Narrative:

I was doing my first cross country solo from freeway airport in bowie, md (woo) to sussex county airport in georgetown, delaware (ged) about 60 miles away. Several days before my flight I had created a flight plan including chkpoints, ETA, and distances and reviewed it with my instructor. The morning before the flight I called for a preflight briefing and reviewed my plan with an instructor at the airport before my flight. I was told there were no NOTAMS en route and that the weather was fine. For the last 30 miles of the flight I was mostly flying over non-descript farmland and there were very few visual chkpoints. One of my chkpoints was crossing the 47 degree line of the patuxent river VOR. As I neared the chkpoint I could not raise the morse code for the patuxent river VOR so I consulted my chart and found that I was still on course, but I no longer had good time estimates for the remainder of the flight. My next chkpoint was to fly over the center of three towns. When I reached what I though was the chkpoint I appeared to be over the southernmost of the towns instead of the central one. Instead of flying north then to overfly the central town I decided that I was close enough to the airport (about 15 miles) to simply adjust my course slightly north and continue going. When I reached the delaware bay I saw the road and the bay and assumed I was still a little to far south so I followed the road north looking for the airport. After less than 5 mins of flight I saw an airport ahead that fit the approximate description of georgetown. The town, bay and road were all in the correct locations relative to the airport, and the runways were at approximately the right angles. Since I was not completely sure of my localizer I climbed to about 3500 ft and circled checking land marks. After circling twice the landmarks still appeared to match (including the racetrack just northwest of the airport) so I decided I must be in the right place. I had been on georgetown's frequency calling the unicom for the entire time I had been circling and had been getting no response. I decided that further circling would give me no new information and that the best move would be to land. I landed and began taxiing of the runway. I started taxiing towards the buildings off to the side, but would have had to cross the runway to get to them. I was pretty sure by this point that I was in the wrong place so I turned around and went back to an empty area where I was met by the dover air force base mp's. In retrospect when I realized I was off course I should have found my chkpoint before continuing on. Also I had my chart folder in such a way that even though it was only 20 miles north of georgetown, dover was behind a fold and therefore not visible when I was checking my charts. I did not attempt VOR cross checks because at no point did I ever think I was actually lost. The landmark's appeared to match my chart and because of the way the chart was folded I did not see any other airports that fit the description. In the future I will make sure I have airport diagrams with me so that I can be sure the airport I see is the one I think it is, and I will ask the briefer specifically about any vors I plan to use. I will also fold my chart differently so that I have a better grasp of the area around my intended destination.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: STUDENT PLT ON SOLO CROSS COUNTRY FLT BECOMES LOST AND INADVERTENTLY LANDS ON A MILITARY BASE.

Narrative: I WAS DOING MY FIRST CROSS COUNTRY SOLO FROM FREEWAY ARPT IN BOWIE, MD (WOO) TO SUSSEX COUNTY ARPT IN GEORGETOWN, DELAWARE (GED) ABOUT 60 MILES AWAY. SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE MY FLT I HAD CREATED A FLT PLAN INCLUDING CHKPOINTS, ETA, AND DISTANCES AND REVIEWED IT WITH MY INSTRUCTOR. THE MORNING BEFORE THE FLT I CALLED FOR A PREFLT BRIEFING AND REVIEWED MY PLAN WITH AN INSTRUCTOR AT THE ARPT BEFORE MY FLT. I WAS TOLD THERE WERE NO NOTAMS ENRTE AND THAT THE WEATHER WAS FINE. FOR THE LAST 30 MILES OF THE FLT I WAS MOSTLY FLYING OVER NON-DESCRIPT FARMLAND AND THERE WERE VERY FEW VISUAL CHKPOINTS. ONE OF MY CHKPOINTS WAS CROSSING THE 47 DEG LINE OF THE PATUXENT RIVER VOR. AS I NEARED THE CHKPOINT I COULD NOT RAISE THE MORSE CODE FOR THE PATUXENT RIVER VOR SO I CONSULTED MY CHART AND FOUND THAT I WAS STILL ON COURSE, BUT I NO LONGER HAD GOOD TIME ESTIMATES FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT. MY NEXT CHKPOINT WAS TO FLY OVER THE CTR OF THREE TOWNS. WHEN I REACHED WHAT I THOUGH WAS THE CHKPOINT I APPEARED TO BE OVER THE SOUTHERNMOST OF THE TOWNS INSTEAD OF THE CENTRAL ONE. INSTEAD OF FLYING N THEN TO OVERFLY THE CENTRAL TOWN I DECIDED THAT I WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE ARPT (ABOUT 15 MILES) TO SIMPLY ADJUST MY COURSE SLIGHTLY N AND CONTINUE GOING. WHEN I REACHED THE DELAWARE BAY I SAW THE ROAD AND THE BAY AND ASSUMED I WAS STILL A LITTLE TO FAR S SO I FOLLOWED THE ROAD N LOOKING FOR THE ARPT. AFTER LESS THAN 5 MINS OF FLT I SAW AN ARPT AHEAD THAT FIT THE APPROXIMATE DESCRIPTION OF GEORGETOWN. THE TOWN, BAY AND ROAD WERE ALL IN THE CORRECT LOCATIONS RELATIVE TO THE ARPT, AND THE RWYS WERE AT APPROX THE RIGHT ANGLES. SINCE I WAS NOT COMPLETELY SURE OF MY LOC I CLIMBED TO ABOUT 3500 FT AND CIRCLED CHKING LAND MARKS. AFTER CIRCLING TWICE THE LANDMARKS STILL APPEARED TO MATCH (INCLUDING THE RACETRACK JUST NW OF THE ARPT) SO I DECIDED I MUST BE IN THE RIGHT PLACE. I HAD BEEN ON GEORGETOWN'S FREQ CALLING THE UNICOM FOR THE ENTIRE TIME I HAD BEEN CIRCLING AND HAD BEEN GETTING NO RESPONSE. I DECIDED THAT FURTHER CIRCLING WOULD GIVE ME NO NEW INFO AND THAT THE BEST MOVE WOULD BE TO LAND. I LANDED AND BEGAN TAXIING OF THE RWY. I STARTED TAXIING TOWARDS THE BUILDINGS OFF TO THE SIDE, BUT WOULD HAVE HAD TO CROSS THE RWY TO GET TO THEM. I WAS PRETTY SURE BY THIS POINT THAT I WAS IN THE WRONG PLACE SO I TURNED AROUND AND WENT BACK TO AN EMPTY AREA WHERE I WAS MET BY THE DOVER AIR FORCE BASE MP'S. IN RETROSPECT WHEN I REALIZED I WAS OFF COURSE I SHOULD HAVE FOUND MY CHKPOINT BEFORE CONTINUING ON. ALSO I HAD MY CHART FOLDER IN SUCH A WAY THAT EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ONLY 20 MILES N OF GEORGETOWN, DOVER WAS BEHIND A FOLD AND THEREFORE NOT VISIBLE WHEN I WAS CHKING MY CHARTS. I DID NOT ATTEMPT VOR CROSS CHKS BECAUSE AT NO POINT DID I EVER THINK I WAS ACTUALLY LOST. THE LANDMARK'S APPEARED TO MATCH MY CHART AND BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE CHART WAS FOLDED I DID NOT SEE ANY OTHER ARPTS THAT FIT THE DESCRIPTION. IN THE FUTURE I WILL MAKE SURE I HAVE ARPT DIAGRAMS WITH ME SO THAT I CAN BE SURE THE ARPT I SEE IS THE ONE I THINK IT IS, AND I WILL ASK THE BRIEFER SPECIFICALLY ABOUT ANY VORS I PLAN TO USE. I WILL ALSO FOLD MY CHART DIFFERENTLY SO THAT I HAVE A BETTER GRASP OF THE AREA AROUND MY INTENDED DEST.

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.