Narrative:

The mission for the day was to take 3 high school students flying on a cross country to ZZZ1; ZZZ2; and back to ZZZ. There was a winter storm warning advisory and the winds were starting to pick up as we took off of runway 10L at ZZZ. I told my student to fly 230 and we were following the 210 from the ZZZ VOR. The flight down to ZZZ1 it was very bumpy. One of the kids was getting sick in the plane. I was tracking 220 from the ZZZ VOR and we entered from the southwest and made our landing. An FAA officer was ramp checking people there. After ZZZ1 I was supposed to continue on to ZZZ2 however; 2 of my 3 kids were really sick. I decided to go back to ZZZ. Once we took off I told my student to fly 330 for a minute or two; then to turn to 360 degrees. I told my student to turn 360 degrees because ZZZ would have been a heading of 030 degrees and with a northwest wind that should put us right about 030 degrees. I then centered the CDI needle and it was telling me that we were 270 from ZZZ VOR. My student continued to fly 360 degrees for about 10-15 mins at this point. I started asking ZZZ tower for a position report because I knew that the CDI was not correct. This aircraft had only 1 CDI for radio navigation equipment. During this time I was trying to talk with ZZZ tower; however; they were not picking up our transponder. We could communicate with no problems for approximately 10 mins and then I could hear the tower; however the tower could not hear me. Another plane on the ground at ZZZ could relay communication between my aircraft and tower. ZZZ tower could not give me a position report and therefore called approach to help. I was assigned my center and approach frequencys; yet I could not hear them; and continued to go back to ZZZ tower. Approach did change my transponder code through ZZZ tower and could pick the aircraft on radar. At this point we had been flying for approximately 45 mins. My student was flying some of the time while I was trying to navigation off of pilotage. I was estimating that we were far enough away from abc that I could climb to 5500 ft and try and talk with approach. I could finally talk with them and I found a town that I could identify. I told them that we were at cdf and then climbed back up to 5500 ft MSL. They told me that I was about 40 NM from the field and turned us to a heading of 090 degrees. Approach then told me that the winds at 3000 ft were 130-50 KTS. I was not expecting the winds to have been from the southwest and at 50 KTS. I was fighting a direct headwind back to ZZZ and I was starting to run low on fuel and needed an airport that I could land at and get fuel at. I landed at ZZZ3; got fuel and took off heading 140 degrees back to ZZZ. I remained in communication with approach at all times until he switched me over to ZZZ tower. When I got back to ZZZ and looked at my route; had I known the winds had switched and increased in velocity my heading inbound to ZZZ from ZZZ1 would not have been 360 degrees. I had a lot of things happening in the plane and then trying to take care of 2 sick kids was a contributing factor to be distraction and getting lost. I was concerned when starting the flight; because the area I was flying in was new to me and I had planned on flying an alternate route that was assigned the previous week.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A LOW TIME PA28 INSTRUCTOR FLYING IN TURBULENT WX WITH 3 STUDENTS BECAME LOST IN HIGH WINDS WITH SICK STUDENTS AND A LOW FUEL STATE.

Narrative: THE MISSION FOR THE DAY WAS TO TAKE 3 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FLYING ON A XCOUNTRY TO ZZZ1; ZZZ2; AND BACK TO ZZZ. THERE WAS A WINTER STORM WARNING ADVISORY AND THE WINDS WERE STARTING TO PICK UP AS WE TOOK OFF OF RWY 10L AT ZZZ. I TOLD MY STUDENT TO FLY 230 AND WE WERE FOLLOWING THE 210 FROM THE ZZZ VOR. THE FLT DOWN TO ZZZ1 IT WAS VERY BUMPY. ONE OF THE KIDS WAS GETTING SICK IN THE PLANE. I WAS TRACKING 220 FROM THE ZZZ VOR AND WE ENTERED FROM THE SW AND MADE OUR LNDG. AN FAA OFFICER WAS RAMP CHKING PEOPLE THERE. AFTER ZZZ1 I WAS SUPPOSED TO CONTINUE ON TO ZZZ2 HOWEVER; 2 OF MY 3 KIDS WERE REALLY SICK. I DECIDED TO GO BACK TO ZZZ. ONCE WE TOOK OFF I TOLD MY STUDENT TO FLY 330 FOR A MINUTE OR TWO; THEN TO TURN TO 360 DEGS. I TOLD MY STUDENT TO TURN 360 DEGS BECAUSE ZZZ WOULD HAVE BEEN A HDG OF 030 DEGS AND WITH A NW WIND THAT SHOULD PUT US RIGHT ABOUT 030 DEGS. I THEN CTRED THE CDI NEEDLE AND IT WAS TELLING ME THAT WE WERE 270 FROM ZZZ VOR. MY STUDENT CONTINUED TO FLY 360 DEGS FOR ABOUT 10-15 MINS AT THIS POINT. I STARTED ASKING ZZZ TWR FOR A POS RPT BECAUSE I KNEW THAT THE CDI WAS NOT CORRECT. THIS ACFT HAD ONLY 1 CDI FOR RADIO NAV EQUIP. DURING THIS TIME I WAS TRYING TO TALK WITH ZZZ TWR; HOWEVER; THEY WERE NOT PICKING UP OUR XPONDER. WE COULD COMMUNICATE WITH NO PROBS FOR APPROX 10 MINS AND THEN I COULD HEAR THE TWR; HOWEVER THE TWR COULD NOT HEAR ME. ANOTHER PLANE ON THE GND AT ZZZ COULD RELAY COM BTWN MY ACFT AND TWR. ZZZ TWR COULD NOT GIVE ME A POS RPT AND THEREFORE CALLED APCH TO HELP. I WAS ASSIGNED MY CTR AND APCH FREQS; YET I COULD NOT HEAR THEM; AND CONTINUED TO GO BACK TO ZZZ TWR. APCH DID CHANGE MY XPONDER CODE THROUGH ZZZ TWR AND COULD PICK THE ACFT ON RADAR. AT THIS POINT WE HAD BEEN FLYING FOR APPROX 45 MINS. MY STUDENT WAS FLYING SOME OF THE TIME WHILE I WAS TRYING TO NAV OFF OF PILOTAGE. I WAS ESTIMATING THAT WE WERE FAR ENOUGH AWAY FROM ABC THAT I COULD CLB TO 5500 FT AND TRY AND TALK WITH APCH. I COULD FINALLY TALK WITH THEM AND I FOUND A TOWN THAT I COULD IDENT. I TOLD THEM THAT WE WERE AT CDF AND THEN CLBED BACK UP TO 5500 FT MSL. THEY TOLD ME THAT I WAS ABOUT 40 NM FROM THE FIELD AND TURNED US TO A HDG OF 090 DEGS. APCH THEN TOLD ME THAT THE WINDS AT 3000 FT WERE 130-50 KTS. I WAS NOT EXPECTING THE WINDS TO HAVE BEEN FROM THE SW AND AT 50 KTS. I WAS FIGHTING A DIRECT HEADWIND BACK TO ZZZ AND I WAS STARTING TO RUN LOW ON FUEL AND NEEDED AN ARPT THAT I COULD LAND AT AND GET FUEL AT. I LANDED AT ZZZ3; GOT FUEL AND TOOK OFF HDG 140 DEGS BACK TO ZZZ. I REMAINED IN COM WITH APCH AT ALL TIMES UNTIL HE SWITCHED ME OVER TO ZZZ TWR. WHEN I GOT BACK TO ZZZ AND LOOKED AT MY RTE; HAD I KNOWN THE WINDS HAD SWITCHED AND INCREASED IN VELOCITY MY HDG INBOUND TO ZZZ FROM ZZZ1 WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN 360 DEGS. I HAD A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING IN THE PLANE AND THEN TRYING TO TAKE CARE OF 2 SICK KIDS WAS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO BE DISTR AND GETTING LOST. I WAS CONCERNED WHEN STARTING THE FLT; BECAUSE THE AREA I WAS FLYING IN WAS NEW TO ME AND I HAD PLANNED ON FLYING AN ALTERNATE RTE THAT WAS ASSIGNED THE PREVIOUS WEEK.

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.