Narrative:

I had flown in the flight school aircraft from gww, nc, to iso, nc. I gave a lesson in the morning to the student. I arrived at iso at XA00Z and we took off for his flight lesson about XB30. The WX was VFR with a ceiling of about 1800 ft. The lesson was uneventful and I departed iso for gww about XC30. I plugged goldsboro into the handheld GPS and the radial off kinston VORTAC leading to goldsboro into the single VOR receiver. After leaving the kinston class D airspace, I contacted seymour johnson approach for radar advisories and was in contact with them until about 10 mi out, they said the airport was 9 mi and 12 O'clock and to advise gww in sight. I was watching the GPS and the VOR indicator and saw the airport a bit to the left of where I thought I ought to be. I advised seymour that I had the airport, they switched me to advisory frequency, told me to squawk VFR and I bid them, what I thought would be, good day. I set up for a downwind entry to runway 23 and things definitely did not seem right when I spotted a KC135 parked on the apron as I was on final. I aborted the landing, immediately recontacted seymour approach (I didn't readily have the tower frequency at hand), and confessed to my intrusion into their airspace. They politely suggested a vector to gww and asked me to call on landing, which I did. The causes of this blunder were: 1) I entered gsb into my GPS instead of gww. 2) I never checked the VOR receiver in the C150 I was flying for accuracy. 3) the low ceiling prevented me from being at an altitude that would have made it possible to easily discern goldsboro from seymour. 4) the C150 was not IFR certified so that I could not make the flight under IFR. 5) I wanted that large airport to be gww and so I made myself believe it was, though all kinds of red flags were waving at me. 6) the controller at seymour approach was perhaps a trainee and while it was not his obligation to tell me, he could see that I was flying toward seymour straight as an arrow! 7) I was in a hurry to get back to gww for an appointment. To prevent this kind of error, I will in the future be more careful about entering data into the GPS and trusting it after I do so. The same holds true for the VOR, which I should have checked for accuracy before leaving gww in the first place. I will make sure that what I am seeing and hearing is really what is true and not what I am expecting.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A COMMERCIAL INST RATED PLT FLYING A C150 INADVERTENTLY ENTERED GSB AIRSPACE WITHOUT PROPER CLRNC.

Narrative: I HAD FLOWN IN THE FLT SCHOOL ACFT FROM GWW, NC, TO ISO, NC. I GAVE A LESSON IN THE MORNING TO THE STUDENT. I ARRIVED AT ISO AT XA00Z AND WE TOOK OFF FOR HIS FLT LESSON ABOUT XB30. THE WX WAS VFR WITH A CEILING OF ABOUT 1800 FT. THE LESSON WAS UNEVENTFUL AND I DEPARTED ISO FOR GWW ABOUT XC30. I PLUGGED GOLDSBORO INTO THE HANDHELD GPS AND THE RADIAL OFF KINSTON VORTAC LEADING TO GOLDSBORO INTO THE SINGLE VOR RECEIVER. AFTER LEAVING THE KINSTON CLASS D AIRSPACE, I CONTACTED SEYMOUR JOHNSON APCH FOR RADAR ADVISORIES AND WAS IN CONTACT WITH THEM UNTIL ABOUT 10 MI OUT, THEY SAID THE ARPT WAS 9 MI AND 12 O'CLOCK AND TO ADVISE GWW IN SIGHT. I WAS WATCHING THE GPS AND THE VOR INDICATOR AND SAW THE ARPT A BIT TO THE L OF WHERE I THOUGHT I OUGHT TO BE. I ADVISED SEYMOUR THAT I HAD THE ARPT, THEY SWITCHED ME TO ADVISORY FREQ, TOLD ME TO SQUAWK VFR AND I BID THEM, WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE, GOOD DAY. I SET UP FOR A DOWNWIND ENTRY TO RWY 23 AND THINGS DEFINITELY DID NOT SEEM RIGHT WHEN I SPOTTED A KC135 PARKED ON THE APRON AS I WAS ON FINAL. I ABORTED THE LNDG, IMMEDIATELY RECONTACTED SEYMOUR APCH (I DIDN'T READILY HAVE THE TWR FREQ AT HAND), AND CONFESSED TO MY INTRUSION INTO THEIR AIRSPACE. THEY POLITELY SUGGESTED A VECTOR TO GWW AND ASKED ME TO CALL ON LNDG, WHICH I DID. THE CAUSES OF THIS BLUNDER WERE: 1) I ENTERED GSB INTO MY GPS INSTEAD OF GWW. 2) I NEVER CHKED THE VOR RECEIVER IN THE C150 I WAS FLYING FOR ACCURACY. 3) THE LOW CEILING PREVENTED ME FROM BEING AT AN ALT THAT WOULD HAVE MADE IT POSSIBLE TO EASILY DISCERN GOLDSBORO FROM SEYMOUR. 4) THE C150 WAS NOT IFR CERTIFIED SO THAT I COULD NOT MAKE THE FLT UNDER IFR. 5) I WANTED THAT LARGE ARPT TO BE GWW AND SO I MADE MYSELF BELIEVE IT WAS, THOUGH ALL KINDS OF RED FLAGS WERE WAVING AT ME. 6) THE CTLR AT SEYMOUR APCH WAS PERHAPS A TRAINEE AND WHILE IT WAS NOT HIS OBLIGATION TO TELL ME, HE COULD SEE THAT I WAS FLYING TOWARD SEYMOUR STRAIGHT AS AN ARROW! 7) I WAS IN A HURRY TO GET BACK TO GWW FOR AN APPOINTMENT. TO PREVENT THIS KIND OF ERROR, I WILL IN THE FUTURE BE MORE CAREFUL ABOUT ENTERING DATA INTO THE GPS AND TRUSTING IT AFTER I DO SO. THE SAME HOLDS TRUE FOR THE VOR, WHICH I SHOULD HAVE CHKED FOR ACCURACY BEFORE LEAVING GWW IN THE FIRST PLACE. I WILL MAKE SURE THAT WHAT I AM SEEING AND HEARING IS REALLY WHAT IS TRUE AND NOT WHAT I AM EXPECTING.

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.