Narrative:

I had been planning my first solo cross country for almost a month. On aug/xa/98 it appeared the WX might cooperate. I called for a standard WX brief and got a visibility of 7 mi with scattered clouds at 4200 ft. Dyr (my destination) was reporting visibility of 10 mi with a few clouds at 3100 ft. There was some haze as there has been most of the summer. I consulted with my CFI and filed a VFR flight plan. I do not have my flight plan form with me so these times will be from memory. I got WX for VFR flight at XA30. I did my preflight and called for a top up of fuel. The fuel truck was leaking so I could not get a top up. However, the fuel was within 1 - 1 1/2 inches of the top so there was more than enough fuel for my planned 45-60 min flight with a slight tailwind. A stick gauge was not available. I decided to top up fuel at dyr before going on to mkl. I took off and activated my flight plan between XB15 and XB30Z. The flight went as planned. I passed over lhc and by M04 as planned. Between airports M04 and dyr, I drifted about 2 mi right. I believe this because I flew over what I think was arnold, a private airport. However, at the time I thought I had happened upon an uncharted crop dusting airport so I did not make a course correction. This caused me to pass 2-3 NM to the right of dyr. I flew over dyersburg and realized I had missed the airport. I called jackson FSS for a 15 min extension on my flight plan. I was so sure that I knew where dyr was in relation to the city that I looked for it instead of flying to the VOR 5 mi off field, and flying a radial back. At approximately XC30, I asked FSS for an extension to XD00. I continued to fly around the area to the south of the city, sure I would find the airport. Visibility was down some, but I believe it was still above VFR minimums. At some point after XD00, FSS called me to ask if I was still in the air. I said I was and they asked me to radio when I got on the ground. By this time I was a little concerned because I had never had a plane up so long. I decided to fly a little to the north to make sure I had hit the main portion of dyersburg. When I was sure I had, I decided it was time to tune to the mkl VOR and fly there before fuel got too low. I informed FSS of this and was finding my radial when FSS asked if I wanted assistance. I told them I was on my first cross country and said I would like some assistance. FSS connected me with ZME. ZME gave me radar vectors to dyr and I was on the ground by XD45. I radioed FSS to tell them I was on the ground. I refueled at dyr and filed a VFR flight plan for return to memphis. FSS did express some concern about me, but I assured them that I had completed my required night and night cross country and would be fine. I did consult my instructor to make sure he knew what was going on. He got a WX brief for me. I activated my flight plan and took off. I requested and received flight following from memphis approach. I was cleared into class B and asked to report olv in sight. The flight went without incident and I was at olv in less than 1 hour. There were several problems here. I did not even think until after the fact that I took off with less fuel than planned which meant I had less fuel than my flight plan reported. FSS was concerned about nightfall and not about possible fuel problems. I have purchased a stick gauge so that I will always know exactly what I take off with. (I can't be sure how much fuel I took on at dyr because the man at the FBO was not sure he zeroed the meter.) the tank gauges were showing 1/4 and 1/2 when I landed. The main problem was that I abandoned good navigation and tried visual navigation in an unfamiliar area. A contributing factor was increasing haze. I did not have ADF or DME equipment. When I returned home, there was a message on my machine from the FSS saying I was overdue. I must have let too much time lapse after I extended my flight plan the last time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A STUDENT PLT GETS A FLT ASSIST WHEN LOST ON HIS FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT TO DYR, TN.

Narrative: I HAD BEEN PLANNING MY FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY FOR ALMOST A MONTH. ON AUG/XA/98 IT APPEARED THE WX MIGHT COOPERATE. I CALLED FOR A STANDARD WX BRIEF AND GOT A VISIBILITY OF 7 MI WITH SCATTERED CLOUDS AT 4200 FT. DYR (MY DEST) WAS RPTING VISIBILITY OF 10 MI WITH A FEW CLOUDS AT 3100 FT. THERE WAS SOME HAZE AS THERE HAS BEEN MOST OF THE SUMMER. I CONSULTED WITH MY CFI AND FILED A VFR FLT PLAN. I DO NOT HAVE MY FLT PLAN FORM WITH ME SO THESE TIMES WILL BE FROM MEMORY. I GOT WX FOR VFR FLT AT XA30. I DID MY PREFLT AND CALLED FOR A TOP UP OF FUEL. THE FUEL TRUCK WAS LEAKING SO I COULD NOT GET A TOP UP. HOWEVER, THE FUEL WAS WITHIN 1 - 1 1/2 INCHES OF THE TOP SO THERE WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH FUEL FOR MY PLANNED 45-60 MIN FLT WITH A SLIGHT TAILWIND. A STICK GAUGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. I DECIDED TO TOP UP FUEL AT DYR BEFORE GOING ON TO MKL. I TOOK OFF AND ACTIVATED MY FLT PLAN BTWN XB15 AND XB30Z. THE FLT WENT AS PLANNED. I PASSED OVER LHC AND BY M04 AS PLANNED. BTWN ARPTS M04 AND DYR, I DRIFTED ABOUT 2 MI R. I BELIEVE THIS BECAUSE I FLEW OVER WHAT I THINK WAS ARNOLD, A PVT ARPT. HOWEVER, AT THE TIME I THOUGHT I HAD HAPPENED UPON AN UNCHARTED CROP DUSTING ARPT SO I DID NOT MAKE A COURSE CORRECTION. THIS CAUSED ME TO PASS 2-3 NM TO THE R OF DYR. I FLEW OVER DYERSBURG AND REALIZED I HAD MISSED THE ARPT. I CALLED JACKSON FSS FOR A 15 MIN EXTENSION ON MY FLT PLAN. I WAS SO SURE THAT I KNEW WHERE DYR WAS IN RELATION TO THE CITY THAT I LOOKED FOR IT INSTEAD OF FLYING TO THE VOR 5 MI OFF FIELD, AND FLYING A RADIAL BACK. AT APPROX XC30, I ASKED FSS FOR AN EXTENSION TO XD00. I CONTINUED TO FLY AROUND THE AREA TO THE S OF THE CITY, SURE I WOULD FIND THE ARPT. VISIBILITY WAS DOWN SOME, BUT I BELIEVE IT WAS STILL ABOVE VFR MINIMUMS. AT SOME POINT AFTER XD00, FSS CALLED ME TO ASK IF I WAS STILL IN THE AIR. I SAID I WAS AND THEY ASKED ME TO RADIO WHEN I GOT ON THE GND. BY THIS TIME I WAS A LITTLE CONCERNED BECAUSE I HAD NEVER HAD A PLANE UP SO LONG. I DECIDED TO FLY A LITTLE TO THE N TO MAKE SURE I HAD HIT THE MAIN PORTION OF DYERSBURG. WHEN I WAS SURE I HAD, I DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO TUNE TO THE MKL VOR AND FLY THERE BEFORE FUEL GOT TOO LOW. I INFORMED FSS OF THIS AND WAS FINDING MY RADIAL WHEN FSS ASKED IF I WANTED ASSISTANCE. I TOLD THEM I WAS ON MY FIRST XCOUNTRY AND SAID I WOULD LIKE SOME ASSISTANCE. FSS CONNECTED ME WITH ZME. ZME GAVE ME RADAR VECTORS TO DYR AND I WAS ON THE GND BY XD45. I RADIOED FSS TO TELL THEM I WAS ON THE GND. I REFUELED AT DYR AND FILED A VFR FLT PLAN FOR RETURN TO MEMPHIS. FSS DID EXPRESS SOME CONCERN ABOUT ME, BUT I ASSURED THEM THAT I HAD COMPLETED MY REQUIRED NIGHT AND NIGHT XCOUNTRY AND WOULD BE FINE. I DID CONSULT MY INSTRUCTOR TO MAKE SURE HE KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON. HE GOT A WX BRIEF FOR ME. I ACTIVATED MY FLT PLAN AND TOOK OFF. I REQUESTED AND RECEIVED FLT FOLLOWING FROM MEMPHIS APCH. I WAS CLRED INTO CLASS B AND ASKED TO RPT OLV IN SIGHT. THE FLT WENT WITHOUT INCIDENT AND I WAS AT OLV IN LESS THAN 1 HR. THERE WERE SEVERAL PROBS HERE. I DID NOT EVEN THINK UNTIL AFTER THE FACT THAT I TOOK OFF WITH LESS FUEL THAN PLANNED WHICH MEANT I HAD LESS FUEL THAN MY FLT PLAN RPTED. FSS WAS CONCERNED ABOUT NIGHTFALL AND NOT ABOUT POSSIBLE FUEL PROBS. I HAVE PURCHASED A STICK GAUGE SO THAT I WILL ALWAYS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I TAKE OFF WITH. (I CAN'T BE SURE HOW MUCH FUEL I TOOK ON AT DYR BECAUSE THE MAN AT THE FBO WAS NOT SURE HE ZEROED THE METER.) THE TANK GAUGES WERE SHOWING 1/4 AND 1/2 WHEN I LANDED. THE MAIN PROB WAS THAT I ABANDONED GOOD NAV AND TRIED VISUAL NAV IN AN UNFAMILIAR AREA. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS INCREASING HAZE. I DID NOT HAVE ADF OR DME EQUIP. WHEN I RETURNED HOME, THERE WAS A MESSAGE ON MY MACHINE FROM THE FSS SAYING I WAS OVERDUE. I MUST HAVE LET TOO MUCH TIME LAPSE AFTER I EXTENDED MY FLT PLAN THE LAST TIME.

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.