Narrative:

VFR flight from norwood, ma, to lancaster, PA. Climbing from departure at norwood I thought I could climb out at a moderate rate of climb and avoid entering the class B airspace, however I became distracted and accidentally climbed at a high rate of climb into the class B airspace. My communication radios were breaking up badly and I thought at first the controller had initiated my flight plan and cleared me into the class B airspace, so I didn't immediately try to descend out of the class B. This was the longest flight I've taken since purchasing my first airplane, a '79 archer ii 2 months ago. I was rushing to get airborne before dark. My cockpit operations were complicated by new procedures, I had revised my checklists and I was using a computer generated flight plan program for the first time. I was having trouble with my communication radios which had several times broken up about 5 mi from norwood. All these factors contributed to distraction. I was taking an unaccustomed route of flight -- due west from departure. Normally, leaving norwood I'm heading north or south. Usually, when I have traveled to the west I've been departing from bedford, where a direct westerly departure quickly escapes from the class B airspace. On the contrary, in norwood, getting out from under the class B takes longer. I had failed to review this aspect of the flight and was operating on 'human autoplt' with the picture of the bedford airspace in mind. The controller asked me to phone upon landing and I made an early stop in danbury to speak to him. Apparently traffic had to be rerouted to avoid me. It was a highly embarrassing conversation and a strong learning experience as a result. I'll be much more careful -- reducing distractions, carefully previewing the combination of flight plan, VFR charts, etc, before takeoff. After the initial problems with the communication radios I placed them in test mode (squelch shut off) which improved my reception enormously. Upon returning from the trip I took the aircraft directly into an avionics shop to repair the radios. An intermittent alternator bypass capacitor and improperly set internal squelch controls within the communication radios were found to be causes of radio problems.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INEXPERIENCED PVT PLT BECAME DISTRACTED AND FLEW INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE FOR WHICH RPTR WAS CONTACTED AND COUNSELED BY ATC.

Narrative: VFR FLT FROM NORWOOD, MA, TO LANCASTER, PA. CLBING FROM DEP AT NORWOOD I THOUGHT I COULD CLB OUT AT A MODERATE RATE OF CLB AND AVOID ENTERING THE CLASS B AIRSPACE, HOWEVER I BECAME DISTRACTED AND ACCIDENTALLY CLBED AT A HIGH RATE OF CLB INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. MY COM RADIOS WERE BREAKING UP BADLY AND I THOUGHT AT FIRST THE CTLR HAD INITIATED MY FLT PLAN AND CLRED ME INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE, SO I DIDN'T IMMEDIATELY TRY TO DSND OUT OF THE CLASS B. THIS WAS THE LONGEST FLT I'VE TAKEN SINCE PURCHASING MY FIRST AIRPLANE, A '79 ARCHER II 2 MONTHS AGO. I WAS RUSHING TO GET AIRBORNE BEFORE DARK. MY COCKPIT OPS WERE COMPLICATED BY NEW PROCS, I HAD REVISED MY CHKLISTS AND I WAS USING A COMPUTER GENERATED FLT PLAN PROGRAM FOR THE FIRST TIME. I WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY COM RADIOS WHICH HAD SEVERAL TIMES BROKEN UP ABOUT 5 MI FROM NORWOOD. ALL THESE FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO DISTR. I WAS TAKING AN UNACCUSTOMED RTE OF FLT -- DUE W FROM DEP. NORMALLY, LEAVING NORWOOD I'M HEADING N OR S. USUALLY, WHEN I HAVE TRAVELED TO THE W I'VE BEEN DEPARTING FROM BEDFORD, WHERE A DIRECT WESTERLY DEP QUICKLY ESCAPES FROM THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. ON THE CONTRARY, IN NORWOOD, GETTING OUT FROM UNDER THE CLASS B TAKES LONGER. I HAD FAILED TO REVIEW THIS ASPECT OF THE FLT AND WAS OPERATING ON 'HUMAN AUTOPLT' WITH THE PICTURE OF THE BEDFORD AIRSPACE IN MIND. THE CTLR ASKED ME TO PHONE UPON LNDG AND I MADE AN EARLY STOP IN DANBURY TO SPEAK TO HIM. APPARENTLY TFC HAD TO BE REROUTED TO AVOID ME. IT WAS A HIGHLY EMBARRASSING CONVERSATION AND A STRONG LEARNING EXPERIENCE AS A RESULT. I'LL BE MUCH MORE CAREFUL -- REDUCING DISTRACTIONS, CAREFULLY PREVIEWING THE COMBINATION OF FLT PLAN, VFR CHARTS, ETC, BEFORE TKOF. AFTER THE INITIAL PROBS WITH THE COM RADIOS I PLACED THEM IN TEST MODE (SQUELCH SHUT OFF) WHICH IMPROVED MY RECEPTION ENORMOUSLY. UPON RETURNING FROM THE TRIP I TOOK THE ACFT DIRECTLY INTO AN AVIONICS SHOP TO REPAIR THE RADIOS. AN INTERMITTENT ALTERNATOR BYPASS CAPACITOR AND IMPROPERLY SET INTERNAL SQUELCH CTLS WITHIN THE COM RADIOS WERE FOUND TO BE CAUSES OF RADIO PROBS.

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.