Narrative:

I was on a flight from ormond beach, fl, to st petersburg/clearwater airport to visit family. On the way home, I received flight following from st petersburg/clearwater to ormond beach. While talking to tpa approach, all communication was clear. When I was xferred over to orl approach, all communication was clear. Orl approach put me on vectors that were extremely off of my planned flight course. My planned flight course had me on a heading of 045 degrees, some of the vectors were 290 degrees, 330 degrees, 010 degrees. This I believe was due to orl's heavy flow of traffic. I informed the controller that I was extremely off course and if I got too far north, I did not want to get lost when she xferred me to daytona approach. She told me that she would stay with me and get me back on the right track. After about 15 mins of not hearing from approach, I tried to contact them. I could not hear a response from the controller, but I could hear other pilots. I knew they could hear the controller because they would request missed approach instructions. I would hear a moment of silence, then the pilot would repeat the instructions that were assigned. I tried to get orlando back through different frequencys, but no response. I switched over to daytona approach and told them the situation. I could hear daytona approach loud and clear for about 10 mins, but they could not get me on radar contact. They gave me permission to end flight following but keep in contact with them if I needed anything. I put myself on a heading of 090 degrees so I would hit the coast and figure out exactly where I was. I did not think anything was wrong with the receiver I just thought that I was so far away from orlando and daytona that my radio couldn't pick them up. I then switched over to jacksonville approach and told them the situation, that I was now basically lost because I did not know how far north I was. They got me on radar contact and informed me that I was 10 mi west of craig municipal. Now I knew where I was, but I had been in the air for about 2.5 hours and the plane holds about 3.5 hours worth of fuel. Since the flight from craig to ormond is about 40 mins, I decided to stop for fuel and play it safe. I informed approach and switched over to saint augustine's ATIS then to tower. I was getting no response again, then I figured out that saint augustine tower was closed, so I treated it as an uncontrolled field. I safely landed and taxied to the FBO for fuel. It was then that I was informed, by the man on the fuel truck, that I was wrong about the tower being closed. I read the time wrong in my AFD. Tower had responded to my calls, I just could not hear them. I believe that my receiver was working most of the time. I think the reason I lost daytona and orlando is because I was too far away. Orlando forgot about me and that's how I ended up so far north. I should have kept myself more situationally aware. I think the factors that messed up my awareness were the night factor and fatigue from a long day. I was also confused with why the receiver only worked sometimes. As it turned out, the receiver did work correctly, just not always on high frequencys such as that at saint augustine.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INEXPERIENCED PLT OF C152 GETS LOST DURING NIGHT XCOUNTRY FOLLOWING PARTIAL LOSS OF COM WITH FLT FOLLOWING. LANDS AT CTLED FIELD.

Narrative: I WAS ON A FLT FROM ORMOND BEACH, FL, TO ST PETERSBURG/CLEARWATER ARPT TO VISIT FAMILY. ON THE WAY HOME, I RECEIVED FLT FOLLOWING FROM ST PETERSBURG/CLEARWATER TO ORMOND BEACH. WHILE TALKING TO TPA APCH, ALL COM WAS CLR. WHEN I WAS XFERRED OVER TO ORL APCH, ALL COM WAS CLR. ORL APCH PUT ME ON VECTORS THAT WERE EXTREMELY OFF OF MY PLANNED FLT COURSE. MY PLANNED FLT COURSE HAD ME ON A HDG OF 045 DEGS, SOME OF THE VECTORS WERE 290 DEGS, 330 DEGS, 010 DEGS. THIS I BELIEVE WAS DUE TO ORL'S HVY FLOW OF TFC. I INFORMED THE CTLR THAT I WAS EXTREMELY OFF COURSE AND IF I GOT TOO FAR N, I DID NOT WANT TO GET LOST WHEN SHE XFERRED ME TO DAYTONA APCH. SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE WOULD STAY WITH ME AND GET ME BACK ON THE RIGHT TRACK. AFTER ABOUT 15 MINS OF NOT HEARING FROM APCH, I TRIED TO CONTACT THEM. I COULD NOT HEAR A RESPONSE FROM THE CTLR, BUT I COULD HEAR OTHER PLTS. I KNEW THEY COULD HEAR THE CTLR BECAUSE THEY WOULD REQUEST MISSED APCH INSTRUCTIONS. I WOULD HEAR A MOMENT OF SILENCE, THEN THE PLT WOULD REPEAT THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT WERE ASSIGNED. I TRIED TO GET ORLANDO BACK THROUGH DIFFERENT FREQS, BUT NO RESPONSE. I SWITCHED OVER TO DAYTONA APCH AND TOLD THEM THE SIT. I COULD HEAR DAYTONA APCH LOUD AND CLR FOR ABOUT 10 MINS, BUT THEY COULD NOT GET ME ON RADAR CONTACT. THEY GAVE ME PERMISSION TO END FLT FOLLOWING BUT KEEP IN CONTACT WITH THEM IF I NEEDED ANYTHING. I PUT MYSELF ON A HDG OF 090 DEGS SO I WOULD HIT THE COAST AND FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHERE I WAS. I DID NOT THINK ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE RECEIVER I JUST THOUGHT THAT I WAS SO FAR AWAY FROM ORLANDO AND DAYTONA THAT MY RADIO COULDN'T PICK THEM UP. I THEN SWITCHED OVER TO JACKSONVILLE APCH AND TOLD THEM THE SIT, THAT I WAS NOW BASICALLY LOST BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW HOW FAR N I WAS. THEY GOT ME ON RADAR CONTACT AND INFORMED ME THAT I WAS 10 MI W OF CRAIG MUNICIPAL. NOW I KNEW WHERE I WAS, BUT I HAD BEEN IN THE AIR FOR ABOUT 2.5 HRS AND THE PLANE HOLDS ABOUT 3.5 HRS WORTH OF FUEL. SINCE THE FLT FROM CRAIG TO ORMOND IS ABOUT 40 MINS, I DECIDED TO STOP FOR FUEL AND PLAY IT SAFE. I INFORMED APCH AND SWITCHED OVER TO SAINT AUGUSTINE'S ATIS THEN TO TWR. I WAS GETTING NO RESPONSE AGAIN, THEN I FIGURED OUT THAT SAINT AUGUSTINE TWR WAS CLOSED, SO I TREATED IT AS AN UNCTLED FIELD. I SAFELY LANDED AND TAXIED TO THE FBO FOR FUEL. IT WAS THEN THAT I WAS INFORMED, BY THE MAN ON THE FUEL TRUCK, THAT I WAS WRONG ABOUT THE TWR BEING CLOSED. I READ THE TIME WRONG IN MY AFD. TWR HAD RESPONDED TO MY CALLS, I JUST COULD NOT HEAR THEM. I BELIEVE THAT MY RECEIVER WAS WORKING MOST OF THE TIME. I THINK THE REASON I LOST DAYTONA AND ORLANDO IS BECAUSE I WAS TOO FAR AWAY. ORLANDO FORGOT ABOUT ME AND THAT'S HOW I ENDED UP SO FAR N. I SHOULD HAVE KEPT MYSELF MORE SITUATIONALLY AWARE. I THINK THE FACTORS THAT MESSED UP MY AWARENESS WERE THE NIGHT FACTOR AND FATIGUE FROM A LONG DAY. I WAS ALSO CONFUSED WITH WHY THE RECEIVER ONLY WORKED SOMETIMES. AS IT TURNED OUT, THE RECEIVER DID WORK CORRECTLY, JUST NOT ALWAYS ON HIGH FREQS SUCH AS THAT AT SAINT AUGUSTINE.

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.