Narrative:

I flew from orl to lee to practice night lndgs, leaving orl at dusk and arriving at lee after dark. En route, I turned on the interior lights. I did 3 full stop lndgs and then headed back to orl. During climb out, I noticed that the little light on the ADF, which I was not even using, was not lit, so I pulled the bulb out and replaced it, trying to get it to light. I leveled out when I thought I had reached 1600 ft MSL. I flew about half of the 30 NM distance, then descended 200 ft to remain clear of the orlando international class B airspace. Throughout the flight back, everything just looked strange. I am familiar with the area and knew the heading needed to get back. I also had a GPS, which told me I was where I thought I was, but the landmarks that I was expecting didn't look right, when I could find them at all. I saw the lights of a tower directly in front of me and the tower looked a lot higher than I remembered it to be, in fact, it seemed to be at my altitude. I changed course to give it a wide berth, all the while wondering why I didn't remember any tower this tall in the area. I saw lake apopka but couldn't find orlando county airport. Finally I could see the tall downtown orlando buildings. I could not see the airport, but knew that it was just east of downtown. I have done a fair bit of night flying, but have only made one other night flight recently. I was getting disoriented but didn't realize it. I rationalized that the reason everything looked so odd was because I was used to seeing the landmarks by day. When I was 6 NM out, I called the tower and announced my location and intentions. The controller asked my location and I repeated it. He had me recycle my transponder, then announced that I was at 400 ft MSL. Oops. That was why everything looked so odd, I was used to seeing it from 1000 ft higher. I quickly climbed to 1000 ft MSL and continued to the airport. The controller told me to enter base for runway 7. After awhile, I noticed that I could no longer see downtown and had lost the airport. I was trying to figure out where I was when the controller told me that I was over the airport and to make a sharp turn to avoid the class B. I had 2 vors, DME, GPS and a sectional, and didn't realize that I was directly over the airport until the controller told me. I have been flying in this area since 1991 and normally orient myself via ground reference and a sectional, and an occasional glance at the VOR, DME or GPS. My first mistake was to allow myself to become distracted during climb out, especially trying to fix something that I was not even going to need. The second was misreading the altimeter. I think that was partly because it was night and I was looking at it lit up. I assumed that it looked a little different because it was night. The next mistake was when I failed to see why everything looked different, especially a tower in the area that is 372 ft MSL. I have done enough flying in this area to know that there is not a 1000 ft high tower over there. Then when I first lost sight of downtown and couldn't find the airport, I should have immediately asked the tower for guidance. I related my story to an instructor, who told me that others have both misread the altimeter and gotten disoriented. Just because others have done the same is no excuse for my doing this. I need to be more careful when reading the altimeter, and if things look odd, I need to figure out why. And, if I am ever again near the airport and cannot see it, I need to ask for help instead of blindly continuing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF C172 PRACTICING NIGHT OPS BECOMES DISORIENTED, MISREADS ALTIMETER AND DSNDS TO 400 FT AGL. CONTACT WITH THE TWR MAKES PLT AWARE OF THE TERRAIN PROX.

Narrative: I FLEW FROM ORL TO LEE TO PRACTICE NIGHT LNDGS, LEAVING ORL AT DUSK AND ARRIVING AT LEE AFTER DARK. ENRTE, I TURNED ON THE INTERIOR LIGHTS. I DID 3 FULL STOP LNDGS AND THEN HEADED BACK TO ORL. DURING CLBOUT, I NOTICED THAT THE LITTLE LIGHT ON THE ADF, WHICH I WAS NOT EVEN USING, WAS NOT LIT, SO I PULLED THE BULB OUT AND REPLACED IT, TRYING TO GET IT TO LIGHT. I LEVELED OUT WHEN I THOUGHT I HAD REACHED 1600 FT MSL. I FLEW ABOUT HALF OF THE 30 NM DISTANCE, THEN DSNDED 200 FT TO REMAIN CLR OF THE ORLANDO INTL CLASS B AIRSPACE. THROUGHOUT THE FLT BACK, EVERYTHING JUST LOOKED STRANGE. I AM FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA AND KNEW THE HEADING NEEDED TO GET BACK. I ALSO HAD A GPS, WHICH TOLD ME I WAS WHERE I THOUGHT I WAS, BUT THE LANDMARKS THAT I WAS EXPECTING DIDN'T LOOK RIGHT, WHEN I COULD FIND THEM AT ALL. I SAW THE LIGHTS OF A TWR DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME AND THE TWR LOOKED A LOT HIGHER THAN I REMEMBERED IT TO BE, IN FACT, IT SEEMED TO BE AT MY ALT. I CHANGED COURSE TO GIVE IT A WIDE BERTH, ALL THE WHILE WONDERING WHY I DIDN'T REMEMBER ANY TWR THIS TALL IN THE AREA. I SAW LAKE APOPKA BUT COULDN'T FIND ORLANDO COUNTY ARPT. FINALLY I COULD SEE THE TALL DOWNTOWN ORLANDO BUILDINGS. I COULD NOT SEE THE ARPT, BUT KNEW THAT IT WAS JUST E OF DOWNTOWN. I HAVE DONE A FAIR BIT OF NIGHT FLYING, BUT HAVE ONLY MADE ONE OTHER NIGHT FLT RECENTLY. I WAS GETTING DISORIENTED BUT DIDN'T REALIZE IT. I RATIONALIZED THAT THE REASON EVERYTHING LOOKED SO ODD WAS BECAUSE I WAS USED TO SEEING THE LANDMARKS BY DAY. WHEN I WAS 6 NM OUT, I CALLED THE TWR AND ANNOUNCED MY LOCATION AND INTENTIONS. THE CTLR ASKED MY LOCATION AND I REPEATED IT. HE HAD ME RECYCLE MY XPONDER, THEN ANNOUNCED THAT I WAS AT 400 FT MSL. OOPS. THAT WAS WHY EVERYTHING LOOKED SO ODD, I WAS USED TO SEEING IT FROM 1000 FT HIGHER. I QUICKLY CLBED TO 1000 FT MSL AND CONTINUED TO THE ARPT. THE CTLR TOLD ME TO ENTER BASE FOR RWY 7. AFTER AWHILE, I NOTICED THAT I COULD NO LONGER SEE DOWNTOWN AND HAD LOST THE ARPT. I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE I WAS WHEN THE CTLR TOLD ME THAT I WAS OVER THE ARPT AND TO MAKE A SHARP TURN TO AVOID THE CLASS B. I HAD 2 VORS, DME, GPS AND A SECTIONAL, AND DIDN'T REALIZE THAT I WAS DIRECTLY OVER THE ARPT UNTIL THE CTLR TOLD ME. I HAVE BEEN FLYING IN THIS AREA SINCE 1991 AND NORMALLY ORIENT MYSELF VIA GND REF AND A SECTIONAL, AND AN OCCASIONAL GLANCE AT THE VOR, DME OR GPS. MY FIRST MISTAKE WAS TO ALLOW MYSELF TO BECOME DISTRACTED DURING CLBOUT, ESPECIALLY TRYING TO FIX SOMETHING THAT I WAS NOT EVEN GOING TO NEED. THE SECOND WAS MISREADING THE ALTIMETER. I THINK THAT WAS PARTLY BECAUSE IT WAS NIGHT AND I WAS LOOKING AT IT LIT UP. I ASSUMED THAT IT LOOKED A LITTLE DIFFERENT BECAUSE IT WAS NIGHT. THE NEXT MISTAKE WAS WHEN I FAILED TO SEE WHY EVERYTHING LOOKED DIFFERENT, ESPECIALLY A TWR IN THE AREA THAT IS 372 FT MSL. I HAVE DONE ENOUGH FLYING IN THIS AREA TO KNOW THAT THERE IS NOT A 1000 FT HIGH TWR OVER THERE. THEN WHEN I FIRST LOST SIGHT OF DOWNTOWN AND COULDN'T FIND THE ARPT, I SHOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY ASKED THE TWR FOR GUIDANCE. I RELATED MY STORY TO AN INSTRUCTOR, WHO TOLD ME THAT OTHERS HAVE BOTH MISREAD THE ALTIMETER AND GOTTEN DISORIENTED. JUST BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE DONE THE SAME IS NO EXCUSE FOR MY DOING THIS. I NEED TO BE MORE CAREFUL WHEN READING THE ALTIMETER, AND IF THINGS LOOK ODD, I NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHY. AND, IF I AM EVER AGAIN NEAR THE ARPT AND CANNOT SEE IT, I NEED TO ASK FOR HELP INSTEAD OF BLINDLY CONTINUING.

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.