Narrative:

Student pilot departed runway 36 at clow international airport. Destination was dupage airport to perform the required 3 solo takeoff and lndgs (at a twred airport) for the private license. Since the pilot is deaf, prior permission, directions on how to enter the class D airspace and a squawk code of 5151 were given to the pilot by his instructor and the dpa tower, approximately 1/2 hour before departure. Since the flight was required for his training, the student and his instructor had been to dupage twice before. For navigation on both flts, the pilot relied on the fermi labs building as the main visual chkpoint and used his sectional for additional points. Upon departure, the pilot turned towards a building he believed was fermi labs. Without checking the directional gyro (heading indicator) the pilot turned to the right (a heading of northeast) and not to the left (towards the northwest) towards dupage. As the pilot flew towards the building, he got distraction by looking at his directions for entry into the class D airspace and not at his heading indicator. The pilot saw the des plaines river, believing it to be the fox river, and continued on at an altitude of 2500 ft MSL. Approximately 15 mins into the flight, the pilot recognized midway airport on the ground. Realizing he was not where he wanted to be, the pilot turned to the right to a heading of north, thinking he had turned to the west, began a descent to 1700 ft MSL and squawked 7700 ft on the transponder. The pilot then tried to fly towards dupage airport using the dpa VOR, but he was unable to get a clear to/from indication and a centered needle. (Since the pilot is partially deaf, he was unable to hear a morse code identify. He then tried to tune in the jot VOR to find his way back to clow, but couldn't get a clear indication of to/fom. (We believe his low altitude may have contributed to this problem as well as his panicked state of mind may have caused him to twist the needle without giving it a chance to center, since there were no NOTAMS of either VOR being inoperative.) at this point, the pilot was in a state of panic and lost, saw an airport beneath him and landed the airplane. The pilot was picked up by his instructor at schaumburg airport and they returned to clow. Since the pilot must go to a twred airport, corrective actions to be taken will consist of the pilot using the tac chart instead of sectional for all navigation within the class B area, using more than 1 chkpoint for navigation, and more in-depth training on VOR usage, focusing on finding airports using the vors.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 HEARING IMPAIRED STUDENT ENTERED ORD CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: STUDENT PLT DEPARTED RWY 36 AT CLOW INTL ARPT. DEST WAS DUPAGE ARPT TO PERFORM THE REQUIRED 3 SOLO TKOF AND LNDGS (AT A TWRED ARPT) FOR THE PVT LICENSE. SINCE THE PLT IS DEAF, PRIOR PERMISSION, DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO ENTER THE CLASS D AIRSPACE AND A SQUAWK CODE OF 5151 WERE GIVEN TO THE PLT BY HIS INSTRUCTOR AND THE DPA TWR, APPROX 1/2 HR BEFORE DEP. SINCE THE FLT WAS REQUIRED FOR HIS TRAINING, THE STUDENT AND HIS INSTRUCTOR HAD BEEN TO DUPAGE TWICE BEFORE. FOR NAV ON BOTH FLTS, THE PLT RELIED ON THE FERMI LABS BUILDING AS THE MAIN VISUAL CHKPOINT AND USED HIS SECTIONAL FOR ADDITIONAL POINTS. UPON DEP, THE PLT TURNED TOWARDS A BUILDING HE BELIEVED WAS FERMI LABS. WITHOUT CHKING THE DIRECTIONAL GYRO (HDG INDICATOR) THE PLT TURNED TO THE R (A HDG OF NE) AND NOT TO THE L (TOWARDS THE NW) TOWARDS DUPAGE. AS THE PLT FLEW TOWARDS THE BUILDING, HE GOT DISTR BY LOOKING AT HIS DIRECTIONS FOR ENTRY INTO THE CLASS D AIRSPACE AND NOT AT HIS HDG INDICATOR. THE PLT SAW THE DES PLAINES RIVER, BELIEVING IT TO BE THE FOX RIVER, AND CONTINUED ON AT AN ALT OF 2500 FT MSL. APPROX 15 MINS INTO THE FLT, THE PLT RECOGNIZED MIDWAY ARPT ON THE GND. REALIZING HE WAS NOT WHERE HE WANTED TO BE, THE PLT TURNED TO THE R TO A HDG OF N, THINKING HE HAD TURNED TO THE W, BEGAN A DSCNT TO 1700 FT MSL AND SQUAWKED 7700 FT ON THE XPONDER. THE PLT THEN TRIED TO FLY TOWARDS DUPAGE ARPT USING THE DPA VOR, BUT HE WAS UNABLE TO GET A CLR TO/FROM INDICATION AND A CTRED NEEDLE. (SINCE THE PLT IS PARTIALLY DEAF, HE WAS UNABLE TO HEAR A MORSE CODE IDENT. HE THEN TRIED TO TUNE IN THE JOT VOR TO FIND HIS WAY BACK TO CLOW, BUT COULDN'T GET A CLR INDICATION OF TO/FOM. (WE BELIEVE HIS LOW ALT MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS PROB AS WELL AS HIS PANICKED STATE OF MIND MAY HAVE CAUSED HIM TO TWIST THE NEEDLE WITHOUT GIVING IT A CHANCE TO CTR, SINCE THERE WERE NO NOTAMS OF EITHER VOR BEING INOP.) AT THIS POINT, THE PLT WAS IN A STATE OF PANIC AND LOST, SAW AN ARPT BENEATH HIM AND LANDED THE AIRPLANE. THE PLT WAS PICKED UP BY HIS INSTRUCTOR AT SCHAUMBURG ARPT AND THEY RETURNED TO CLOW. SINCE THE PLT MUST GO TO A TWRED ARPT, CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN WILL CONSIST OF THE PLT USING THE TAC CHART INSTEAD OF SECTIONAL FOR ALL NAV WITHIN THE CLASS B AREA, USING MORE THAN 1 CHKPOINT FOR NAV, AND MORE IN-DEPTH TRAINING ON VOR USAGE, FOCUSING ON FINDING ARPTS USING THE VORS.

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.