showing my old heading. Up until I entered the clouds I had used the GPS as primary for heading. I had it set up 'direct to' and then pointed the nose visually at something in the horizon. Looking out the window and only looking down to check that I was still on track, verifying my position with VOR radials. In this phase of the flight I was paying very little attention to the directional gyroscope or the magnetic compass. As I lost my directional gyroscope and the GPS was not updating itself, for some reason, I did not trust the magnetic compass. I know today that that is exactly what I should have done. As I landed it appeared to show correct headings. All of this got me confused and shortly thereafter when the attitude indicator failed, I was too distracted to notice what I was doing to the airplane. The only positive thing I can think of about this is that I learned a lot.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOSS OF ACFT CTL, ALTDEV ALT EXCURSION.

Narrative: ON THIS DAY I WAS FERRYING AN ACFT ALONG THE E COAST. TO BE ABLE TO USE A MORE DIRECT RTE I WAS USING A GPS. A STATIONARY FRONT WAS IN MY WAY AND, AS I WAS GETTING CLOSER TO IT, I REQUESTED AN IFR CLRNC. IT WAS GIVEN TO ME WITHOUT DELAY AND I ENTERED THE CLOUDS. RIGHT AWAY I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG. FOR SOME REASON THE HDG DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME. MY DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE, MAGNETIC COMPASS, AND GPS WERE SHOWING 3 DIFFERENT THINGS. I TOLD THE CTLR THAT I HAD A HARD TIME VERIFYING MY HDG. INSTEAD OF PUSHING THROUGH THE WX I HAD IN FRONT OF ME, I ALSO REQUESTED TO CHANGE MY DEST. I WANTED TO GO BACK AND LAND AT AN ARPT THAT I HAD PASSED, WHERE I KNEW I HAD A GOOD CHANCE OF GETTING A VISUAL APCH. THE CTLR HAD NO PROB WITH THIS AND STARTED GIVING ME NO GYROSCOPE VECTORS. AS I WAS FIGURING OUT MY CURRENT POS AND MY NEW CLRNC, MY ATTITUDE INDICATOR FAILED. WHILE ALL THIS WAS GOING ON, I LOST PRIORITY #1: FLYING THE AIRPLANE. I DIDN'T PAY ENOUGH ATTN TO THE ATTITUDE OF THE AIRPLANE. THIS LED TO THAT I PUT MYSELF IN AN UNUSUAL ATTITUDE WITH 1500 FT OF ALT LOSS BEFORE I COULD RECOVER. I TOLD THE CTLR THAT I HAD SOME PROBS. HE ASSIGNED ME A NEW ALT AND INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER ARPT CLOSER BY THAT RPTED VFR. I GLADLY ACCEPTED THIS IDEA. FROM THIS POINT, I ONLY CONCENTRATED ON FLYING THE AIRPLANE. I WAS GIVEN AN ASR APCH AND LANDED SAFELY. I HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE EVENT A MILLION TIMES IN MY MIND. I GIVE MYSELF AN F MINUS FOR MY PERFORMANCE. A COMBINATION OF NOT QUICKLY ENOUGH RECOGNIZING WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE AIRPLANE AND GETTING MY PRIORITIES WRONG LED TO THIS VERY MUCH UNDESIRABLE SIT. I KNOW NOW THAT I LOST MY DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE AND ATTITUDE INDICATOR. THE GPS DIDN'T SHOW THE CORRECT HDG BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY RECEIVING 2 OUT OF 3 REQUIRED SATELLITES. THEREFORE, IT WAS NOT UPDATING ITSELF AND WAS STILL SHOWING MY OLD HDG. UP UNTIL I ENTERED THE CLOUDS I HAD USED THE GPS AS PRIMARY FOR HDG. I HAD IT SET UP 'DIRECT TO' AND THEN POINTED THE NOSE VISUALLY AT SOMETHING IN THE HORIZON. LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW AND ONLY LOOKING DOWN TO CHK THAT I WAS STILL ON TRACK, VERIFYING MY POS WITH VOR RADIALS. IN THIS PHASE OF THE FLT I WAS PAYING VERY LITTLE ATTN TO THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE OR THE MAGNETIC COMPASS. AS I LOST MY DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE AND THE GPS WAS NOT UPDATING ITSELF, FOR SOME REASON, I DID NOT TRUST THE MAGNETIC COMPASS. I KNOW TODAY THAT THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE. AS I LANDED IT APPEARED TO SHOW CORRECT HDGS. ALL OF THIS GOT ME CONFUSED AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER WHEN THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR FAILED, I WAS TOO DISTRACTED TO NOTICE WHAT I WAS DOING TO THE AIRPLANE. THE ONLY POSITIVE THING I CAN THINK OF ABOUT THIS IS THAT I LEARNED A LOT.

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.