Pilot of a mooney M20 became disoriented at night when blinded by a helicopter's flood light when in...

Attributes
ACN	465132
Time
Date	200003
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : fat.airport
State Reference	CA
Altitude	msl single value : 1200
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : fat.tracon
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	M-20 Series Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	descent : intermediate altitude
Flight Plan	None
Aircraft 2
Controlling Facilities	tracon : fat.tracon
Operator	other
Make Model Name	Helicopter
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Navigation In Use	other
Flight Phase	cruise : level
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : cfi
Person 2
Affiliation	government other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	airspace violation : entry conflict : nmac non adherence : far other anomaly other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : altimeter other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : became reoriented flight crew : exited penetrated airspace flight crew : regained aircraft control
Consequence	Other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 300 vertical : 0
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

I was returning to fch airport from the northwest and I had an electrical problem, which resulted in a complete radio and electrical navigation failure (both my navs, communications, and HSI were non operational). I was attempting to direct reconnaissance navigation to fch airport and it went from dusk to dark and I estimate the visibility to be 3-4 mi in haze. I saw an airport beacon, which I thought was fch beacon. As I approached the airport, I realized it was not fch airport but fresno's yosemite airport and therefore I had entered their control space. I immediately turned to the right to vacate the airspace as rapidly as possible. I was at approximately 1200 ft at this time. As I turned to the west, away from the yosemite airport, an extreme bright light appeared at my left front. This light was at my altitude and was right in my eyes which caused a temporary blindness. With my vision impaired, I became disoriented and I could tell I entered a climb. I eased forward the yoke and kept turning to the right. The bright light disappeared as if it was turned off and then it returned. This time it was more to my left than to the front of me. Again, I was forced to turn my head to prevent further loss of vision. After I regained my orientation and eventually my vision, I found fch airport and landed. By this time I had lost all my electrical power. Thinking through the incident, I realized that I was trying too hard and concentrating too much on my radio, electrical problems and not enough on my direct reconnaissance navigation and too anxious to find an airport, so I immediately took the beacon to be fch airport. Also, the aircraft with the bright light was most likely to have been a helicopter and because of its actions of apparently trying to intercept my path. It was possibly a police helicopter or a non thinking pilot who caused me to lose my vision and nearly the control of my aircraft due to loss of vision and disorientation. Pilots should try to avoid and not impede the flight of another aircraft no matter who has the right-of-way or clearance.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A MOONEY M20 BECAME DISORIENTED AT NIGHT WHEN BLINDED BY A HELI'S FLOOD LIGHT WHEN INADVERTENTLY WANDERED INTO CLASS C AIRSPACE AFTER FAILURE OF HIS ELECTRICAL SYS.

Narrative: I WAS RETURNING TO FCH ARPT FROM THE NW AND I HAD AN ELECTRICAL PROB, WHICH RESULTED IN A COMPLETE RADIO AND ELECTRICAL NAV FAILURE (BOTH MY NAVS, COMS, AND HSI WERE NON OPERATIONAL). I WAS ATTEMPTING TO DIRECT RECONNAISSANCE NAV TO FCH ARPT AND IT WENT FROM DUSK TO DARK AND I ESTIMATE THE VISIBILITY TO BE 3-4 MI IN HAZE. I SAW AN ARPT BEACON, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS FCH BEACON. AS I APCHED THE ARPT, I REALIZED IT WAS NOT FCH ARPT BUT FRESNO'S YOSEMITE ARPT AND THEREFORE I HAD ENTERED THEIR CTL SPACE. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED TO THE R TO VACATE THE AIRSPACE AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE. I WAS AT APPROX 1200 FT AT THIS TIME. AS I TURNED TO THE W, AWAY FROM THE YOSEMITE ARPT, AN EXTREME BRIGHT LIGHT APPEARED AT MY L FRONT. THIS LIGHT WAS AT MY ALT AND WAS RIGHT IN MY EYES WHICH CAUSED A TEMPORARY BLINDNESS. WITH MY VISION IMPAIRED, I BECAME DISORIENTED AND I COULD TELL I ENTERED A CLB. I EASED FORWARD THE YOKE AND KEPT TURNING TO THE R. THE BRIGHT LIGHT DISAPPEARED AS IF IT WAS TURNED OFF AND THEN IT RETURNED. THIS TIME IT WAS MORE TO MY L THAN TO THE FRONT OF ME. AGAIN, I WAS FORCED TO TURN MY HEAD TO PREVENT FURTHER LOSS OF VISION. AFTER I REGAINED MY ORIENTATION AND EVENTUALLY MY VISION, I FOUND FCH ARPT AND LANDED. BY THIS TIME I HAD LOST ALL MY ELECTRICAL PWR. THINKING THROUGH THE INCIDENT, I REALIZED THAT I WAS TRYING TOO HARD AND CONCENTRATING TOO MUCH ON MY RADIO, ELECTRICAL PROBS AND NOT ENOUGH ON MY DIRECT RECONNAISSANCE NAV AND TOO ANXIOUS TO FIND AN ARPT, SO I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE BEACON TO BE FCH ARPT. ALSO, THE ACFT WITH THE BRIGHT LIGHT WAS MOST LIKELY TO HAVE BEEN A HELI AND BECAUSE OF ITS ACTIONS OF APPARENTLY TRYING TO INTERCEPT MY PATH. IT WAS POSSIBLY A POLICE HELI OR A NON THINKING PLT WHO CAUSED ME TO LOSE MY VISION AND NEARLY THE CTL OF MY ACFT DUE TO LOSS OF VISION AND DISORIENTATION. PLTS SHOULD TRY TO AVOID AND NOT IMPEDE THE FLT OF ANOTHER ACFT NO MATTER WHO HAS THE RIGHT-OF-WAY OR CLRNC.

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.

Pilot of a mooney M20 became disoriented at night when blinded by a helicopter's flood light when inadvertently wandered into class C airspace after failure of his electrical system.