Narrative:

What started out to be a beautiful day for a 7 hour flight ended up in a 13 hour daymare. My intended route of flight was from mlb, fl, to alb, GA, to ssi island, to mlb. Departing medium large transport I made it to my first point of landing in georgia after tedious struggle through rain showers and low broken layer en route. Plus, ATC having some confusion between me and another aircraft with a similar call sign. Here I refueled, ate lunch and rested a bit. Checked the WX and recalculated time and fuel burn to match a 16 KT headwind. I then departed albany, GA, and headed eastbound tracking vors at 4500 ft. Upon reaching cruise altitude I contacted ZJX for flight following. Again en route conditions went from crystal clear to scattered to broken layers at and above my altitude, which required me to occasionally descend and circumnav around clouds in my flight path. Just about 1/2 way en route ZJX informed me turn off course due to parachute jumping that was taking place about 5 mi straight ahead at waycross airport. At the same time they terminated radar service and told me to squawk VFR. Because of the WX conditions and other traffic flying behind I decided to circumnav around the airport by going north to clear the pattern area then back on course heading east using a highway followed by the VOR. After doing a 180 degree turn to get back on course, I started tracking on the road that should have taken me east. However, not being aware the road was actually taking me to the southwest. Occasionally, I would feel lost but then I would see a similar check point as that I should have passed tracking east. Then when I did VOR xchks it seemed that I was on the right track. After becoming aware of flying more than my maximum predicted time en route, I tried contacting ZJX, gainesville FSS. However, I was out of line of sight. Gainesville received me once but reported very broken with high static. At this point in time I was convinced that I was on east so I would continue flying until I hit the east coast. I did reach the coast line. Upon reaching what I thought was the east coast I estimated that if turn around and go up to ssi I wouldn't make it back to base on time. So I estimated and calculated on my E-6B computer that I had enough fuel to make it to base and still have a 30 min reserve. Again, along the coast, I saw similar airports and sandbar feature like the east coast so I continued to mlb. While tracking along the coast my fuel was getting lower by the min. So I estimated that I had enough fuel to reach an uncontrolled airport safely to get refueled. So I continued flying. When I reached the area that should have been st augustines airport, I saw 3 airports instead of 1. At this time I knew I was lost and the fuel tabs were low. So I circled the area at 2700 ft trying to figure out where I was. I called jacksonville approach on every frequency I remembered, but again no answer. So, rather than crash land, I squawked 7700 and 121.5 and declared an emergency low on fuel. The airports below picked up my call and told me I had a choice of 3 airports. One to the left, another about 3 mi to my right wing. I informed the person that I would take the closest airfield which I didn't know was eglin AFB. I was then told ATC was informed and gave me the frequency to contact tower on. Upon contacting tower they cleared me to land on eglin AFB. Although they told me everything was ok and I would not be charged, I'm filing this just as protection. I can surely say I learned from this experience. It's possible that I busted a class D military airspace and any other controled zone in that area. Plus I 'unawarely' violated the restr corridor along the coast I traveled. Possible cause of incident: 1) didn't admit that I was lost until low on fuel. 2) I trusted my kinetic senses and judgement of what the instruments told me. 3) the lunch I ate apparently slowed down my reaction and awareness.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SMA ON TRAINING FLT GETS LOST BUT CONTINUES FLT UNTIL FUEL IS QUITE LOW. DECLARES HE IS LOST WITH USE OF 7700 SQUAWK AND 121 PT 5. HE IS GIVEN AN ASSIST AND DIRECTED TO EGLIN AFB.

Narrative: WHAT STARTED OUT TO BE A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A 7 HR FLT ENDED UP IN A 13 HR DAYMARE. MY INTENDED RTE OF FLT WAS FROM MLB, FL, TO ALB, GA, TO SSI ISLAND, TO MLB. DEPARTING MLG I MADE IT TO MY FIRST POINT OF LNDG IN GEORGIA AFTER TEDIOUS STRUGGLE THROUGH RAIN SHOWERS AND LOW BROKEN LAYER ENRTE. PLUS, ATC HAVING SOME CONFUSION BTWN ME AND ANOTHER ACFT WITH A SIMILAR CALL SIGN. HERE I REFUELED, ATE LUNCH AND RESTED A BIT. CHKED THE WX AND RECALCULATED TIME AND FUEL BURN TO MATCH A 16 KT HEADWIND. I THEN DEPARTED ALBANY, GA, AND HEADED EBOUND TRACKING VORS AT 4500 FT. UPON REACHING CRUISE ALT I CONTACTED ZJX FOR FLT FOLLOWING. AGAIN ENRTE CONDITIONS WENT FROM CRYSTAL CLR TO SCATTERED TO BROKEN LAYERS AT AND ABOVE MY ALT, WHICH REQUIRED ME TO OCCASIONALLY DSND AND CIRCUMNAV AROUND CLOUDS IN MY FLT PATH. JUST ABOUT 1/2 WAY ENRTE ZJX INFORMED ME TURN OFF COURSE DUE TO PARACHUTE JUMPING THAT WAS TAKING PLACE ABOUT 5 MI STRAIGHT AHEAD AT WAYCROSS ARPT. AT THE SAME TIME THEY TERMINATED RADAR SVC AND TOLD ME TO SQUAWK VFR. BECAUSE OF THE WX CONDITIONS AND OTHER TFC FLYING BEHIND I DECIDED TO CIRCUMNAV AROUND THE ARPT BY GOING N TO CLR THE PATTERN AREA THEN BACK ON COURSE HDG E USING A HWY FOLLOWED BY THE VOR. AFTER DOING A 180 DEG TURN TO GET BACK ON COURSE, I STARTED TRACKING ON THE ROAD THAT SHOULD HAVE TAKEN ME E. HOWEVER, NOT BEING AWARE THE ROAD WAS ACTUALLY TAKING ME TO THE SW. OCCASIONALLY, I WOULD FEEL LOST BUT THEN I WOULD SEE A SIMILAR CHK POINT AS THAT I SHOULD HAVE PASSED TRACKING E. THEN WHEN I DID VOR XCHKS IT SEEMED THAT I WAS ON THE RIGHT TRACK. AFTER BECOMING AWARE OF FLYING MORE THAN MY MAX PREDICTED TIME ENRTE, I TRIED CONTACTING ZJX, GAINESVILLE FSS. HOWEVER, I WAS OUT OF LINE OF SIGHT. GAINESVILLE RECEIVED ME ONCE BUT RPTED VERY BROKEN WITH HIGH STATIC. AT THIS POINT IN TIME I WAS CONVINCED THAT I WAS ON E SO I WOULD CONTINUE FLYING UNTIL I HIT THE EAST COAST. I DID REACH THE COAST LINE. UPON REACHING WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE EAST COAST I ESTIMATED THAT IF TURN AROUND AND GO UP TO SSI I WOULDN'T MAKE IT BACK TO BASE ON TIME. SO I ESTIMATED AND CALCULATED ON MY E-6B COMPUTER THAT I HAD ENOUGH FUEL TO MAKE IT TO BASE AND STILL HAVE A 30 MIN RESERVE. AGAIN, ALONG THE COAST, I SAW SIMILAR ARPTS AND SANDBAR FEATURE LIKE THE EAST COAST SO I CONTINUED TO MLB. WHILE TRACKING ALONG THE COAST MY FUEL WAS GETTING LOWER BY THE MIN. SO I ESTIMATED THAT I HAD ENOUGH FUEL TO REACH AN UNCTLED ARPT SAFELY TO GET REFUELED. SO I CONTINUED FLYING. WHEN I REACHED THE AREA THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ST AUGUSTINES ARPT, I SAW 3 ARPTS INSTEAD OF 1. AT THIS TIME I KNEW I WAS LOST AND THE FUEL TABS WERE LOW. SO I CIRCLED THE AREA AT 2700 FT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE I WAS. I CALLED JACKSONVILLE APCH ON EVERY FREQ I REMEMBERED, BUT AGAIN NO ANSWER. SO, RATHER THAN CRASH LAND, I SQUAWKED 7700 AND 121.5 AND DECLARED AN EMER LOW ON FUEL. THE ARPTS BELOW PICKED UP MY CALL AND TOLD ME I HAD A CHOICE OF 3 ARPTS. ONE TO THE L, ANOTHER ABOUT 3 MI TO MY R WING. I INFORMED THE PERSON THAT I WOULD TAKE THE CLOSEST AIRFIELD WHICH I DIDN'T KNOW WAS EGLIN AFB. I WAS THEN TOLD ATC WAS INFORMED AND GAVE ME THE FREQ TO CONTACT TWR ON. UPON CONTACTING TWR THEY CLRED ME TO LAND ON EGLIN AFB. ALTHOUGH THEY TOLD ME EVERYTHING WAS OK AND I WOULD NOT BE CHARGED, I'M FILING THIS JUST AS PROTECTION. I CAN SURELY SAY I LEARNED FROM THIS EXPERIENCE. IT'S POSSIBLE THAT I BUSTED A CLASS D MIL AIRSPACE AND ANY OTHER CTLED ZONE IN THAT AREA. PLUS I 'UNAWARELY' VIOLATED THE RESTR CORRIDOR ALONG THE COAST I TRAVELED. POSSIBLE CAUSE OF INCIDENT: 1) DIDN'T ADMIT THAT I WAS LOST UNTIL LOW ON FUEL. 2) I TRUSTED MY KINETIC SENSES AND JUDGEMENT OF WHAT THE INSTS TOLD ME. 3) THE LUNCH I ATE APPARENTLY SLOWED DOWN MY REACTION AND AWARENESS.

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.