Narrative:

The issue being reported here is that I may have inadvertently flown through the far north portion of the inner 5 NM ring of mdw class C airspace. Chain of events: the flight originated at dpa at XA30Z. I headed southeast direct towards the chicago heights VOR en route to gyy for a touch and go. En route to gary I was communicating with midway tower and was assigned a squawk code for the transition. Once within 10 NM of gary, midway released me and I contacted gary tower. Conditions at gary were 8 NM visibility with a few clouds at 2500 ft MSL, 25000 ft scattered above that -- typical lake-effect conditions. After the touch and go, the northwest departure from gary's airspace was approved and midway tower was again contacted. Again I was assigned a squawk code for the transition along the lakeshore north toward cgx. Once within 5 NM of meigs, I requested and was given the changeover to meigs tower. Meigs approved my low approach and wbound departure to dupage request. After the low approach I would normally make a right 270 degree turn back towards the west for the flight to dupage. Because of a cessna at 2000 ft MSL just east of meigs that did not report his position correctly and the tower wanting to get an IFR jet departure out, we instead continued northbound and made our west turn around the city and was asked to report the sears tower sbound. Once clear of the city we headed southwest to pick up the eisenhower expressway wbound, a common request of both meigs and midway for transitioning aircraft. Because of an aircraft northbound towards meigs, I was asked to report clear of their airspace which I did just past the united center (which is 1 mi north of the eisenhower). They approved my changeover, thanked me for my report and help with the trip around the city and I continued wbound. Because ord class B airspace runs pretty close to the eisenhower (about 1-2 NM north) at a couple of points, I decided to stay just south of it to ensure that I remained out of their airspace. Normally leaving meigs I would give midway a quick call for the transition, but because I had just spent the better part of the last hour with them, they were quite busy (per usual), and I was already well west of meigs I decided not to call and bother them. This is where the airspace violation may have occurred. The flight continued normally back to dupage without issue. Notes: the reason I am unsure if there was an airspace violation is that I am unsure exactly where I moved to the south side of the expressway. There is only a very small area of midway's inner ring that touches the expressway and I am not sure if I was east or west of that point when I slipped to the south of the expressway. At no point was I more than 1/2 NM south of the expressway -- I just normally stay to the south side of it to avoid ohare's airspace. Human factors: why did I not call midway? 2 reasons: as mentioned above, I had spent the better part of the last hour with midway tower from dupage to gary and then gary up to meigs. They were quite busy with sunday afternoon traffic and I was already well on my way to dupage. Those factors in combination with wanting to tune dupage's ATIS to see how bad the haze was out there created the decision not to call midway. The other reason for the decision was that being busy with the quick and unplanned city tour and looking into the sun with some pretty good haze, a quick glance at my charts told me I had room to the south of the expressway to fly without violating midway's airspace. This was based on where I thought I was in relation to the city. After flying a few more mi west, I realized that I may have been farther east than I thought when I crossed the expressway. On my first glance, I probably mistook one of the hwys for midway's class C line. If you have flown in chicago airspace, you know there are many lines to keep track of. And yes, I did have the current charts.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C172 PLT ON A PLEASURE FLT THINKS THAT HE ENTERED THE CLASS C AIRSPACE AT MDW.

Narrative: THE ISSUE BEING RPTED HERE IS THAT I MAY HAVE INADVERTENTLY FLOWN THROUGH THE FAR N PORTION OF THE INNER 5 NM RING OF MDW CLASS C AIRSPACE. CHAIN OF EVENTS: THE FLT ORIGINATED AT DPA AT XA30Z. I HEADED SE DIRECT TOWARDS THE CHICAGO HEIGHTS VOR ENRTE TO GYY FOR A TOUCH AND GO. ENRTE TO GARY I WAS COMMUNICATING WITH MIDWAY TWR AND WAS ASSIGNED A SQUAWK CODE FOR THE TRANSITION. ONCE WITHIN 10 NM OF GARY, MIDWAY RELEASED ME AND I CONTACTED GARY TWR. CONDITIONS AT GARY WERE 8 NM VISIBILITY WITH A FEW CLOUDS AT 2500 FT MSL, 25000 FT SCATTERED ABOVE THAT -- TYPICAL LAKE-EFFECT CONDITIONS. AFTER THE TOUCH AND GO, THE NW DEP FROM GARY'S AIRSPACE WAS APPROVED AND MIDWAY TWR WAS AGAIN CONTACTED. AGAIN I WAS ASSIGNED A SQUAWK CODE FOR THE TRANSITION ALONG THE LAKESHORE N TOWARD CGX. ONCE WITHIN 5 NM OF MEIGS, I REQUESTED AND WAS GIVEN THE CHANGEOVER TO MEIGS TWR. MEIGS APPROVED MY LOW APCH AND WBOUND DEP TO DUPAGE REQUEST. AFTER THE LOW APCH I WOULD NORMALLY MAKE A R 270 DEG TURN BACK TOWARDS THE W FOR THE FLT TO DUPAGE. BECAUSE OF A CESSNA AT 2000 FT MSL JUST E OF MEIGS THAT DID NOT RPT HIS POS CORRECTLY AND THE TWR WANTING TO GET AN IFR JET DEP OUT, WE INSTEAD CONTINUED NBOUND AND MADE OUR W TURN AROUND THE CITY AND WAS ASKED TO RPT THE SEARS TWR SBOUND. ONCE CLR OF THE CITY WE HEADED SW TO PICK UP THE EISENHOWER EXPRESSWAY WBOUND, A COMMON REQUEST OF BOTH MEIGS AND MIDWAY FOR TRANSITIONING ACFT. BECAUSE OF AN ACFT NBOUND TOWARDS MEIGS, I WAS ASKED TO RPT CLR OF THEIR AIRSPACE WHICH I DID JUST PAST THE UNITED CTR (WHICH IS 1 MI N OF THE EISENHOWER). THEY APPROVED MY CHANGEOVER, THANKED ME FOR MY RPT AND HELP WITH THE TRIP AROUND THE CITY AND I CONTINUED WBOUND. BECAUSE ORD CLASS B AIRSPACE RUNS PRETTY CLOSE TO THE EISENHOWER (ABOUT 1-2 NM N) AT A COUPLE OF POINTS, I DECIDED TO STAY JUST S OF IT TO ENSURE THAT I REMAINED OUT OF THEIR AIRSPACE. NORMALLY LEAVING MEIGS I WOULD GIVE MIDWAY A QUICK CALL FOR THE TRANSITION, BUT BECAUSE I HAD JUST SPENT THE BETTER PART OF THE LAST HR WITH THEM, THEY WERE QUITE BUSY (PER USUAL), AND I WAS ALREADY WELL W OF MEIGS I DECIDED NOT TO CALL AND BOTHER THEM. THIS IS WHERE THE AIRSPACE VIOLATION MAY HAVE OCCURRED. THE FLT CONTINUED NORMALLY BACK TO DUPAGE WITHOUT ISSUE. NOTES: THE REASON I AM UNSURE IF THERE WAS AN AIRSPACE VIOLATION IS THAT I AM UNSURE EXACTLY WHERE I MOVED TO THE S SIDE OF THE EXPRESSWAY. THERE IS ONLY A VERY SMALL AREA OF MIDWAY'S INNER RING THAT TOUCHES THE EXPRESSWAY AND I AM NOT SURE IF I WAS E OR W OF THAT POINT WHEN I SLIPPED TO THE S OF THE EXPRESSWAY. AT NO POINT WAS I MORE THAN 1/2 NM S OF THE EXPRESSWAY -- I JUST NORMALLY STAY TO THE S SIDE OF IT TO AVOID OHARE'S AIRSPACE. HUMAN FACTORS: WHY DID I NOT CALL MIDWAY? 2 REASONS: AS MENTIONED ABOVE, I HAD SPENT THE BETTER PART OF THE LAST HR WITH MIDWAY TWR FROM DUPAGE TO GARY AND THEN GARY UP TO MEIGS. THEY WERE QUITE BUSY WITH SUNDAY AFTERNOON TFC AND I WAS ALREADY WELL ON MY WAY TO DUPAGE. THOSE FACTORS IN COMBINATION WITH WANTING TO TUNE DUPAGE'S ATIS TO SEE HOW BAD THE HAZE WAS OUT THERE CREATED THE DECISION NOT TO CALL MIDWAY. THE OTHER REASON FOR THE DECISION WAS THAT BEING BUSY WITH THE QUICK AND UNPLANNED CITY TOUR AND LOOKING INTO THE SUN WITH SOME PRETTY GOOD HAZE, A QUICK GLANCE AT MY CHARTS TOLD ME I HAD ROOM TO THE S OF THE EXPRESSWAY TO FLY WITHOUT VIOLATING MIDWAY'S AIRSPACE. THIS WAS BASED ON WHERE I THOUGHT I WAS IN RELATION TO THE CITY. AFTER FLYING A FEW MORE MI W, I REALIZED THAT I MAY HAVE BEEN FARTHER E THAN I THOUGHT WHEN I CROSSED THE EXPRESSWAY. ON MY FIRST GLANCE, I PROBABLY MISTOOK ONE OF THE HWYS FOR MIDWAY'S CLASS C LINE. IF YOU HAVE FLOWN IN CHICAGO AIRSPACE, YOU KNOW THERE ARE MANY LINES TO KEEP TRACK OF. AND YES, I DID HAVE THE CURRENT CHARTS.

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.