Narrative:

En route on a cross country flight with my wife; I became distracted and entered class 'C' airspace without establishing communications with approach. The issue that distracted me was due to a flight plan submitted over the internet the night before. I changed the ete time from 2 hours and 18 mins to 2 hours and 30 mins. The online form had two boxes; one for hours and one for minutes. I changed only the time in minutes box from 18 to 30; however it was received by FSS as a total of 30 mins ete. We received a message on a cell phone that we needed to contact FSS as soon as possible as we had been listed as overdue and phone calls were in process. I contacted the nearest FSS on the radio and advised them to update our ete. I thought I was still 20 miles or more from the class 'C' airport. I knew that my planned flight path would put me very close; and the altitude I selected for the flight (based winds aloft) would put within the vertical boundaries. I knew that I needed to listen to ATIS to determine the approach frequency in use for my direction of flight; so I began to set up the radios for ATIS and then approach. Although I had written down the frequencys the night before; I decided to pull up the ATIS frequency from the GPS database and then enter it into the radio. When I switched the GPS back to the map display; I was very surprised and confused as it showed that I was already very close to the airport. At first I thought than when I scrolled the cursor over the airport in the GPS that I must have re-centered the map. Additionally; the airspace boundary was not displayed on the current map setting. Although I was confused; I knew I was running out of time. Realizing I did not have time to listen to ATIS; I tuned in the first approach frequency that I had wrote down the night before. I looked for traffic and I was shocked to see the airport off my right wing tip. I grabbed a paper chart to determine if I was in fact in class 'C' airspace. Although I was still not completely sure; I was now past the airport and made yet another bad choice when I decided it was too late now to contact approach. After reaching our destination I was advised to call the tower at the airport in question. A very pleasant controller and I discussed the issue. Although I was advised this would not require any paperwork; I am submitting this so others can learn from my mistakes. The mistakes I made were many: 1) spending too much time with my head down and not enough time looking out the window. It was a clear day and I should have seen the airport way before I did. 2) I should have not let the distraction of the flight plan issue snowball into entering class 'C' airspace. 3) I should have contacted approach even if it was on the wrong sector frequency the instant I was concerned. 4) had I asked for and received flight following; none of this would have been an issue. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that the garmin 530 GPS installed in the aircraft he was flying that day did not distract him. Rather it was a great aid to his situational awareness in general. Except during basic flight training; he has always flown with some sort of electronic aid and feels more situationally aware than without it. He does admit spending more time than he should heads down; but overall feels the electronic tools make him a safer pilot. The FSS call about his planned arrival time became the primary focus of the moment and consequently he entered the class 'C' airspace. The one thing he feels should be addressed is the duats systems' dropping the hours digit when only the minutes digits are changed in the ete blocks. Sometimes the hours are dropped and sometimes not. He feels the system should be consistent and always perform the same way. If it did; the reporter feels this event never would have happened.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DISTRACTED VFR PA32 PLT VIOLATED CLASS 'C' AIRSPACE AFTER LOSING SITUATIONAL AWARENESS BECAUSE OF A PHONE CALL TO FSS CONCERNING HIS EXPIRED ETE.

Narrative: ENRTE ON A CROSS COUNTRY FLT WITH MY WIFE; I BECAME DISTRACTED AND ENTERED CLASS 'C' AIRSPACE WITHOUT ESTABLISHING COMS WITH APCH. THE ISSUE THAT DISTRACTED ME WAS DUE TO A FLT PLAN SUBMITTED OVER THE INTERNET THE NIGHT BEFORE. I CHANGED THE ETE TIME FROM 2 HOURS AND 18 MINS TO 2 HOURS AND 30 MINS. THE ONLINE FORM HAD TWO BOXES; ONE FOR HOURS AND ONE FOR MINUTES. I CHANGED ONLY THE TIME IN MINUTES BOX FROM 18 TO 30; HOWEVER IT WAS RECEIVED BY FSS AS A TOTAL OF 30 MINS ETE. WE RECEIVED A MESSAGE ON A CELL PHONE THAT WE NEEDED TO CONTACT FSS ASAP AS WE HAD BEEN LISTED AS OVERDUE AND PHONE CALLS WERE IN PROCESS. I CONTACTED THE NEAREST FSS ON THE RADIO AND ADVISED THEM TO UPDATE OUR ETE. I THOUGHT I WAS STILL 20 MILES OR MORE FROM THE CLASS 'C' ARPT. I KNEW THAT MY PLANNED FLT PATH WOULD PUT ME VERY CLOSE; AND THE ALT I SELECTED FOR THE FLT (BASED WINDS ALOFT) WOULD PUT WITHIN THE VERT BOUNDARIES. I KNEW THAT I NEEDED TO LISTEN TO ATIS TO DETERMINE THE APCH FREQ IN USE FOR MY DIRECTION OF FLT; SO I BEGAN TO SET UP THE RADIOS FOR ATIS AND THEN APCH. ALTHOUGH I HAD WRITTEN DOWN THE FREQS THE NIGHT BEFORE; I DECIDED TO PULL UP THE ATIS FREQ FROM THE GPS DATABASE AND THEN ENTER IT INTO THE RADIO. WHEN I SWITCHED THE GPS BACK TO THE MAP DISPLAY; I WAS VERY SURPRISED AND CONFUSED AS IT SHOWED THAT I WAS ALREADY VERY CLOSE TO THE ARPT. AT FIRST I THOUGHT THAN WHEN I SCROLLED THE CURSOR OVER THE ARPT IN THE GPS THAT I MUST HAVE RE-CENTERED THE MAP. ADDITIONALLY; THE AIRSPACE BOUNDARY WAS NOT DISPLAYED ON THE CURRENT MAP SETTING. ALTHOUGH I WAS CONFUSED; I KNEW I WAS RUNNING OUT OF TIME. REALIZING I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO LISTEN TO ATIS; I TUNED IN THE FIRST APCH FREQ THAT I HAD WROTE DOWN THE NIGHT BEFORE. I LOOKED FOR TFC AND I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE THE ARPT OFF MY R WING TIP. I GRABBED A PAPER CHART TO DETERMINE IF I WAS IN FACT IN CLASS 'C' AIRSPACE. ALTHOUGH I WAS STILL NOT COMPLETELY SURE; I WAS NOW PAST THE ARPT AND MADE YET ANOTHER BAD CHOICE WHEN I DECIDED IT WAS TOO LATE NOW TO CONTACT APCH. AFTER REACHING OUR DEST I WAS ADVISED TO CALL THE TWR AT THE ARPT IN QUESTION. A VERY PLEASANT CTLR AND I DISCUSSED THE ISSUE. ALTHOUGH I WAS ADVISED THIS WOULD NOT REQUIRE ANY PAPERWORK; I AM SUBMITTING THIS SO OTHERS CAN LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES. THE MISTAKES I MADE WERE MANY: 1) SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME WITH MY HEAD DOWN AND NOT ENOUGH TIME LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW. IT WAS A CLR DAY AND I SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE ARPT WAY BEFORE I DID. 2) I SHOULD HAVE NOT LET THE DISTRACTION OF THE FLT PLAN ISSUE SNOWBALL INTO ENTERING CLASS 'C' AIRSPACE. 3) I SHOULD HAVE CONTACTED APCH EVEN IF IT WAS ON THE WRONG SECTOR FREQ THE INSTANT I WAS CONCERNED. 4) HAD I ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED FLT FOLLOWING; NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE GARMIN 530 GPS INSTALLED IN THE ACFT HE WAS FLYING THAT DAY DID NOT DISTRACT HIM. RATHER IT WAS A GREAT AID TO HIS SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IN GENERAL. EXCEPT DURING BASIC FLT TRAINING; HE HAS ALWAYS FLOWN WITH SOME SORT OF ELECTRONIC AID AND FEELS MORE SITUATIONALLY AWARE THAN WITHOUT IT. HE DOES ADMIT SPENDING MORE TIME THAN HE SHOULD HEADS DOWN; BUT OVERALL FEELS THE ELECTRONIC TOOLS MAKE HIM A SAFER PLT. THE FSS CALL ABOUT HIS PLANNED ARR TIME BECAME THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF THE MOMENT AND CONSEQUENTLY HE ENTERED THE CLASS 'C' AIRSPACE. THE ONE THING HE FEELS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IS THE DUATS SYSTEMS' DROPPING THE HOURS DIGIT WHEN ONLY THE MINUTES DIGITS ARE CHANGED IN THE ETE BLOCKS. SOMETIMES THE HOURS ARE DROPPED AND SOMETIMES NOT. HE FEELS THE SYSTEM SHOULD BE CONSISTENT AND ALWAYS PERFORM THE SAME WAY. IF IT DID; THE RPTR FEELS THIS EVENT NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.