Narrative:

The flight was planned to go from winterhaven, fl, to marianna, fl. The whole state of florida appeared to be clear from the satellite image display. I decided it was ok to take off. Since I was flying back from florida to denver, co, I wanted to cover as much ground I could in 1 day. Since it was still early in the morning I would get a full WX brief later at marianna after things warmed up. WX conditions started to deteriorate near tallahassee. In order to stay clear of tallahassee, I used the xtrack error display on my LORAN. The plan was to fly 5+ mi north of the course line (5+ mi xtrack error) while passing tallahassee. As I approached tallahassee, I could see scattered clouds about 1000 ft AGL. I was flying at 4500 ft MSL. I decided to descend. On the way down I decided to call flight watch and get the current WX in marianna. I was unable to raise flight watch. I assumed that my altitude was too low. Before I went under the clouds, I noticed my VOR receiver lost signal from marianna. I had anticipated this because of my low altitude. I also anticipated reacquiring the marianna VOR north of tallahassee. I felt it was safe to proceed because if visibility started to turn bad I would simply turn around and track outbound using my LORAN. I started to become concerned about my location because it seemed to take longer than expected. My navigation concern abated when I came across an airport that I mistakenly believed was tallahassee commercial. I then felt I was on course. When I came across the airport at albany and spotted the control tower, I realized that it could not be marianna. I could not determine my location using the LORAN and I was not receiving the marianna VOR. I was lost. I was in low ceiling. Being lost, I ran the risk of losing VFR references. I had lost reliable radio navigation capability. I was a possible navigation hazard to other aircraft in class D airspace. I had safety responsibilities to both my passenger and myself. I made a call on 121.5. 'Tower this is the cherokee in the pattern' followed by 'tower this cherokee.' I looked at my sectional chart to determine which tower controled field I was near. Not yet realizing how far off course I was, I incorrectly determined that the field must be tallahassee. I switched my radio to tallahassee ATIS, but there was no signal. Given the gravity of the situation, I determined that I must land at the airport off my wing. I entered a left downwind pattern for runway 34. I made a low pass to try and establish visual communications. I looked for lights in the tower. I saw none. Next I went around and landed on the next pass. When I was on the taxiway I got a red light from the tower, so I stopped on the taxiway. Looking back on my decisions I should have stayed on 121.5 and just announced my landing intentions as I would at an uncontrolled field. I found out I was on the ground in albany, GA. I began to review my chart and my navigation instruments. I had gone off course to the north by 50 mi. I determined that I had misinterpreted my LORAN's xtrack display. The LORAN has only a 2 digit xtrack error display. When the aircraft is within 9.9 mi of the course line, the second digit is slightly smaller than the first. The size difference between the first and second digits is not very obvious. When I saw the unit displaying 10 mi (both digits the same size), I misinterpreted it to read 1.0 mi. Since I was trying to maintain 5+ mi north of the course line, I kept correcting to the north. Having time to reflect on the incident, I've come to the conclusion that I showed poor judgement in leaving winter haven without a full WX briefing. My goal that day was to fly from florida to colorado. It would have been better to situation on the ground in winter haven rather than marianna, even if I had correctly naved to that point. Perhaps I was over confident in my skill level and my navigation equipment when I made the decision to launch that morning.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UNAUTH PENETRATION OF CLASS D AIRSPACE AND LNDG WITHOUT CLRNC AFTER A PA28-265 PVT PLT GETS LOST AND LANDS AT ABY, GA.

Narrative: THE FLT WAS PLANNED TO GO FROM WINTERHAVEN, FL, TO MARIANNA, FL. THE WHOLE STATE OF FLORIDA APPEARED TO BE CLR FROM THE SATELLITE IMAGE DISPLAY. I DECIDED IT WAS OK TO TAKE OFF. SINCE I WAS FLYING BACK FROM FLORIDA TO DENVER, CO, I WANTED TO COVER AS MUCH GND I COULD IN 1 DAY. SINCE IT WAS STILL EARLY IN THE MORNING I WOULD GET A FULL WX BRIEF LATER AT MARIANNA AFTER THINGS WARMED UP. WX CONDITIONS STARTED TO DETERIORATE NEAR TALLAHASSEE. IN ORDER TO STAY CLR OF TALLAHASSEE, I USED THE XTRACK ERROR DISPLAY ON MY LORAN. THE PLAN WAS TO FLY 5+ MI N OF THE COURSE LINE (5+ MI XTRACK ERROR) WHILE PASSING TALLAHASSEE. AS I APCHED TALLAHASSEE, I COULD SEE SCATTERED CLOUDS ABOUT 1000 FT AGL. I WAS FLYING AT 4500 FT MSL. I DECIDED TO DSND. ON THE WAY DOWN I DECIDED TO CALL FLT WATCH AND GET THE CURRENT WX IN MARIANNA. I WAS UNABLE TO RAISE FLT WATCH. I ASSUMED THAT MY ALT WAS TOO LOW. BEFORE I WENT UNDER THE CLOUDS, I NOTICED MY VOR RECEIVER LOST SIGNAL FROM MARIANNA. I HAD ANTICIPATED THIS BECAUSE OF MY LOW ALT. I ALSO ANTICIPATED REACQUIRING THE MARIANNA VOR N OF TALLAHASSEE. I FELT IT WAS SAFE TO PROCEED BECAUSE IF VISIBILITY STARTED TO TURN BAD I WOULD SIMPLY TURN AROUND AND TRACK OUTBOUND USING MY LORAN. I STARTED TO BECOME CONCERNED ABOUT MY LOCATION BECAUSE IT SEEMED TO TAKE LONGER THAN EXPECTED. MY NAV CONCERN ABATED WHEN I CAME ACROSS AN ARPT THAT I MISTAKENLY BELIEVED WAS TALLAHASSEE COMMERCIAL. I THEN FELT I WAS ON COURSE. WHEN I CAME ACROSS THE ARPT AT ALBANY AND SPOTTED THE CTL TWR, I REALIZED THAT IT COULD NOT BE MARIANNA. I COULD NOT DETERMINE MY LOCATION USING THE LORAN AND I WAS NOT RECEIVING THE MARIANNA VOR. I WAS LOST. I WAS IN LOW CEILING. BEING LOST, I RAN THE RISK OF LOSING VFR REFS. I HAD LOST RELIABLE RADIO NAV CAPABILITY. I WAS A POSSIBLE NAV HAZARD TO OTHER ACFT IN CLASS D AIRSPACE. I HAD SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES TO BOTH MY PAX AND MYSELF. I MADE A CALL ON 121.5. 'TWR THIS IS THE CHEROKEE IN THE PATTERN' FOLLOWED BY 'TWR THIS CHEROKEE.' I LOOKED AT MY SECTIONAL CHART TO DETERMINE WHICH TWR CTLED FIELD I WAS NEAR. NOT YET REALIZING HOW FAR OFF COURSE I WAS, I INCORRECTLY DETERMINED THAT THE FIELD MUST BE TALLAHASSEE. I SWITCHED MY RADIO TO TALLAHASSEE ATIS, BUT THERE WAS NO SIGNAL. GIVEN THE GRAVITY OF THE SIT, I DETERMINED THAT I MUST LAND AT THE ARPT OFF MY WING. I ENTERED A L DOWNWIND PATTERN FOR RWY 34. I MADE A LOW PASS TO TRY AND ESTABLISH VISUAL COMS. I LOOKED FOR LIGHTS IN THE TWR. I SAW NONE. NEXT I WENT AROUND AND LANDED ON THE NEXT PASS. WHEN I WAS ON THE TXWY I GOT A RED LIGHT FROM THE TWR, SO I STOPPED ON THE TXWY. LOOKING BACK ON MY DECISIONS I SHOULD HAVE STAYED ON 121.5 AND JUST ANNOUNCED MY LNDG INTENTIONS AS I WOULD AT AN UNCTLED FIELD. I FOUND OUT I WAS ON THE GND IN ALBANY, GA. I BEGAN TO REVIEW MY CHART AND MY NAV INSTS. I HAD GONE OFF COURSE TO THE N BY 50 MI. I DETERMINED THAT I HAD MISINTERPRETED MY LORAN'S XTRACK DISPLAY. THE LORAN HAS ONLY A 2 DIGIT XTRACK ERROR DISPLAY. WHEN THE ACFT IS WITHIN 9.9 MI OF THE COURSE LINE, THE SECOND DIGIT IS SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN THE FIRST. THE SIZE DIFFERENCE BTWN THE FIRST AND SECOND DIGITS IS NOT VERY OBVIOUS. WHEN I SAW THE UNIT DISPLAYING 10 MI (BOTH DIGITS THE SAME SIZE), I MISINTERPRETED IT TO READ 1.0 MI. SINCE I WAS TRYING TO MAINTAIN 5+ MI N OF THE COURSE LINE, I KEPT CORRECTING TO THE N. HAVING TIME TO REFLECT ON THE INCIDENT, I'VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT I SHOWED POOR JUDGEMENT IN LEAVING WINTER HAVEN WITHOUT A FULL WX BRIEFING. MY GOAL THAT DAY WAS TO FLY FROM FLORIDA TO COLORADO. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER TO SIT ON THE GND IN WINTER HAVEN RATHER THAN MARIANNA, EVEN IF I HAD CORRECTLY NAVED TO THAT POINT. PERHAPS I WAS OVER CONFIDENT IN MY SKILL LEVEL AND MY NAV EQUIP WHEN I MADE THE DECISION TO LAUNCH THAT MORNING.

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.