Narrative:

The problem was a series of errors or potential errors, all of which may or may not have happened, but easily could have been prevented. It began before the flight. I worked a full day, got up at XA30 am to work. So, although I was able to check WX conditions at work, it was a hectic day. I rushed home, rushed to the airport and had frustrations on the way (closed freeway ramps and saw an accident which caused a long traffic jam I had to wait in) which made me late to meet my passenger and made us even late for our planned departure time! Uh-oh! So, I explained I had to get final WX briefing (winds at destination might be a problem) and file flight plan, etc. Also, the aircraft I thought I'd be using wasn't the one I got, so I quickly re-did weight and balance for this plane. I've only flown a C172 4 previous occasions. I thought I had one I'd flown 3 previous times, but ended up with a plane I've never been in. I did not take time to familiarize with radios, navigation equipment, etc. Navigation would mainly consist of following the shore so I didn't think it would matter. We took off and I was already quite distraction or flustered and the gusty xwinds made for a very 'exciting' takeoff, and very turbulent air. I was pretty scared and shaken up from that takeoff. This was followed immediately by problems getting the radio frequency to work. Maybe we were still too low, but being unfamiliar with the radio set-up didn't help matters any. I finally got a hold of mke approach but at the time I may have already been in their airspace. Believe you me, I was so busy just trying to manage the radio and keeping the plane fairly level, I literally could not handle comparing ground references to my chart. I was in way over my head and I knew it, but I kept going because I did not feel I could land safely again at mwc. By the time I left mke airspace, I had things better in control, but I still forgot to switch one transponder back to 1200, until I was close to our destination. Really the landing at cgx went fine and I felt much more confident about the return at that point. We departed after dark and all went well, but when I got to talk to mke approach, I noticed as I was putting in the transponder code they gave me that it was only on standby and not mode C. I am fairly certain I got that in my checklists, but I also have no idea when it would've got turned to standby then. My front passenger wasn't specifically briefed not to touch anything and was trying to help out, and actually was a lifesaver by helping with charts, checking ground references, calling out traffic, and calming backseat rider about turbulence. Traffic was very heavy out of cgx, so that was a hectic and heavy workload situation. I did not notice when it happened, only that it had, so I corrected it at that time. It is possible we were in the mode C veil area of ord with it just on standby, but again I have no way to know for sure. There was time pressure to get home, too, so in the future I will never let the situation control me instead of me controling the situation. Passenger can wait, nothing's so urgent that safety should be compromised for it. Next time I would take 15 or 20 mins just to situation in the plane and familiarize myself -- that would have made a big difference. I'd be less likely to miss something and it wouldn't add to my stress level then.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 ACFT. INEXPERIENCED PVT PLT RUSHED PREFLT WITH INADEQUATE WX BRIEFING, UNFAMILIAR WITH ACFT, AFTER TKOF BECAME OVERLOADED AND FLEW INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC. RPTR STATES THAT SHE WAS IN OVER HER HEAD AND KNEW IT.

Narrative: THE PROB WAS A SERIES OF ERRORS OR POTENTIAL ERRORS, ALL OF WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE HAPPENED, BUT EASILY COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. IT BEGAN BEFORE THE FLT. I WORKED A FULL DAY, GOT UP AT XA30 AM TO WORK. SO, ALTHOUGH I WAS ABLE TO CHK WX CONDITIONS AT WORK, IT WAS A HECTIC DAY. I RUSHED HOME, RUSHED TO THE ARPT AND HAD FRUSTRATIONS ON THE WAY (CLOSED FREEWAY RAMPS AND SAW AN ACCIDENT WHICH CAUSED A LONG TFC JAM I HAD TO WAIT IN) WHICH MADE ME LATE TO MEET MY PAX AND MADE US EVEN LATE FOR OUR PLANNED DEP TIME! UH-OH! SO, I EXPLAINED I HAD TO GET FINAL WX BRIEFING (WINDS AT DEST MIGHT BE A PROB) AND FILE FLT PLAN, ETC. ALSO, THE ACFT I THOUGHT I'D BE USING WASN'T THE ONE I GOT, SO I QUICKLY RE-DID WT AND BAL FOR THIS PLANE. I'VE ONLY FLOWN A C172 4 PREVIOUS OCCASIONS. I THOUGHT I HAD ONE I'D FLOWN 3 PREVIOUS TIMES, BUT ENDED UP WITH A PLANE I'VE NEVER BEEN IN. I DID NOT TAKE TIME TO FAMILIARIZE WITH RADIOS, NAV EQUIP, ETC. NAV WOULD MAINLY CONSIST OF FOLLOWING THE SHORE SO I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD MATTER. WE TOOK OFF AND I WAS ALREADY QUITE DISTR OR FLUSTERED AND THE GUSTY XWINDS MADE FOR A VERY 'EXCITING' TKOF, AND VERY TURBULENT AIR. I WAS PRETTY SCARED AND SHAKEN UP FROM THAT TKOF. THIS WAS FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY PROBS GETTING THE RADIO FREQ TO WORK. MAYBE WE WERE STILL TOO LOW, BUT BEING UNFAMILIAR WITH THE RADIO SET-UP DIDN'T HELP MATTERS ANY. I FINALLY GOT A HOLD OF MKE APCH BUT AT THE TIME I MAY HAVE ALREADY BEEN IN THEIR AIRSPACE. BELIEVE YOU ME, I WAS SO BUSY JUST TRYING TO MANAGE THE RADIO AND KEEPING THE PLANE FAIRLY LEVEL, I LITERALLY COULD NOT HANDLE COMPARING GND REFS TO MY CHART. I WAS IN WAY OVER MY HEAD AND I KNEW IT, BUT I KEPT GOING BECAUSE I DID NOT FEEL I COULD LAND SAFELY AGAIN AT MWC. BY THE TIME I LEFT MKE AIRSPACE, I HAD THINGS BETTER IN CTL, BUT I STILL FORGOT TO SWITCH ONE XPONDER BACK TO 1200, UNTIL I WAS CLOSE TO OUR DEST. REALLY THE LNDG AT CGX WENT FINE AND I FELT MUCH MORE CONFIDENT ABOUT THE RETURN AT THAT POINT. WE DEPARTED AFTER DARK AND ALL WENT WELL, BUT WHEN I GOT TO TALK TO MKE APCH, I NOTICED AS I WAS PUTTING IN THE XPONDER CODE THEY GAVE ME THAT IT WAS ONLY ON STANDBY AND NOT MODE C. I AM FAIRLY CERTAIN I GOT THAT IN MY CHKLISTS, BUT I ALSO HAVE NO IDEA WHEN IT WOULD'VE GOT TURNED TO STANDBY THEN. MY FRONT PAX WASN'T SPECIFICALLY BRIEFED NOT TO TOUCH ANYTHING AND WAS TRYING TO HELP OUT, AND ACTUALLY WAS A LIFESAVER BY HELPING WITH CHARTS, CHKING GND REFS, CALLING OUT TFC, AND CALMING BACKSEAT RIDER ABOUT TURB. TFC WAS VERY HVY OUT OF CGX, SO THAT WAS A HECTIC AND HVY WORKLOAD SIT. I DID NOT NOTICE WHEN IT HAPPENED, ONLY THAT IT HAD, SO I CORRECTED IT AT THAT TIME. IT IS POSSIBLE WE WERE IN THE MODE C VEIL AREA OF ORD WITH IT JUST ON STANDBY, BUT AGAIN I HAVE NO WAY TO KNOW FOR SURE. THERE WAS TIME PRESSURE TO GET HOME, TOO, SO IN THE FUTURE I WILL NEVER LET THE SIT CTL ME INSTEAD OF ME CTLING THE SIT. PAX CAN WAIT, NOTHING'S SO URGENT THAT SAFETY SHOULD BE COMPROMISED FOR IT. NEXT TIME I WOULD TAKE 15 OR 20 MINS JUST TO SIT IN THE PLANE AND FAMILIARIZE MYSELF -- THAT WOULD HAVE MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE. I'D BE LESS LIKELY TO MISS SOMETHING AND IT WOULDN'T ADD TO MY STRESS LEVEL THEN.

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.