Narrative:

Ever have one of those days when you just shouldn't be flying? This was one of those days. My flight from gpm to ads had been uneventful, but upon leaving addison for lnc, all that changed. It seemed like all I could do was made one stupid mistake after another. Climbing out from addison, I looked at my dfw sectional, and reconfirmed how close I was to the surface area of dfw's class B airspace. Then, I remembered I had a dfw terminal area chart in the plane and that might make the exact limits of the dfw surface area more clear. So I reached into the pocket I keep my charts in, found the chart, and proceeded to open it up. When I looked back at my altimeter, I had climbed above 2000 ft MSL and was now clearly in the dfw class B without clearance. I immediately descended out of the class B. I continued looking at the chart and am still unsure whether I broke the lateral limits of the class B surface area just south of addison. I had started my turn to the east in a timely manner, but even looking at the chart now, I'm not sure whether the road I was just south of is in the surface area of the class B airspace or the area which starts at 2000 ft MSL. When I was clearly east of the dfw surface area, I turned on a southerly heading to proceed to lancaster. About that time, I noticed I had left my previous squawk code in the transponder as opposed to changing it back to 1200. I quickly corrected this mistake. I can only imagine what the controllers were thinking as they watched this uncontrolled aircraft climb into their airspace, and then descend out of it -- all while squawking a code that was clearly not VFR. One would hope the saga ends there, but I wasn't done with my stupid mistakes for the day. I stopped at lancaster and refueled, and then climbing out of lancaster, I realized I had failed to latch the door properly. Once I reached a safe altitude, I tested the door, and it did not seem to want to move in any direction at all. I decided to fly back to grand prairie with the door as it was, as the only problem it seemed to be causing was more cockpit noise than usual. Landing at gpm was uneventful, and the unlatched doors caused no problem at all. Did I do anything right this day at all? The answer is a resounding 'yes!' I had been planning to fly to ftw that evening for a meeting. After realizing I was not as on top of things as I should be, I decided to drive rather than fly. It seems the only thing I could do right concerning flying was not to fly at all. The corrective actions I should take to correct these errors seem pretty obvious. 1) I should have had my tac already opened, and I should study it more thoroughly before flying, when planning a flight so close to the class B airspace. 2) I turned my transponder from 'on' to 'altitude.' at that time I should always reconfirm the code I'm squawking (in most cases 1200).' 3) I should follow my checklist more closely, even though this was in a plane I fly on a regular basis. I've tried to consider what factors figured into my poor performance that day, because it's painfully obvious there were many. I had adequate rest the night before, and don't believe that was a factor. I had only eaten a piece of toast that morning, and an apple before the flight, and it was now XA30 local time, so a lack of proper nutrition may have contributed. I was stressed by school studies which could be a factor. I failed to prepare properly for the flight because it was such a short flight. I have a tendency to think that it's just a short distance, not much can happen. I can see that is a hazardous attitude. Also, I find that when I go through a checklist over and over as I have for this plane, I quit paying attention to it. Physically, I'm mostly going through the actions, but not mentally paying attention to each detail. That allows things like an unlatched door to be missed. Fortunately, in this case, it's something that turns out to be inconvenient, but not fatal. If I continue skipping items on a checklist, who knows when that one detail will become serious.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PVT INST RATED PLT FLYING A PA28 BECOMES DISTR AFTER DEPARTING ADS VFR RESULTING IN AN INADVERTENT PENETRATION OF CLASS B AIRSPACE AT DFW.

Narrative: EVER HAVE ONE OF THOSE DAYS WHEN YOU JUST SHOULDN'T BE FLYING? THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE DAYS. MY FLT FROM GPM TO ADS HAD BEEN UNEVENTFUL, BUT UPON LEAVING ADDISON FOR LNC, ALL THAT CHANGED. IT SEEMED LIKE ALL I COULD DO WAS MADE ONE STUPID MISTAKE AFTER ANOTHER. CLBING OUT FROM ADDISON, I LOOKED AT MY DFW SECTIONAL, AND RECONFIRMED HOW CLOSE I WAS TO THE SURFACE AREA OF DFW'S CLASS B AIRSPACE. THEN, I REMEMBERED I HAD A DFW TERMINAL AREA CHART IN THE PLANE AND THAT MIGHT MAKE THE EXACT LIMITS OF THE DFW SURFACE AREA MORE CLR. SO I REACHED INTO THE POCKET I KEEP MY CHARTS IN, FOUND THE CHART, AND PROCEEDED TO OPEN IT UP. WHEN I LOOKED BACK AT MY ALTIMETER, I HAD CLBED ABOVE 2000 FT MSL AND WAS NOW CLRLY IN THE DFW CLASS B WITHOUT CLRNC. I IMMEDIATELY DSNDED OUT OF THE CLASS B. I CONTINUED LOOKING AT THE CHART AND AM STILL UNSURE WHETHER I BROKE THE LATERAL LIMITS OF THE CLASS B SURFACE AREA JUST S OF ADDISON. I HAD STARTED MY TURN TO THE E IN A TIMELY MANNER, BUT EVEN LOOKING AT THE CHART NOW, I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THE ROAD I WAS JUST S OF IS IN THE SURFACE AREA OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE OR THE AREA WHICH STARTS AT 2000 FT MSL. WHEN I WAS CLRLY E OF THE DFW SURFACE AREA, I TURNED ON A SOUTHERLY HDG TO PROCEED TO LANCASTER. ABOUT THAT TIME, I NOTICED I HAD LEFT MY PREVIOUS SQUAWK CODE IN THE XPONDER AS OPPOSED TO CHANGING IT BACK TO 1200. I QUICKLY CORRECTED THIS MISTAKE. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THE CTLRS WERE THINKING AS THEY WATCHED THIS UNCTLED ACFT CLB INTO THEIR AIRSPACE, AND THEN DSND OUT OF IT -- ALL WHILE SQUAWKING A CODE THAT WAS CLRLY NOT VFR. ONE WOULD HOPE THE SAGA ENDS THERE, BUT I WASN'T DONE WITH MY STUPID MISTAKES FOR THE DAY. I STOPPED AT LANCASTER AND REFUELED, AND THEN CLBING OUT OF LANCASTER, I REALIZED I HAD FAILED TO LATCH THE DOOR PROPERLY. ONCE I REACHED A SAFE ALT, I TESTED THE DOOR, AND IT DID NOT SEEM TO WANT TO MOVE IN ANY DIRECTION AT ALL. I DECIDED TO FLY BACK TO GRAND PRAIRIE WITH THE DOOR AS IT WAS, AS THE ONLY PROB IT SEEMED TO BE CAUSING WAS MORE COCKPIT NOISE THAN USUAL. LNDG AT GPM WAS UNEVENTFUL, AND THE UNLATCHED DOORS CAUSED NO PROB AT ALL. DID I DO ANYTHING RIGHT THIS DAY AT ALL? THE ANSWER IS A RESOUNDING 'YES!' I HAD BEEN PLANNING TO FLY TO FTW THAT EVENING FOR A MEETING. AFTER REALIZING I WAS NOT AS ON TOP OF THINGS AS I SHOULD BE, I DECIDED TO DRIVE RATHER THAN FLY. IT SEEMS THE ONLY THING I COULD DO RIGHT CONCERNING FLYING WAS NOT TO FLY AT ALL. THE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS I SHOULD TAKE TO CORRECT THESE ERRORS SEEM PRETTY OBVIOUS. 1) I SHOULD HAVE HAD MY TAC ALREADY OPENED, AND I SHOULD STUDY IT MORE THOROUGHLY BEFORE FLYING, WHEN PLANNING A FLT SO CLOSE TO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. 2) I TURNED MY XPONDER FROM 'ON' TO 'ALT.' AT THAT TIME I SHOULD ALWAYS RECONFIRM THE CODE I'M SQUAWKING (IN MOST CASES 1200).' 3) I SHOULD FOLLOW MY CHKLIST MORE CLOSELY, EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS IN A PLANE I FLY ON A REGULAR BASIS. I'VE TRIED TO CONSIDER WHAT FACTORS FIGURED INTO MY POOR PERFORMANCE THAT DAY, BECAUSE IT'S PAINFULLY OBVIOUS THERE WERE MANY. I HAD ADEQUATE REST THE NIGHT BEFORE, AND DON'T BELIEVE THAT WAS A FACTOR. I HAD ONLY EATEN A PIECE OF TOAST THAT MORNING, AND AN APPLE BEFORE THE FLT, AND IT WAS NOW XA30 LCL TIME, SO A LACK OF PROPER NUTRITION MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED. I WAS STRESSED BY SCHOOL STUDIES WHICH COULD BE A FACTOR. I FAILED TO PREPARE PROPERLY FOR THE FLT BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH A SHORT FLT. I HAVE A TENDENCY TO THINK THAT IT'S JUST A SHORT DISTANCE, NOT MUCH CAN HAPPEN. I CAN SEE THAT IS A HAZARDOUS ATTITUDE. ALSO, I FIND THAT WHEN I GO THROUGH A CHKLIST OVER AND OVER AS I HAVE FOR THIS PLANE, I QUIT PAYING ATTN TO IT. PHYSICALLY, I'M MOSTLY GOING THROUGH THE ACTIONS, BUT NOT MENTALLY PAYING ATTN TO EACH DETAIL. THAT ALLOWS THINGS LIKE AN UNLATCHED DOOR TO BE MISSED. FORTUNATELY, IN THIS CASE, IT'S SOMETHING THAT TURNS OUT TO BE INCONVENIENT, BUT NOT FATAL. IF I CONTINUE SKIPPING ITEMS ON A CHKLIST, WHO KNOWS WHEN THAT ONE DETAIL WILL BECOME SERIOUS.

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.