Narrative:

Coming home after a full day of flying from bed, ma, to pwm, me, and then back to bed, ma, I canceled flight following when I flew past lawrence, assuming I could find hanscom. The sun was going down and there was no horizon, therefore, visibility was going down. I have flown out of this airport for yrs now, but when I tried to find the airport where I thought it should be I could not find it. I then became disoriented and somehow started heading north. I had already called the tower to tell them I had the ATIS. I then called them back to ask them to help me, which they did. They tried vectoring back to the airport and then gave me to bos approach. Bos gave me a squawk code and vectored me back to the airport. Once I got my bearings I got back with the tower and landed safely. I was overconfident and started to panic when I could not establish my whereabouts. I was also tired and had a head cold. Visibility and the pressure of landing in the dark also affected me. I knew I was lost when I saw an airport and headed towards it, but that airport only had 1 runway, bed has 2. So I turned around and communicated my situation to the tower at bed. Once I did, they helped me immensely. Had they not, it would have been worse. In hindsight, my decision to cancel flight following with the sun going down and the visibility lacking was a very poor decision. Another factor is the type of flying I had been doing. For the past 6 months or so I have been flying primarily aerobatics in and around the local area. This flight I flew a lot more than I normally do (2.7 hours versus 1 hour maximum, aerobatic) and came in from an entirely different direction. All of these decisions and judgements contributed to my problem. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter was not flying acrobatics in the C172 as the text may have implied. He normally does his acrobatics in an acrobatic aircraft. This aircraft was rented for the longer cross country flight, the 2.7 hour versus the acrobatic 1 hour flts. Reporter admits that he had not utilized any navigation equipment in his attempt to find the airport. He did turn away from the general direction of bed after being lost as he didn't want to perform an unauthorized entry into the bed class D airspace.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT GETS LOST WHEN JUST 6 MI FROM DEST ARPT. CITES SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. HAD JUST CANCELED RADAR TA SVC.

Narrative: COMING HOME AFTER A FULL DAY OF FLYING FROM BED, MA, TO PWM, ME, AND THEN BACK TO BED, MA, I CANCELED FLT FOLLOWING WHEN I FLEW PAST LAWRENCE, ASSUMING I COULD FIND HANSCOM. THE SUN WAS GOING DOWN AND THERE WAS NO HORIZON, THEREFORE, VISIBILITY WAS GOING DOWN. I HAVE FLOWN OUT OF THIS ARPT FOR YRS NOW, BUT WHEN I TRIED TO FIND THE ARPT WHERE I THOUGHT IT SHOULD BE I COULD NOT FIND IT. I THEN BECAME DISORIENTED AND SOMEHOW STARTED HDG N. I HAD ALREADY CALLED THE TWR TO TELL THEM I HAD THE ATIS. I THEN CALLED THEM BACK TO ASK THEM TO HELP ME, WHICH THEY DID. THEY TRIED VECTORING BACK TO THE ARPT AND THEN GAVE ME TO BOS APCH. BOS GAVE ME A SQUAWK CODE AND VECTORED ME BACK TO THE ARPT. ONCE I GOT MY BEARINGS I GOT BACK WITH THE TWR AND LANDED SAFELY. I WAS OVERCONFIDENT AND STARTED TO PANIC WHEN I COULD NOT ESTABLISH MY WHEREABOUTS. I WAS ALSO TIRED AND HAD A HEAD COLD. VISIBILITY AND THE PRESSURE OF LNDG IN THE DARK ALSO AFFECTED ME. I KNEW I WAS LOST WHEN I SAW AN ARPT AND HEADED TOWARDS IT, BUT THAT ARPT ONLY HAD 1 RWY, BED HAS 2. SO I TURNED AROUND AND COMMUNICATED MY SIT TO THE TWR AT BED. ONCE I DID, THEY HELPED ME IMMENSELY. HAD THEY NOT, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WORSE. IN HINDSIGHT, MY DECISION TO CANCEL FLT FOLLOWING WITH THE SUN GOING DOWN AND THE VISIBILITY LACKING WAS A VERY POOR DECISION. ANOTHER FACTOR IS THE TYPE OF FLYING I HAD BEEN DOING. FOR THE PAST 6 MONTHS OR SO I HAVE BEEN FLYING PRIMARILY AEROBATICS IN AND AROUND THE LCL AREA. THIS FLT I FLEW A LOT MORE THAN I NORMALLY DO (2.7 HRS VERSUS 1 HR MAX, AEROBATIC) AND CAME IN FROM AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT DIRECTION. ALL OF THESE DECISIONS AND JUDGEMENTS CONTRIBUTED TO MY PROB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR WAS NOT FLYING ACROBATICS IN THE C172 AS THE TEXT MAY HAVE IMPLIED. HE NORMALLY DOES HIS ACROBATICS IN AN ACROBATIC ACFT. THIS ACFT WAS RENTED FOR THE LONGER XCOUNTRY FLT, THE 2.7 HR VERSUS THE ACROBATIC 1 HR FLTS. RPTR ADMITS THAT HE HAD NOT UTILIZED ANY NAV EQUIP IN HIS ATTEMPT TO FIND THE ARPT. HE DID TURN AWAY FROM THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF BED AFTER BEING LOST AS HE DIDN'T WANT TO PERFORM AN UNAUTH ENTRY INTO THE BED CLASS D AIRSPACE.

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.