Narrative:

My name is X, student pilot plting a piper cherokee PA28-161 when 3 in-flight incidents occurred while on my cross country solo flight (hnl-koko head-mkk-ogg-lny and back to hnl). #1 -- a near miss with air carrier DC9 aircraft Y departing out from honolulu. #2 -- a mistake approach at runway 5 at molokai and also taking off without clearance. And finally, #3 -- a go around mistake approach at honolulu on runway 22L. Let me qualify: on the morning of sep/xa/00, I prepared my flight plan as scheduled and was ready for the freeway 4 departure to koko head. My aircraft at that time had a problem with the left seat. I took the incentive and taxied to the FBO so that they could fix the problem without any further delays. Approximately 2 hours later, the problem was fixed. I then decided to carry on as planned (even though my time of departure was set back 2 hours). Hnl ground cleared me on taxiway P for runway 22L. I had no recognition of the change in wind direction prior to preflight until on the active runway. I took the shot and took off on runway 22L outbound for koko head. While airborne, tower then directed me to go to a heading of 180 degrees. Unfamiliar with this type of departure, I was a bit confused with tower's instructions. I didn't know what direction to turn, 180 degrees right or 180 degrees left. Without complying with tower, I then flew straight while tuning koko head VOR. Tower then verified again, 'start your turn now!' I gradually then turned left for a min or so, heading for 180 degrees. I remember at this time tower then instructed me to follow a DC10 out. I immediately turned and flew in that direction. I then realized that I was flying in between approach and departure airspace. About a couple of seconds later, tower then warned me of incoming traffic. He said 'do you see the DC9?!' I replied 'yes sir, dead ahead,' and used evasive action, full throttle up and climbed right over him, approximately 100 ft from each other. Approaching molokai airport, I overshot runway 5 and was circling wide while looking for traffic. Tower asked, 'what are you doing?' I said 'looking for traffic.' he then replied 'you cannot do that!' I remember I had 2 rough lndgs on runway 5, so I then decided to park. I was there for 1/2 hour to regroup on my situation. I then decided to move on to maui. I contacted ground and was instructed to hold on runway 5. On runway 5, I was waiting for tower to clear me for takeoff. I waited and waited, there was no call, and so I took off, thinking that I was already cleared. I then switched frequency to FSS to open up my flight plan to maui. And finally returning back to hnl, I received approach clearance for koko head for runway 22L altitude 2000 ft. Again unfamiliar with this new route, I then proceeded for runway 22L. I had positive visual of the runway 22L and started my descent. While on final, I realized that I was behind the aircraft, coming in, too high and too fast with no flaps extended. I immediately contacted tower to do a go around for runway 22L. Instead of having tower clear me for the go around, I deviated to the right. Tower said, 'who are you?' I then replied 'student pilot.' he said 'it figures!' he asked me, 'where are you going to go now?' I panicked and said 'fly towards K tower.' tower then said, 'you knuckle head,' and cleared me out of class B airspace. I approached the sugar mill and decided to turn back because I was worried about fuel. I contacted approach at the sugar mill inbound for full stop with ATIS information. Approach cleared me in class B over for island, navy/marine golf course, left downwind for runway 22L. Again, unfamiliar with this new approach, I managed to land. On final runway 22L, I remember tower said, 'land this time!' these chains of events could have been prevented easily if I had just listened to my gut feeling and canceled the flight with clearance 'would like to taxi back on ramp.' it was a very poor judgement call and could have resulted in deaths of many people including my own. Also, prior to my solo, I haven't flown for 2 weeks. I was a bit rusty, and should have scheduled a flight with my instructor a day before my cross country. Most importantly of all, I had communication problem. I didn't comply with tower's instructions at all. I was too busy flying the plane. I'm very sorry for my misconduct.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: STUDENT PLT DESCRIBES A SERIES OF EXTREMELY SERIOUS LAPSES IN JUDGEMENT AND INABILITY TO UNDERSTAND AND FOLLOW SIMPLE DIRECTIONS WHILE ISLAND HOPPING IN HAWAII DURING HIS FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT.

Narrative: MY NAME IS X, STUDENT PLT PLTING A PIPER CHEROKEE PA28-161 WHEN 3 INFLT INCIDENTS OCCURRED WHILE ON MY XCOUNTRY SOLO FLT (HNL-KOKO HEAD-MKK-OGG-LNY AND BACK TO HNL). #1 -- A NEAR MISS WITH ACR DC9 ACFT Y DEPARTING OUT FROM HONOLULU. #2 -- A MISTAKE APCH AT RWY 5 AT MOLOKAI AND ALSO TAKING OFF WITHOUT CLRNC. AND FINALLY, #3 -- A GAR MISTAKE APCH AT HONOLULU ON RWY 22L. LET ME QUALIFY: ON THE MORNING OF SEP/XA/00, I PREPARED MY FLT PLAN AS SCHEDULED AND WAS READY FOR THE FREEWAY 4 DEP TO KOKO HEAD. MY ACFT AT THAT TIME HAD A PROB WITH THE L SEAT. I TOOK THE INCENTIVE AND TAXIED TO THE FBO SO THAT THEY COULD FIX THE PROB WITHOUT ANY FURTHER DELAYS. APPROX 2 HRS LATER, THE PROB WAS FIXED. I THEN DECIDED TO CARRY ON AS PLANNED (EVEN THOUGH MY TIME OF DEP WAS SET BACK 2 HRS). HNL GND CLRED ME ON TXWY P FOR RWY 22L. I HAD NO RECOGNITION OF THE CHANGE IN WIND DIRECTION PRIOR TO PREFLT UNTIL ON THE ACTIVE RWY. I TOOK THE SHOT AND TOOK OFF ON RWY 22L OUTBOUND FOR KOKO HEAD. WHILE AIRBORNE, TWR THEN DIRECTED ME TO GO TO A HDG OF 180 DEGS. UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS TYPE OF DEP, I WAS A BIT CONFUSED WITH TWR'S INSTRUCTIONS. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT DIRECTION TO TURN, 180 DEGS R OR 180 DEGS L. WITHOUT COMPLYING WITH TWR, I THEN FLEW STRAIGHT WHILE TUNING KOKO HEAD VOR. TWR THEN VERIFIED AGAIN, 'START YOUR TURN NOW!' I GRADUALLY THEN TURNED L FOR A MIN OR SO, HDG FOR 180 DEGS. I REMEMBER AT THIS TIME TWR THEN INSTRUCTED ME TO FOLLOW A DC10 OUT. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED AND FLEW IN THAT DIRECTION. I THEN REALIZED THAT I WAS FLYING IN BTWN APCH AND DEP AIRSPACE. ABOUT A COUPLE OF SECONDS LATER, TWR THEN WARNED ME OF INCOMING TFC. HE SAID 'DO YOU SEE THE DC9?!' I REPLIED 'YES SIR, DEAD AHEAD,' AND USED EVASIVE ACTION, FULL THROTTLE UP AND CLBED RIGHT OVER HIM, APPROX 100 FT FROM EACH OTHER. APCHING MOLOKAI ARPT, I OVERSHOT RWY 5 AND WAS CIRCLING WIDE WHILE LOOKING FOR TFC. TWR ASKED, 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?' I SAID 'LOOKING FOR TFC.' HE THEN REPLIED 'YOU CANNOT DO THAT!' I REMEMBER I HAD 2 ROUGH LNDGS ON RWY 5, SO I THEN DECIDED TO PARK. I WAS THERE FOR 1/2 HR TO REGROUP ON MY SIT. I THEN DECIDED TO MOVE ON TO MAUI. I CONTACTED GND AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO HOLD ON RWY 5. ON RWY 5, I WAS WAITING FOR TWR TO CLR ME FOR TKOF. I WAITED AND WAITED, THERE WAS NO CALL, AND SO I TOOK OFF, THINKING THAT I WAS ALREADY CLRED. I THEN SWITCHED FREQ TO FSS TO OPEN UP MY FLT PLAN TO MAUI. AND FINALLY RETURNING BACK TO HNL, I RECEIVED APCH CLRNC FOR KOKO HEAD FOR RWY 22L ALT 2000 FT. AGAIN UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS NEW RTE, I THEN PROCEEDED FOR RWY 22L. I HAD POSITIVE VISUAL OF THE RWY 22L AND STARTED MY DSCNT. WHILE ON FINAL, I REALIZED THAT I WAS BEHIND THE ACFT, COMING IN, TOO HIGH AND TOO FAST WITH NO FLAPS EXTENDED. I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED TWR TO DO A GAR FOR RWY 22L. INSTEAD OF HAVING TWR CLR ME FOR THE GAR, I DEVIATED TO THE R. TWR SAID, 'WHO ARE YOU?' I THEN REPLIED 'STUDENT PLT.' HE SAID 'IT FIGURES!' HE ASKED ME, 'WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO GO NOW?' I PANICKED AND SAID 'FLY TOWARDS K TWR.' TWR THEN SAID, 'YOU KNUCKLE HEAD,' AND CLRED ME OUT OF CLASS B AIRSPACE. I APCHED THE SUGAR MILL AND DECIDED TO TURN BACK BECAUSE I WAS WORRIED ABOUT FUEL. I CONTACTED APCH AT THE SUGAR MILL INBOUND FOR FULL STOP WITH ATIS INFO. APCH CLRED ME IN CLASS B OVER FOR ISLAND, NAVY/MARINE GOLF COURSE, L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 22L. AGAIN, UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS NEW APCH, I MANAGED TO LAND. ON FINAL RWY 22L, I REMEMBER TWR SAID, 'LAND THIS TIME!' THESE CHAINS OF EVENTS COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED EASILY IF I HAD JUST LISTENED TO MY GUT FEELING AND CANCELED THE FLT WITH CLRNC 'WOULD LIKE TO TAXI BACK ON RAMP.' IT WAS A VERY POOR JUDGEMENT CALL AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN DEATHS OF MANY PEOPLE INCLUDING MY OWN. ALSO, PRIOR TO MY SOLO, I HAVEN'T FLOWN FOR 2 WKS. I WAS A BIT RUSTY, AND SHOULD HAVE SCHEDULED A FLT WITH MY INSTRUCTOR A DAY BEFORE MY XCOUNTRY. MOST IMPORTANTLY OF ALL, I HAD COM PROB. I DIDN'T COMPLY WITH TWR'S INSTRUCTIONS AT ALL. I WAS TOO BUSY FLYING THE PLANE. I'M VERY SORRY FOR MY MISCONDUCT.

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.