Narrative:

I am a student pilot and was on a long solo cross country phl to tol, tol to arb, arb to phn. On approach to arb, I contacted the tower and asked for permission to land. I was about 12 mi to the southwest, or so I thought. They responded by telling me to report in when I was on a 4 mi final for runway 6. There was very heavy radio traffic and airplane traffic at arb. It was very hard for me to get a break in which to talk with the tower. I began looking for the airport and runway 6. I saw in the distance to my northeast what I believed to be arb runway 6. When I was close enough to announce to arb tower I was 4 mi out, I was unable to get my radio transmission over the other radio traffic. At that time I realized the airport was not arb, but yip and that I had violated their airspace unintentionally. I quickly turned to the west and headed for arb (which is only a few mi away). When I was out of yip airspace, arb called and told me I had gone into yip airspace, and asked me to continue back to arb on a right downwind for runway 6. I looked at my sectional and saw that yip has a runway 5, which is why I must have mistaken it for arb runway 6 at a distance. The landing incursion happened while I was going back to arb (after entering yip airspace by mistake). Arb tower told me to turn after the cherokee that was on a left downwind for runway 6 (I was on a right downwind). I saw the cherokee on the other side of the airport and reported to tower that I had traffic in sight. The radio traffic was nonstop between the tower and aircraft, and I don't think they received my transmission because they came back and asked me if I saw my traffic to follow turning base. I responded that I did. At that point I turned base after giving the cherokee some time on final to make sure we had good spacing for landing. I estimate that I was 3 - 3 1/2 mi out and the cherokee was 1 mi ahead of me. I was maintaining pattern altitude (1500-1600 ft MSL) and was watching the cherokee ahead of me. The cherokee started getting really low (about 200-300 ft above the tree tops) and I didn't know what he was doing (there was no radio communication from cherokee to tower, but the radio traffic might have prevented that). Then the cherokee started getting higher and when he crossed my level of sight, I could tell I was gaining on him. He then went up to about 2000 ft or 2200 ft and we were about less than 1 mi from runway 6. The cherokee had clearance from tower to land, but it did not appear he was landing. I was trying to radio the tower to ask for spacing maneuvers, but the radio traffic kept me from getting through, and by that time I was getting very close to the cherokee, so I lowered my altitude and passed underneath him, at which point the tower saw what I had done and cleared me to land ahead of the cherokee. I don't know what the cherokee was doing, because I was in landing confign only doing about 80 KTS. I didn't know why I overtook him. I know that next time I will not wait for the tower to respond to my spacing, I will do maneuvers as needed and inform the tower afterwards when there is so much radio traffic.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LIGHT TIME GA PLT OF SMA ENTERS CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC AND LATER PASSES ANOTHER ACFT ON FINAL APCH TO ARB.

Narrative: I AM A STUDENT PLT AND WAS ON A LONG SOLO XCOUNTRY PHL TO TOL, TOL TO ARB, ARB TO PHN. ON APCH TO ARB, I CONTACTED THE TWR AND ASKED FOR PERMISSION TO LAND. I WAS ABOUT 12 MI TO THE SW, OR SO I THOUGHT. THEY RESPONDED BY TELLING ME TO RPT IN WHEN I WAS ON A 4 MI FINAL FOR RWY 6. THERE WAS VERY HVY RADIO TFC AND AIRPLANE TFC AT ARB. IT WAS VERY HARD FOR ME TO GET A BREAK IN WHICH TO TALK WITH THE TWR. I BEGAN LOOKING FOR THE ARPT AND RWY 6. I SAW IN THE DISTANCE TO MY NE WHAT I BELIEVED TO BE ARB RWY 6. WHEN I WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO ANNOUNCE TO ARB TWR I WAS 4 MI OUT, I WAS UNABLE TO GET MY RADIO XMISSION OVER THE OTHER RADIO TFC. AT THAT TIME I REALIZED THE ARPT WAS NOT ARB, BUT YIP AND THAT I HAD VIOLATED THEIR AIRSPACE UNINTENTIONALLY. I QUICKLY TURNED TO THE W AND HEADED FOR ARB (WHICH IS ONLY A FEW MI AWAY). WHEN I WAS OUT OF YIP AIRSPACE, ARB CALLED AND TOLD ME I HAD GONE INTO YIP AIRSPACE, AND ASKED ME TO CONTINUE BACK TO ARB ON A R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 6. I LOOKED AT MY SECTIONAL AND SAW THAT YIP HAS A RWY 5, WHICH IS WHY I MUST HAVE MISTAKEN IT FOR ARB RWY 6 AT A DISTANCE. THE LNDG INCURSION HAPPENED WHILE I WAS GOING BACK TO ARB (AFTER ENTERING YIP AIRSPACE BY MISTAKE). ARB TWR TOLD ME TO TURN AFTER THE CHEROKEE THAT WAS ON A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 6 (I WAS ON A R DOWNWIND). I SAW THE CHEROKEE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ARPT AND RPTED TO TWR THAT I HAD TFC IN SIGHT. THE RADIO TFC WAS NONSTOP BTWN THE TWR AND ACFT, AND I DON'T THINK THEY RECEIVED MY XMISSION BECAUSE THEY CAME BACK AND ASKED ME IF I SAW MY TFC TO FOLLOW TURNING BASE. I RESPONDED THAT I DID. AT THAT POINT I TURNED BASE AFTER GIVING THE CHEROKEE SOME TIME ON FINAL TO MAKE SURE WE HAD GOOD SPACING FOR LNDG. I ESTIMATE THAT I WAS 3 - 3 1/2 MI OUT AND THE CHEROKEE WAS 1 MI AHEAD OF ME. I WAS MAINTAINING PATTERN ALT (1500-1600 FT MSL) AND WAS WATCHING THE CHEROKEE AHEAD OF ME. THE CHEROKEE STARTED GETTING REALLY LOW (ABOUT 200-300 FT ABOVE THE TREE TOPS) AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING (THERE WAS NO RADIO COM FROM CHEROKEE TO TWR, BUT THE RADIO TFC MIGHT HAVE PREVENTED THAT). THEN THE CHEROKEE STARTED GETTING HIGHER AND WHEN HE CROSSED MY LEVEL OF SIGHT, I COULD TELL I WAS GAINING ON HIM. HE THEN WENT UP TO ABOUT 2000 FT OR 2200 FT AND WE WERE ABOUT LESS THAN 1 MI FROM RWY 6. THE CHEROKEE HAD CLRNC FROM TWR TO LAND, BUT IT DID NOT APPEAR HE WAS LNDG. I WAS TRYING TO RADIO THE TWR TO ASK FOR SPACING MANEUVERS, BUT THE RADIO TFC KEPT ME FROM GETTING THROUGH, AND BY THAT TIME I WAS GETTING VERY CLOSE TO THE CHEROKEE, SO I LOWERED MY ALT AND PASSED UNDERNEATH HIM, AT WHICH POINT THE TWR SAW WHAT I HAD DONE AND CLRED ME TO LAND AHEAD OF THE CHEROKEE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CHEROKEE WAS DOING, BECAUSE I WAS IN LNDG CONFIGN ONLY DOING ABOUT 80 KTS. I DIDN'T KNOW WHY I OVERTOOK HIM. I KNOW THAT NEXT TIME I WILL NOT WAIT FOR THE TWR TO RESPOND TO MY SPACING, I WILL DO MANEUVERS AS NEEDED AND INFORM THE TWR AFTERWARDS WHEN THERE IS SO MUCH RADIO TFC.

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.