Narrative:

I had flown solo to a nearby airport in northeastern PA, to meet with a friend who would be flying with a passenger in another airplane to the same destination, mountain meadow airstrip (22B), burlington, ct, for dinner. Both airplanes headed approximately 90 degrees magnetic toward the destination and maintained radio contact on 122.75 MHZ for safety in haze. Though conditions were VFR, the haze made seeing other aircraft very difficult. I asked my friend what his GPS heading was to the destination, and he replied that it was 96 degrees. My handheld GPS, which was not made specifically for aviation, and with which I was rather unfamiliar, was reporting a heading to the destination of 92 degrees. Because my airplane was farther north of the other airplane, a more northerly heading to the destination did not make sense, so I corrected the heading indicator to the airplane's magnetic compass, and I also began to monitor the relationship of the airplane to the 092 degree radial of the kingston VOR-DME on 117.6 MHZ (the radial to the destination), which I am much more familiar with using for navigation. I continued to use the GPS for primary navigation, however. Although the 2 airplanes had very similar ground speeds, my friend eventually reported a shorter distance to the destination, indicating that his airplane had somehow passed mine. I then determined within a min that the best VOR to use to find 22B would be the hartford VOR-DME on 114.9 MHZ and that the correct radial at the destination would be 304 degrees. For reasons unknown, however, the VOR receiver was not receiving this VOR signal and could not track this VOR. I had increased the ground speed of the airplane by over 10 KTS with higher engine RPM and a descent, yet my friend continued to report an increasingly shorter distance to the destination, which seemed impossible. Both pilots then changed frequency to the CTAF of the destination airport. When my friend reported that he was about to enter the landing pattern for the destination, I realized that I was off course and must no longer be heading toward the destination. I had descended the airplane to 3500 ft MSL. When my airplane approached 2 long bodies of water, I turned the airplane southward and noticed the tall buildings of the city of hartford at the 12 O'clock position in the distance. I called bradley approach, was acknowledged, and asked for vectors to the destination. I received a transponder code, entered it, and bradley approach reported that the airplane was 9 mi northeast of the mountain meadow airport. When bradley approach reported my position as 9 mi northeast of the mountain meadow airport, this may have been inside the outer ring of the class C airspace around bradley international airport, which has a base of 2100 ft MSL and a ceiling of 4200 ft MSL. Unintentional penetration into class C airspace, if it did occur, could have been prevented if I had relied less on an unfamiliar handheld GPS receiver and more on a familiar VOR receiver. I later concluded that I had programmed slightly inaccurate coordinates for the destination into the GPS receiver, which does not have a supplied database and requires waypoint programming. VFR TA's (flight following) would have improved my navigation. Additionally, VFR TA's would have prevented unintentional penetration into class C airspace.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA28 PVT PLT FLYING VFR VIA A NON-AVIATION GPS TO 22B, GETS LOST AND INADVERTENTLY ENTERS THE CLASS C AIRSPACE OF BDL, CT.

Narrative: I HAD FLOWN SOLO TO A NEARBY ARPT IN NORTHEASTERN PA, TO MEET WITH A FRIEND WHO WOULD BE FLYING WITH A PAX IN ANOTHER AIRPLANE TO THE SAME DEST, MOUNTAIN MEADOW AIRSTRIP (22B), BURLINGTON, CT, FOR DINNER. BOTH AIRPLANES HEADED APPROX 90 DEGS MAGNETIC TOWARD THE DEST AND MAINTAINED RADIO CONTACT ON 122.75 MHZ FOR SAFETY IN HAZE. THOUGH CONDITIONS WERE VFR, THE HAZE MADE SEEING OTHER ACFT VERY DIFFICULT. I ASKED MY FRIEND WHAT HIS GPS HEADING WAS TO THE DEST, AND HE REPLIED THAT IT WAS 96 DEGS. MY HANDHELD GPS, WHICH WAS NOT MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR AVIATION, AND WITH WHICH I WAS RATHER UNFAMILIAR, WAS RPTING A HEADING TO THE DEST OF 92 DEGS. BECAUSE MY AIRPLANE WAS FARTHER N OF THE OTHER AIRPLANE, A MORE NORTHERLY HEADING TO THE DEST DID NOT MAKE SENSE, SO I CORRECTED THE HEADING INDICATOR TO THE AIRPLANE'S MAGNETIC COMPASS, AND I ALSO BEGAN TO MONITOR THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE AIRPLANE TO THE 092 DEG RADIAL OF THE KINGSTON VOR-DME ON 117.6 MHZ (THE RADIAL TO THE DEST), WHICH I AM MUCH MORE FAMILIAR WITH USING FOR NAV. I CONTINUED TO USE THE GPS FOR PRIMARY NAV, HOWEVER. ALTHOUGH THE 2 AIRPLANES HAD VERY SIMILAR GND SPEEDS, MY FRIEND EVENTUALLY RPTED A SHORTER DISTANCE TO THE DEST, INDICATING THAT HIS AIRPLANE HAD SOMEHOW PASSED MINE. I THEN DETERMINED WITHIN A MIN THAT THE BEST VOR TO USE TO FIND 22B WOULD BE THE HARTFORD VOR-DME ON 114.9 MHZ AND THAT THE CORRECT RADIAL AT THE DEST WOULD BE 304 DEGS. FOR REASONS UNKNOWN, HOWEVER, THE VOR RECEIVER WAS NOT RECEIVING THIS VOR SIGNAL AND COULD NOT TRACK THIS VOR. I HAD INCREASED THE GND SPD OF THE AIRPLANE BY OVER 10 KTS WITH HIGHER ENG RPM AND A DSCNT, YET MY FRIEND CONTINUED TO RPT AN INCREASINGLY SHORTER DISTANCE TO THE DEST, WHICH SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE. BOTH PLTS THEN CHANGED FREQ TO THE CTAF OF THE DEST ARPT. WHEN MY FRIEND RPTED THAT HE WAS ABOUT TO ENTER THE LNDG PATTERN FOR THE DEST, I REALIZED THAT I WAS OFF COURSE AND MUST NO LONGER BE HEADING TOWARD THE DEST. I HAD DSNDED THE AIRPLANE TO 3500 FT MSL. WHEN MY AIRPLANE APCHED 2 LONG BODIES OF WATER, I TURNED THE AIRPLANE SOUTHWARD AND NOTICED THE TALL BUILDINGS OF THE CITY OF HARTFORD AT THE 12 O'CLOCK POS IN THE DISTANCE. I CALLED BRADLEY APCH, WAS ACKNOWLEDGED, AND ASKED FOR VECTORS TO THE DEST. I RECEIVED A XPONDER CODE, ENTERED IT, AND BRADLEY APCH RPTED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS 9 MI NE OF THE MOUNTAIN MEADOW ARPT. WHEN BRADLEY APCH RPTED MY POS AS 9 MI NE OF THE MOUNTAIN MEADOW ARPT, THIS MAY HAVE BEEN INSIDE THE OUTER RING OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE AROUND BRADLEY INTL ARPT, WHICH HAS A BASE OF 2100 FT MSL AND A CEILING OF 4200 FT MSL. UNINTENTIONAL PENETRATION INTO CLASS C AIRSPACE, IF IT DID OCCUR, COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF I HAD RELIED LESS ON AN UNFAMILIAR HANDHELD GPS RECEIVER AND MORE ON A FAMILIAR VOR RECEIVER. I LATER CONCLUDED THAT I HAD PROGRAMMED SLIGHTLY INACCURATE COORDINATES FOR THE DEST INTO THE GPS RECEIVER, WHICH DOES NOT HAVE A SUPPLIED DATABASE AND REQUIRES WAYPOINT PROGRAMMING. VFR TA'S (FLT FOLLOWING) WOULD HAVE IMPROVED MY NAV. ADDITIONALLY, VFR TA'S WOULD HAVE PREVENTED UNINTENTIONAL PENETRATION INTO CLASS C AIRSPACE.

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.