Narrative:

A friend called me up and asked if I could make a flight from sna to myf, crq and back. He has a typical antique (25+ yrs old) C172 that he showed me the day before the flight. He warned me that the navigation system were a little quirky, being that the #1 VOR didn't work, but it was fine if tuned in to an ILS. He said the #2 VOR worked fine. I wasn't worried because I had my handheld GPS I would bring along as a backup. I obtained an outlook briefing the morning of the day of the flight, which wasn't to be until the afternoon. It looked like it was going to be IFR, which concerned me due to the so-so navigation system and my unfamiliarity with the plane. I made the flight plans for both IFR and VFR depending on the conditions at the time of the flight. Luckily, it ended up being VFR when I departed sna. Approximately 10 mins into the flight, I discovered that neither VOR was working. Because it was VFR and I had my GPS, I decided to continue on. I landed at myf with no problems, made my pickup and proceeded to crq. I planned on transitioning through miramar's airspace and was handed off to miramar tower. 1/2 way through my call-up, the radio went out. I tried several times on both radios and switched to the passenger side radio jacks, but nothing. I made a 180 degree turn to stay clear of miramar's airspace and switched to my handheld transceiver. I decided not to try to transition through military and san diego's class B airspace with a handheld, so I headed to the coastline. Right about the time I reached the coast, my trusty GPS informed me that it had lost all satellite signals. So now, I have no communication system except for my handheld, no navigation system and it is becoming MVFR. I preach the evils of 'get thereitis' to my students and how several little things eventually lead to a big thing, and all that was going through my head during this time. I evaluated my situation which was not an emergency, but more of a major inconvenience. A check of all my system confirmed no vacuum pump or alternator failure and electrical was good except for the communication and navigation system. Squawking 1200, I headed up the coastline staying clear of class B and obtained the ATIS at crq. Using my rusty pilotage and dead reckoning skills, I figured I could find crq which is visible from the coastline, make my pickup there and head on home. I eventually saw the runway matching the position on my terminal chart. I called up crq tower, explained my lost navigation and told them I was at the shoreline abeam what I believed was their airport and requested to land. The tower asked me to identify, which I did, and they confirmed my location at the shoreline and cleared me for right traffic runway 24 and to report downwind. I headed inland, but felt uneasy with the MVFR. I hadn't been to crq in a yr or so and looking at the airport from the shoreline, it didn't look familiar. But tower had confirmed my location so I continued on. I had previously written the runway numbers for crq on my chart during my flight planning. I knew that the approach end of runway 6 would be my first positive confirmation of the airport. As I started to focus through the haze and scattered clouds on the number painted on the runway, I soon realized it was a 3, not a 6. Almost at the same time, I noticed a ch-47 helicopter hovering mid-field. As my mind started to process this information, I looked up and saw 2 F18's in formation approaching from my right. I quickly deduced that I was not at crq, but in the middle of camp pendleton's restr and hot airspace! I made the steepest banked u-turn I have ever made and floored it toward hawaii. I advised crq tower of this little error and told them I wouldn't be needing their services anymore and wouldn't be landing at their airport. I smacked myself for trusting someone else and not my instincts. I contacted socal approach and advised them of my situation and location and they confirmed I was in a hot area and continued my heading out to sea. They were a great help vectoring me around the restr and MOA airspace and finally handed me off to sna tower. I landed just as the marine layer was starting its afternoon roll and IFR set in. As I evaluated my flight and myself after landing, it seems that I had been so distraction trying to fix my myriad of problems that this, combined with the MVFR, caused me to miss seeing crq and not realize how much time had lapsed in-flight. This allowed me to fly into restr airspace that was 15-20 mi beyond where I thought I was. I can't believe that I wasn't shot down or at least intercepted. This is the first time I have ever needed to complete a NASA form and it better be the last. It goes to the old adage that several small problems can lead to a big one. Even if it doesn't result in safety problems with the aircraft itself, it can still become a major flight problem that jeopardizes your safety. Never again will I fly a marginal airplane in marginal conditions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C172 SINGLE PLT VIOLATED THE NFG MIL TWR'S AIRSPACE.

Narrative: A FRIEND CALLED ME UP AND ASKED IF I COULD MAKE A FLT FROM SNA TO MYF, CRQ AND BACK. HE HAS A TYPICAL ANTIQUE (25+ YRS OLD) C172 THAT HE SHOWED ME THE DAY BEFORE THE FLT. HE WARNED ME THAT THE NAV SYS WERE A LITTLE QUIRKY, BEING THAT THE #1 VOR DIDN'T WORK, BUT IT WAS FINE IF TUNED IN TO AN ILS. HE SAID THE #2 VOR WORKED FINE. I WASN'T WORRIED BECAUSE I HAD MY HANDHELD GPS I WOULD BRING ALONG AS A BACKUP. I OBTAINED AN OUTLOOK BRIEFING THE MORNING OF THE DAY OF THE FLT, WHICH WASN'T TO BE UNTIL THE AFTERNOON. IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO BE IFR, WHICH CONCERNED ME DUE TO THE SO-SO NAV SYS AND MY UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE PLANE. I MADE THE FLT PLANS FOR BOTH IFR AND VFR DEPENDING ON THE CONDITIONS AT THE TIME OF THE FLT. LUCKILY, IT ENDED UP BEING VFR WHEN I DEPARTED SNA. APPROX 10 MINS INTO THE FLT, I DISCOVERED THAT NEITHER VOR WAS WORKING. BECAUSE IT WAS VFR AND I HAD MY GPS, I DECIDED TO CONTINUE ON. I LANDED AT MYF WITH NO PROBS, MADE MY PICKUP AND PROCEEDED TO CRQ. I PLANNED ON TRANSITIONING THROUGH MIRAMAR'S AIRSPACE AND WAS HANDED OFF TO MIRAMAR TWR. 1/2 WAY THROUGH MY CALL-UP, THE RADIO WENT OUT. I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES ON BOTH RADIOS AND SWITCHED TO THE PAX SIDE RADIO JACKS, BUT NOTHING. I MADE A 180 DEG TURN TO STAY CLR OF MIRAMAR'S AIRSPACE AND SWITCHED TO MY HANDHELD TRANSCEIVER. I DECIDED NOT TO TRY TO TRANSITION THROUGH MIL AND SAN DIEGO'S CLASS B AIRSPACE WITH A HANDHELD, SO I HEADED TO THE COASTLINE. RIGHT ABOUT THE TIME I REACHED THE COAST, MY TRUSTY GPS INFORMED ME THAT IT HAD LOST ALL SATELLITE SIGNALS. SO NOW, I HAVE NO COM SYS EXCEPT FOR MY HANDHELD, NO NAV SYS AND IT IS BECOMING MVFR. I PREACH THE EVILS OF 'GET THEREITIS' TO MY STUDENTS AND HOW SEVERAL LITTLE THINGS EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A BIG THING, AND ALL THAT WAS GOING THROUGH MY HEAD DURING THIS TIME. I EVALUATED MY SIT WHICH WAS NOT AN EMER, BUT MORE OF A MAJOR INCONVENIENCE. A CHK OF ALL MY SYS CONFIRMED NO VACUUM PUMP OR ALTERNATOR FAILURE AND ELECTRICAL WAS GOOD EXCEPT FOR THE COM AND NAV SYS. SQUAWKING 1200, I HEADED UP THE COASTLINE STAYING CLR OF CLASS B AND OBTAINED THE ATIS AT CRQ. USING MY RUSTY PILOTAGE AND DEAD RECKONING SKILLS, I FIGURED I COULD FIND CRQ WHICH IS VISIBLE FROM THE COASTLINE, MAKE MY PICKUP THERE AND HEAD ON HOME. I EVENTUALLY SAW THE RWY MATCHING THE POS ON MY TERMINAL CHART. I CALLED UP CRQ TWR, EXPLAINED MY LOST NAV AND TOLD THEM I WAS AT THE SHORELINE ABEAM WHAT I BELIEVED WAS THEIR ARPT AND REQUESTED TO LAND. THE TWR ASKED ME TO IDENT, WHICH I DID, AND THEY CONFIRMED MY LOCATION AT THE SHORELINE AND CLRED ME FOR R TFC RWY 24 AND TO RPT DOWNWIND. I HEADED INLAND, BUT FELT UNEASY WITH THE MVFR. I HADN'T BEEN TO CRQ IN A YR OR SO AND LOOKING AT THE ARPT FROM THE SHORELINE, IT DIDN'T LOOK FAMILIAR. BUT TWR HAD CONFIRMED MY LOCATION SO I CONTINUED ON. I HAD PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN THE RWY NUMBERS FOR CRQ ON MY CHART DURING MY FLT PLANNING. I KNEW THAT THE APCH END OF RWY 6 WOULD BE MY FIRST POSITIVE CONFIRMATION OF THE ARPT. AS I STARTED TO FOCUS THROUGH THE HAZE AND SCATTERED CLOUDS ON THE NUMBER PAINTED ON THE RWY, I SOON REALIZED IT WAS A 3, NOT A 6. ALMOST AT THE SAME TIME, I NOTICED A CH-47 HELI HOVERING MID-FIELD. AS MY MIND STARTED TO PROCESS THIS INFO, I LOOKED UP AND SAW 2 F18'S IN FORMATION APCHING FROM MY R. I QUICKLY DEDUCED THAT I WAS NOT AT CRQ, BUT IN THE MIDDLE OF CAMP PENDLETON'S RESTR AND HOT AIRSPACE! I MADE THE STEEPEST BANKED U-TURN I HAVE EVER MADE AND FLOORED IT TOWARD HAWAII. I ADVISED CRQ TWR OF THIS LITTLE ERROR AND TOLD THEM I WOULDN'T BE NEEDING THEIR SVCS ANYMORE AND WOULDN'T BE LNDG AT THEIR ARPT. I SMACKED MYSELF FOR TRUSTING SOMEONE ELSE AND NOT MY INSTINCTS. I CONTACTED SOCAL APCH AND ADVISED THEM OF MY SIT AND LOCATION AND THEY CONFIRMED I WAS IN A HOT AREA AND CONTINUED MY HEADING OUT TO SEA. THEY WERE A GREAT HELP VECTORING ME AROUND THE RESTR AND MOA AIRSPACE AND FINALLY HANDED ME OFF TO SNA TWR. I LANDED JUST AS THE MARINE LAYER WAS STARTING ITS AFTERNOON ROLL AND IFR SET IN. AS I EVALUATED MY FLT AND MYSELF AFTER LNDG, IT SEEMS THAT I HAD BEEN SO DISTR TRYING TO FIX MY MYRIAD OF PROBS THAT THIS, COMBINED WITH THE MVFR, CAUSED ME TO MISS SEEING CRQ AND NOT REALIZE HOW MUCH TIME HAD LAPSED INFLT. THIS ALLOWED ME TO FLY INTO RESTR AIRSPACE THAT WAS 15-20 MI BEYOND WHERE I THOUGHT I WAS. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I WASN'T SHOT DOWN OR AT LEAST INTERCEPTED. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER NEEDED TO COMPLETE A NASA FORM AND IT BETTER BE THE LAST. IT GOES TO THE OLD ADAGE THAT SEVERAL SMALL PROBS CAN LEAD TO A BIG ONE. EVEN IF IT DOESN'T RESULT IN SAFETY PROBS WITH THE ACFT ITSELF, IT CAN STILL BECOME A MAJOR FLT PROB THAT JEOPARDIZES YOUR SAFETY. NEVER AGAIN WILL I FLY A MARGINAL AIRPLANE IN MARGINAL CONDITIONS.

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.