Narrative:

After departing byi on a westerly heading and VFR, I called twf approach to get my IFR clearance. Twf does not have radar and I reported my position as 19 mi east of twf as shown on the DME and #2 VOR. Winds on the ground were southwest gusting to 34 KTS. At this point I changed the #1 VOR from byi to twf and the #2 VOR to lwl. Departure then gave me a clearance for V269 lwl which would take me over the twf VOR. The radial from byi to twf is 240 degrees. According to the #1 VOR, I was now north of the airway, so I turned southwest to intercept. Things seemed to be happening rather slowly which I attributed to the southwest wind. Departure then handed me over to center who reported my position as southeast of twf and then proceeded to chew me out as to why was I there and didn't I know why clrncs were given. At this point his voice was relegated to a droning in the backgnd as I attempted to resolve a more pressing problem. Why was I more than 20 mi and 90 degrees different from where the instruments were indicating. I was also thankful that at least I had been in VFR conditions during the whole climb although there was an undercast just west of byi extending westward. I know the area well enough that had I been able to see the ground west of byi, I would have realized my position was not correct. At this time, center's voice stopped and all I could do was apologize. Center then cleared me direct to lwl. Lwl was tuned into the #2 VOR and after ensuring it was receiving correctly and showing the proper radial, I turned my attention back to my problem. The #1 VOR was tuned to twf and had the correct radial set in but was still showing that I was north of course. As in many cases, it was a series of small things leading up to a major thing. I had never flown this particular aircraft. The WX and my schedule had been against me the previous week and a planned familiarization flight had not taken place although I had spent some time going over the logs and other paperwork. The aircraft has a KLN90B GPS, which on power up indicated that it is a VFR only unit. Unable to find any switches or indicator lights on the panel for the GPS, I assumed that because it was VFR only and had been an add-on in the panel, that it was not coupled to the VOR. Being unfamiliar with this type of GPS I had not paid much attention to it, figuring that I could check it out after I was in cruise while my attention was not being diverted elsewhere. Although this was sound judgement, if I had looked at it I might have noticed my problem much earlier. The GPS was indeed coupled to the #1 VOR and although twf was showing as the waypoint, the GPS was on 'leg' and showing a radial inbound from the southeast. No matter what radial the #1 VOR was set to, from my position it would show a full left deflection. After a couple mins of searching, I found a small light in the upper left part of the panel among several other switches and the marker beacon lights. The light was on and said lrn. After several more mins of searching for a switch with no luck, and no other options that I could see, I pushed the light. The light went out and the #1 VOR resumed operating on the VOR. The aircraft must have had a LORAN installed at one time and when it was replaced with the GPS nothing had been remarked. Evidently it is also not a requirement that VFR GPS units have switches and lights in a prominent position where the pilot can easily see them, as these were at the top left part of the panel and not near the normal scan pattern. With the relative newness of GPS, the many different types of the market and no standard as to their installation, this may become more of a problem as more are installed in aircraft. Being able to fly the aircraft is no longer enough. Instrument and radio setups have changed dramatically over the last 20 yrs even in the same types of aircraft. I learned that knowing how to operate the radios and navigation equipment can be as important as knowing how to operate the aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT FLYING A RENTAL C414 ON PERSONAL BUSINESS HAS A HDG DEV AND IS SCOLDED BY CTR RADAR CTLR. HE DETERMINES THAT THE VOR AND GPS ARE COUPLED BUT THERE IS NO INDICATION OF ANY SWITCH TO DEACTIVATE THE GPS. HE HAS NOT FLOWN THIS ACFT BEFORE, BUT FINALLY LOCATES A SWITCH THAT IS INCORRECTLY MARKED AND FINDS BY TRIAL AND ERROR THAT IT IS THE GPS SWITCH. HE THEN BECOMES REORIENTED.

Narrative: AFTER DEPARTING BYI ON A WESTERLY HDG AND VFR, I CALLED TWF APCH TO GET MY IFR CLRNC. TWF DOES NOT HAVE RADAR AND I RPTED MY POS AS 19 MI E OF TWF AS SHOWN ON THE DME AND #2 VOR. WINDS ON THE GND WERE SW GUSTING TO 34 KTS. AT THIS POINT I CHANGED THE #1 VOR FROM BYI TO TWF AND THE #2 VOR TO LWL. DEP THEN GAVE ME A CLRNC FOR V269 LWL WHICH WOULD TAKE ME OVER THE TWF VOR. THE RADIAL FROM BYI TO TWF IS 240 DEGS. ACCORDING TO THE #1 VOR, I WAS NOW N OF THE AIRWAY, SO I TURNED SW TO INTERCEPT. THINGS SEEMED TO BE HAPPENING RATHER SLOWLY WHICH I ATTRIBUTED TO THE SW WIND. DEP THEN HANDED ME OVER TO CTR WHO RPTED MY POS AS SE OF TWF AND THEN PROCEEDED TO CHEW ME OUT AS TO WHY WAS I THERE AND DIDN'T I KNOW WHY CLRNCS WERE GIVEN. AT THIS POINT HIS VOICE WAS RELEGATED TO A DRONING IN THE BACKGND AS I ATTEMPTED TO RESOLVE A MORE PRESSING PROB. WHY WAS I MORE THAN 20 MI AND 90 DEGS DIFFERENT FROM WHERE THE INSTS WERE INDICATING. I WAS ALSO THANKFUL THAT AT LEAST I HAD BEEN IN VFR CONDITIONS DURING THE WHOLE CLB ALTHOUGH THERE WAS AN UNDERCAST JUST W OF BYI EXTENDING WESTWARD. I KNOW THE AREA WELL ENOUGH THAT HAD I BEEN ABLE TO SEE THE GND W OF BYI, I WOULD HAVE REALIZED MY POS WAS NOT CORRECT. AT THIS TIME, CTR'S VOICE STOPPED AND ALL I COULD DO WAS APOLOGIZE. CTR THEN CLRED ME DIRECT TO LWL. LWL WAS TUNED INTO THE #2 VOR AND AFTER ENSURING IT WAS RECEIVING CORRECTLY AND SHOWING THE PROPER RADIAL, I TURNED MY ATTN BACK TO MY PROB. THE #1 VOR WAS TUNED TO TWF AND HAD THE CORRECT RADIAL SET IN BUT WAS STILL SHOWING THAT I WAS N OF COURSE. AS IN MANY CASES, IT WAS A SERIES OF SMALL THINGS LEADING UP TO A MAJOR THING. I HAD NEVER FLOWN THIS PARTICULAR ACFT. THE WX AND MY SCHEDULE HAD BEEN AGAINST ME THE PREVIOUS WK AND A PLANNED FAMILIARIZATION FLT HAD NOT TAKEN PLACE ALTHOUGH I HAD SPENT SOME TIME GOING OVER THE LOGS AND OTHER PAPERWORK. THE ACFT HAS A KLN90B GPS, WHICH ON PWR UP INDICATED THAT IT IS A VFR ONLY UNIT. UNABLE TO FIND ANY SWITCHES OR INDICATOR LIGHTS ON THE PANEL FOR THE GPS, I ASSUMED THAT BECAUSE IT WAS VFR ONLY AND HAD BEEN AN ADD-ON IN THE PANEL, THAT IT WAS NOT COUPLED TO THE VOR. BEING UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS TYPE OF GPS I HAD NOT PAID MUCH ATTN TO IT, FIGURING THAT I COULD CHK IT OUT AFTER I WAS IN CRUISE WHILE MY ATTN WAS NOT BEING DIVERTED ELSEWHERE. ALTHOUGH THIS WAS SOUND JUDGEMENT, IF I HAD LOOKED AT IT I MIGHT HAVE NOTICED MY PROB MUCH EARLIER. THE GPS WAS INDEED COUPLED TO THE #1 VOR AND ALTHOUGH TWF WAS SHOWING AS THE WAYPOINT, THE GPS WAS ON 'LEG' AND SHOWING A RADIAL INBOUND FROM THE SE. NO MATTER WHAT RADIAL THE #1 VOR WAS SET TO, FROM MY POS IT WOULD SHOW A FULL L DEFLECTION. AFTER A COUPLE MINS OF SEARCHING, I FOUND A SMALL LIGHT IN THE UPPER L PART OF THE PANEL AMONG SEVERAL OTHER SWITCHES AND THE MARKER BEACON LIGHTS. THE LIGHT WAS ON AND SAID LRN. AFTER SEVERAL MORE MINS OF SEARCHING FOR A SWITCH WITH NO LUCK, AND NO OTHER OPTIONS THAT I COULD SEE, I PUSHED THE LIGHT. THE LIGHT WENT OUT AND THE #1 VOR RESUMED OPERATING ON THE VOR. THE ACFT MUST HAVE HAD A LORAN INSTALLED AT ONE TIME AND WHEN IT WAS REPLACED WITH THE GPS NOTHING HAD BEEN REMARKED. EVIDENTLY IT IS ALSO NOT A REQUIREMENT THAT VFR GPS UNITS HAVE SWITCHES AND LIGHTS IN A PROMINENT POS WHERE THE PLT CAN EASILY SEE THEM, AS THESE WERE AT THE TOP L PART OF THE PANEL AND NOT NEAR THE NORMAL SCAN PATTERN. WITH THE RELATIVE NEWNESS OF GPS, THE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF THE MARKET AND NO STANDARD AS TO THEIR INSTALLATION, THIS MAY BECOME MORE OF A PROB AS MORE ARE INSTALLED IN ACFT. BEING ABLE TO FLY THE ACFT IS NO LONGER ENOUGH. INST AND RADIO SETUPS HAVE CHANGED DRAMATICALLY OVER THE LAST 20 YRS EVEN IN THE SAME TYPES OF ACFT. I LEARNED THAT KNOWING HOW TO OPERATE THE RADIOS AND NAV EQUIP CAN BE AS IMPORTANT AS KNOWING HOW TO OPERATE THE ACFT.

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.