Narrative:

I began a cross country from 1m5 to M21 at about XA35 on aug/sat/02. About 10-15 mins into the flight, I realized that my VOR could not pick up any VOR station signals. I had a current st louis sectional and had planned out my cross country using that. I knew that the trip should only take me about 35 mins to complete. At XB15 I realized that I could no longer identify where I was. I tried contacting evv approach as I believed that I had gone too far north and passed the airport. The runway I knew was going to be unmarked, but I never saw it. Evv never responded to my inquiry. I then turned back south as the WX appeared to be getting worse to the north. I then called nashville FSS and asked them to help me figure out where I was and find me the nearest airport. I believe at the time that the ceiling was coming down from about 3500 ft to about 2000 ft. They told me to squawk 7700. I complied. Then the FSS told me that nashville had me on radar and gave me a frequency and gave me a different non emergency squawk code. I could not get a response from nashville when I called. I then called FSS back and said that I could not get nashville. They then gave me the frequency for clarksville approach. I called clarksville and initially asked them to give me vectors to the nearest airport. About 2 mins later, I realized that the clouds were not coming down nearly as bad as I thought they were and that I was still VFR. Clarksville asked me if I was in an emergency situation and I informed them that I was not. I then told clarksville approach that I had been on my way to M21 and asked if I could get vectors to there. They asked if I had enough fuel to get there and I said that I did. At the time I had about 1/2 tanks which gave me 2 hours of fuel. They gave me vectors to the airport and I climbed to about 3500 ft. I had a scattered layer below me at about 2000 ft. The sky was then clear until 12000 ft. The controller gave me position reports. The first one he gave me he told me to turn to a heading of 349 degrees and that I was about 33 mi from M21. That meant that I was about 25 mins from the airport. Eventually, he told me the airport was 12 mi at 12 O'clock position. I told him I was looking for the airport. He then inquired if I could see the ground, and I informed him that I was VFR. I canceled my radar service when I had M21 in sight and had no further complications. The things I feel that led up to my being lost in a potentially hazardous situation: 1) failure to call and get VFR flight following from nashville right when I took off from 1m5. 2) failure to maintain heading +/-5 degrees. 3) VOR not picking up signals. 4) taking off with ceilings lower than I normally take off in to do cross country with the potential of having worse WX and thunderstorms forecast.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 PLT BECOMES DISORIENTED DURING VFR XCOUNTRY.

Narrative: I BEGAN A XCOUNTRY FROM 1M5 TO M21 AT ABOUT XA35 ON AUG/SAT/02. ABOUT 10-15 MINS INTO THE FLT, I REALIZED THAT MY VOR COULD NOT PICK UP ANY VOR STATION SIGNALS. I HAD A CURRENT ST LOUIS SECTIONAL AND HAD PLANNED OUT MY XCOUNTRY USING THAT. I KNEW THAT THE TRIP SHOULD ONLY TAKE ME ABOUT 35 MINS TO COMPLETE. AT XB15 I REALIZED THAT I COULD NO LONGER IDENT WHERE I WAS. I TRIED CONTACTING EVV APCH AS I BELIEVED THAT I HAD GONE TOO FAR N AND PASSED THE ARPT. THE RWY I KNEW WAS GOING TO BE UNMARKED, BUT I NEVER SAW IT. EVV NEVER RESPONDED TO MY INQUIRY. I THEN TURNED BACK S AS THE WX APPEARED TO BE GETTING WORSE TO THE N. I THEN CALLED NASHVILLE FSS AND ASKED THEM TO HELP ME FIGURE OUT WHERE I WAS AND FIND ME THE NEAREST ARPT. I BELIEVE AT THE TIME THAT THE CEILING WAS COMING DOWN FROM ABOUT 3500 FT TO ABOUT 2000 FT. THEY TOLD ME TO SQUAWK 7700. I COMPLIED. THEN THE FSS TOLD ME THAT NASHVILLE HAD ME ON RADAR AND GAVE ME A FREQ AND GAVE ME A DIFFERENT NON EMER SQUAWK CODE. I COULD NOT GET A RESPONSE FROM NASHVILLE WHEN I CALLED. I THEN CALLED FSS BACK AND SAID THAT I COULD NOT GET NASHVILLE. THEY THEN GAVE ME THE FREQ FOR CLARKSVILLE APCH. I CALLED CLARKSVILLE AND INITIALLY ASKED THEM TO GIVE ME VECTORS TO THE NEAREST ARPT. ABOUT 2 MINS LATER, I REALIZED THAT THE CLOUDS WERE NOT COMING DOWN NEARLY AS BAD AS I THOUGHT THEY WERE AND THAT I WAS STILL VFR. CLARKSVILLE ASKED ME IF I WAS IN AN EMER SIT AND I INFORMED THEM THAT I WAS NOT. I THEN TOLD CLARKSVILLE APCH THAT I HAD BEEN ON MY WAY TO M21 AND ASKED IF I COULD GET VECTORS TO THERE. THEY ASKED IF I HAD ENOUGH FUEL TO GET THERE AND I SAID THAT I DID. AT THE TIME I HAD ABOUT 1/2 TANKS WHICH GAVE ME 2 HRS OF FUEL. THEY GAVE ME VECTORS TO THE ARPT AND I CLBED TO ABOUT 3500 FT. I HAD A SCATTERED LAYER BELOW ME AT ABOUT 2000 FT. THE SKY WAS THEN CLR UNTIL 12000 FT. THE CTLR GAVE ME POS RPTS. THE FIRST ONE HE GAVE ME HE TOLD ME TO TURN TO A HDG OF 349 DEGS AND THAT I WAS ABOUT 33 MI FROM M21. THAT MEANT THAT I WAS ABOUT 25 MINS FROM THE ARPT. EVENTUALLY, HE TOLD ME THE ARPT WAS 12 MI AT 12 O'CLOCK POS. I TOLD HIM I WAS LOOKING FOR THE ARPT. HE THEN INQUIRED IF I COULD SEE THE GND, AND I INFORMED HIM THAT I WAS VFR. I CANCELED MY RADAR SVC WHEN I HAD M21 IN SIGHT AND HAD NO FURTHER COMPLICATIONS. THE THINGS I FEEL THAT LED UP TO MY BEING LOST IN A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS SIT: 1) FAILURE TO CALL AND GET VFR FLT FOLLOWING FROM NASHVILLE RIGHT WHEN I TOOK OFF FROM 1M5. 2) FAILURE TO MAINTAIN HDG +/-5 DEGS. 3) VOR NOT PICKING UP SIGNALS. 4) TAKING OFF WITH CEILINGS LOWER THAN I NORMALLY TAKE OFF IN TO DO XCOUNTRY WITH THE POTENTIAL OF HAVING WORSE WX AND TSTMS FORECAST.

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.