Narrative:

On sep/xx/95 I was on a cross country flight that would satisfy the long cross country requirement for the commercial pilot certificate. The incident occurred during the return leg from gso to W29, bay bridge, md. Because my departure time from gso wasn't until PM00 I decided to plot a more direct route back home. I had called my instructor as agreed upon landing at gso and he expressed concern about me getting back by nightfall. We also discussed my night currency. I am currently doing my multi-engine commercial in addition to the single commercial rating. All my current night time had been in the twin with my instructor. I promised him that I would land at fkn airport, va, to refuel and would spend the night there if necessary. I placed a call to franklin to arrange for fuel but no one answered. When I had landed there earlier the FBO operator said to give him a call if I would be landing after XA00. No one is there to fuel after XA00 unless arrangements are made. I was already in a hurried state and this made it worse. Instead of making plans to include another airport, I decided to plot a more direct route to W29, making no fuel stop. I thought 'I have 22 gallons of fuel with a burn of 5 gph. I have at least 4:30 of fuel on board.' this wasn't taking into consideration that I would be flying into a 16-17 KT headwind. Winds were 070 degrees at 16 KTS, or magnetic heading 075 degrees. My ground speed computed at 59-60 mph. Had I stopped to consider these things the series of errors in my flying judgement would not have occurred. Get homeitis was in full bloom. I took off from gso about PM00. It was bright and sunny. My pilotage was dead on. Later on I would track the lvl brunswick VOR then to the hopewell VOR then track inbound to bwi and ask for vectors to W29. The first part went well, cruising at 3500 ft with the engine leaned out as much as possible for fuel economy. Things deteriorated as darkness fell. After passing lvl VOR, I could not get a reliable signal from hopewell so I climbed to 5500 ft passing richmond tuning in to bwi VOR. At this point I was scared because I was basically navigating by VOR only and something else began to happen. The lights on the ground became fuzzy, apparently I was flying above a thin cloud layer. My instrument training definitely helped me here, but here I was flying above the clouds at night on a VFR flight plan. I felt totally alone. I don't know why I didn't contact richmond and ask for flight following to W29. Get homeitis I guess, I pushed on. I figured I should be seeing the city lights of the virginia/washington, dc, metropolitan area by this time but I could not see any lights in the distance. I could see lights on the ground, even a lighted tennis court. I decided to descend to 3500 ft. As I descended I could see that I was going through light clouds and stayed on instruments till I came through. I was very, very lucky. I've heard instructors say never go into clouds you never know what could be inside. I contacted andrews AFB, gave them my request. I was inbound to W29 and would appreciate radar vectors to W29. He asked my altitude, gave me a transponder code, then asked me to identify. I did and he told me that I was about 16 mi south of andrews and that at my altitude of 3500 ft I was in dca approach airspace. I had incurred on dca's airspace and added to my multitude of errors a class B incursion was another mistake. I was handed over to dca approach and within 10 mins I was in the pattern to W29. I landed with less than 30 mins of fuel which is another mistake. Get homeitis played a major role in this flight full of errors along with poor planning of that flight segment, flying with little or no night currency. Fortunately, I am still reviewing this flight and plan never to repeat these errors again.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT LOST GEOGRAPHICALLY ENTERS CLASS B AIRSPACE. UNAUTH PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE. NIGHT OP, TRAINING IN PROGRESS.

Narrative: ON SEP/XX/95 I WAS ON A XCOUNTRY FLT THAT WOULD SATISFY THE LONG XCOUNTRY REQUIREMENT FOR THE COMMERCIAL PLT CERTIFICATE. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED DURING THE RETURN LEG FROM GSO TO W29, BAY BRIDGE, MD. BECAUSE MY DEP TIME FROM GSO WASN'T UNTIL PM00 I DECIDED TO PLOT A MORE DIRECT RTE BACK HOME. I HAD CALLED MY INSTRUCTOR AS AGREED UPON LNDG AT GSO AND HE EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT ME GETTING BACK BY NIGHTFALL. WE ALSO DISCUSSED MY NIGHT CURRENCY. I AM CURRENTLY DOING MY MULTI-ENG COMMERCIAL IN ADDITION TO THE SINGLE COMMERCIAL RATING. ALL MY CURRENT NIGHT TIME HAD BEEN IN THE TWIN WITH MY INSTRUCTOR. I PROMISED HIM THAT I WOULD LAND AT FKN ARPT, VA, TO REFUEL AND WOULD SPEND THE NIGHT THERE IF NECESSARY. I PLACED A CALL TO FRANKLIN TO ARRANGE FOR FUEL BUT NO ONE ANSWERED. WHEN I HAD LANDED THERE EARLIER THE FBO OPERATOR SAID TO GIVE HIM A CALL IF I WOULD BE LNDG AFTER XA00. NO ONE IS THERE TO FUEL AFTER XA00 UNLESS ARRANGEMENTS ARE MADE. I WAS ALREADY IN A HURRIED STATE AND THIS MADE IT WORSE. INSTEAD OF MAKING PLANS TO INCLUDE ANOTHER ARPT, I DECIDED TO PLOT A MORE DIRECT RTE TO W29, MAKING NO FUEL STOP. I THOUGHT 'I HAVE 22 GALLONS OF FUEL WITH A BURN OF 5 GPH. I HAVE AT LEAST 4:30 OF FUEL ON BOARD.' THIS WASN'T TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THAT I WOULD BE FLYING INTO A 16-17 KT HEADWIND. WINDS WERE 070 DEGS AT 16 KTS, OR MAGNETIC HDG 075 DEGS. MY GND SPD COMPUTED AT 59-60 MPH. HAD I STOPPED TO CONSIDER THESE THINGS THE SERIES OF ERRORS IN MY FLYING JUDGEMENT WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. GET HOMEITIS WAS IN FULL BLOOM. I TOOK OFF FROM GSO ABOUT PM00. IT WAS BRIGHT AND SUNNY. MY PILOTAGE WAS DEAD ON. LATER ON I WOULD TRACK THE LVL BRUNSWICK VOR THEN TO THE HOPEWELL VOR THEN TRACK INBOUND TO BWI AND ASK FOR VECTORS TO W29. THE FIRST PART WENT WELL, CRUISING AT 3500 FT WITH THE ENG LEANED OUT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE FOR FUEL ECONOMY. THINGS DETERIORATED AS DARKNESS FELL. AFTER PASSING LVL VOR, I COULD NOT GET A RELIABLE SIGNAL FROM HOPEWELL SO I CLBED TO 5500 FT PASSING RICHMOND TUNING IN TO BWI VOR. AT THIS POINT I WAS SCARED BECAUSE I WAS BASICALLY NAVING BY VOR ONLY AND SOMETHING ELSE BEGAN TO HAPPEN. THE LIGHTS ON THE GND BECAME FUZZY, APPARENTLY I WAS FLYING ABOVE A THIN CLOUD LAYER. MY INST TRAINING DEFINITELY HELPED ME HERE, BUT HERE I WAS FLYING ABOVE THE CLOUDS AT NIGHT ON A VFR FLT PLAN. I FELT TOTALLY ALONE. I DON'T KNOW WHY I DIDN'T CONTACT RICHMOND AND ASK FOR FLT FOLLOWING TO W29. GET HOMEITIS I GUESS, I PUSHED ON. I FIGURED I SHOULD BE SEEING THE CITY LIGHTS OF THE VIRGINIA/WASHINGTON, DC, METRO AREA BY THIS TIME BUT I COULD NOT SEE ANY LIGHTS IN THE DISTANCE. I COULD SEE LIGHTS ON THE GND, EVEN A LIGHTED TENNIS COURT. I DECIDED TO DSND TO 3500 FT. AS I DSNDED I COULD SEE THAT I WAS GOING THROUGH LIGHT CLOUDS AND STAYED ON INSTS TILL I CAME THROUGH. I WAS VERY, VERY LUCKY. I'VE HEARD INSTRUCTORS SAY NEVER GO INTO CLOUDS YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT COULD BE INSIDE. I CONTACTED ANDREWS AFB, GAVE THEM MY REQUEST. I WAS INBOUND TO W29 AND WOULD APPRECIATE RADAR VECTORS TO W29. HE ASKED MY ALT, GAVE ME A XPONDER CODE, THEN ASKED ME TO IDENT. I DID AND HE TOLD ME THAT I WAS ABOUT 16 MI S OF ANDREWS AND THAT AT MY ALT OF 3500 FT I WAS IN DCA APCH AIRSPACE. I HAD INCURRED ON DCA'S AIRSPACE AND ADDED TO MY MULTITUDE OF ERRORS A CLASS B INCURSION WAS ANOTHER MISTAKE. I WAS HANDED OVER TO DCA APCH AND WITHIN 10 MINS I WAS IN THE PATTERN TO W29. I LANDED WITH LESS THAN 30 MINS OF FUEL WHICH IS ANOTHER MISTAKE. GET HOMEITIS PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN THIS FLT FULL OF ERRORS ALONG WITH POOR PLANNING OF THAT FLT SEGMENT, FLYING WITH LITTLE OR NO NIGHT CURRENCY. FORTUNATELY, I AM STILL REVIEWING THIS FLT AND PLAN NEVER TO REPEAT THESE ERRORS AGAIN.

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.