Narrative:

On the mop to ozw leg of a cross country, my pre-private student got lost. He had trouble navigating by pilotage alone on the first leg, but got us to mt pleasant with coaching from me. On the second leg, I wanted to do less coaching to ensure the student could do a solo cross country. The student couldn't locate us on a chart using pilotage or vors. He tried calling mbs approach, but called the wrong frequency. I wanted to simulate what would happen when he was solo and got lost, so I helped him with pilotage and VOR navigation, but didn't give him the correct frequency. We drifted off course to the right, very close to lansing class C airspace. I tuned lan into the GPS for distance (the closest we got was 12.5 to the airport). We crossed the approach path of runway 28L and saw a DC9 at our 12 O'clock position. It appeared to be doing evasive maneuvers. At this point, I told my student where we were and explained what had happened. We diverted back to btl and called lansing approach for flight following. The whole situation could have been avoided if I would have stopped the student before we got so lost and given him the frequency to contact mbs for flight following. If I would have done this, we would have been under radar control and could have steered clear of lansing's class C.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A POTENTIAL CONFLICT ENSUES WHEN A C172 INSTRUCTOR PLT WHILE ON A XCOUNTRY INDOCTRINATION FLT ALLOWS A STUDENT PLT TO GET TOO CLOSE TO CLASS C AIRSPACE OF LAN, MI.

Narrative: ON THE MOP TO OZW LEG OF A XCOUNTRY, MY PRE-PVT STUDENT GOT LOST. HE HAD TROUBLE NAVING BY PILOTAGE ALONE ON THE FIRST LEG, BUT GOT US TO MT PLEASANT WITH COACHING FROM ME. ON THE SECOND LEG, I WANTED TO DO LESS COACHING TO ENSURE THE STUDENT COULD DO A SOLO XCOUNTRY. THE STUDENT COULDN'T LOCATE US ON A CHART USING PILOTAGE OR VORS. HE TRIED CALLING MBS APCH, BUT CALLED THE WRONG FREQ. I WANTED TO SIMULATE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WHEN HE WAS SOLO AND GOT LOST, SO I HELPED HIM WITH PILOTAGE AND VOR NAV, BUT DIDN'T GIVE HIM THE CORRECT FREQ. WE DRIFTED OFF COURSE TO THE R, VERY CLOSE TO LANSING CLASS C AIRSPACE. I TUNED LAN INTO THE GPS FOR DISTANCE (THE CLOSEST WE GOT WAS 12.5 TO THE ARPT). WE CROSSED THE APCH PATH OF RWY 28L AND SAW A DC9 AT OUR 12 O'CLOCK POS. IT APPEARED TO BE DOING EVASIVE MANEUVERS. AT THIS POINT, I TOLD MY STUDENT WHERE WE WERE AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. WE DIVERTED BACK TO BTL AND CALLED LANSING APCH FOR FLT FOLLOWING. THE WHOLE SIT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF I WOULD HAVE STOPPED THE STUDENT BEFORE WE GOT SO LOST AND GIVEN HIM THE FREQ TO CONTACT MBS FOR FLT FOLLOWING. IF I WOULD HAVE DONE THIS, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN UNDER RADAR CTL AND COULD HAVE STEERED CLR OF LANSING'S CLASS C.

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.