Narrative:

Pp asel VFR about 600 hours over the past 6 yrs mostly in incident aircraft. Eyeglass prescription just recently changed; so new prescription sunglasses. This winter had not flown often. During february; broken ankle resulting in more than 4 weeks without flying. First flight after ankle healed was with flight instructor. Then aircraft was in the shop another 4 weeks to get a GPS waas upgrade. Short solo flight home was uneventful. 4.5 hours solo cross country flight was uneventful. New GPS not set up my preferences. Wednesday flew back to ZZZ1 from my home base in ZZZ2. Left the house about XA15 with the goal of getting to ZZZ1 around the time they opened at XB30. I hadn't eaten breakfast. I hadn't taken my medicine. I skipped getting a WX briefing. Should have taken no more than 30 mins. Smoky summer haze filled the windless; cloudless sky; probably made worse by a forest fire. I flew by pilotage to the coast; then east toward towers. When ready to call ZZZ1 tower to request landing; checked GPS to get the distance. GPS was displaying the satellite page. The satellite signals were lost. I flipped through the GPS pages looking in vain for navigation information and returned to the satellite page. I backtracked to abc; dialed the cdf VOR in on navigation #2. Heading east again; the compass; heading indicator and VOR all registered 090 degrees. Called ZZZ1 for landing clearance. The VOR needle wandered. Told ZZZ1 tower that I was having problems with my navigation equipment but declined offer of additional assistance. I couldn't think of anything to ask for. Descending to pattern altitude. I peered into the crappy sky; keeping the beachfront to my left; looking for smoke stack and runways at the water's edge. It took forever. The GPS did not give me ground speed. The GPS had stayed on the satellite's page and revealed no navigation information. It indicated satellites had been acquired and each had a 'D' in it. Since the GPS automatically switches from the satellite page to a navigation page on startup; I decided that the 'D' meant that the signal quality was not good enough to switch. I started thinking there must be a strong headwind even though ZZZ1 ATIS indicated (as I recall) a 3 KT wind. Finally; 2 crossing runways appeared to my left; but it didn't look quite right. I told tower the runways were in sight and asked whether he could see me just off shore. I was cleared for runway 24 and started looking for the numbers. Tower asked me for a position report; leading me to believe he didn't see me. I was looking straight at the tower and he should have been able to see me. The runway number became visible. Runway 2. I'm starting to figure out how to get to runway 24 when that little voice that lives somewhere in the back of my brain started shouting; 'there is no runway 2 at this airport.' at the same time; ZZZ1 tower was asking me for a position report. I was staring down the departure end of an unknown runway at pattern altitude. I could imagine an aircraft on takeoff roll straight toward me. My immediate response was to yank the yoke to the right to get away from there. I was in a 45 degree bank and losing altitude. Unusual attitude training kicked in and I got the plane straight and level. Then the 5 C's came to mind: climb; confess; comply. I climbed. Still talking to ZZZ1 tower; I keyed the microphone and said; 'I'm declaring an emergency. I don't know where I am. I'm lost.' I climbed back up to 2800 ft while tower contacted approach and got me a squawk code. A very professional controller vectored me away from ZZZ3 airspace and back to ZZZ1. I have spoken to a cfii who was at ZZZ1 and arranged for additional training. We spent some time analyzing the problem and my decision making. It is my intention to get my instrument rating; but also concentrate on situational awareness and any other shortcomings that may come to light during training. I will be sure to learn more about using the GPS. I did not know that it would not automatically return to a navigation page after acquiring satellites and that the 'D' in each of the satellite columns meant that they were fully functional. I will not skip an FSS briefing even for a short flight. This is a problem; as the wait for a briefing can be 15 mins ormore.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PRIVATE C172 PILOT WITH ADVANCED NAV DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AFTER GETTING LOST ON A SHORT FLT TO A FAMILIAR AIRPORT BECAUSE OF SMOKE AND HAZE.

Narrative: PP ASEL VFR ABOUT 600 HRS OVER THE PAST 6 YRS MOSTLY IN INCIDENT ACFT. EYEGLASS PRESCRIPTION JUST RECENTLY CHANGED; SO NEW PRESCRIPTION SUNGLASSES. THIS WINTER HAD NOT FLOWN OFTEN. DURING FEBRUARY; BROKEN ANKLE RESULTING IN MORE THAN 4 WKS WITHOUT FLYING. FIRST FLT AFTER ANKLE HEALED WAS WITH FLT INSTRUCTOR. THEN ACFT WAS IN THE SHOP ANOTHER 4 WKS TO GET A GPS WAAS UPGRADE. SHORT SOLO FLT HOME WAS UNEVENTFUL. 4.5 HRS SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. NEW GPS NOT SET UP MY PREFERENCES. WEDNESDAY FLEW BACK TO ZZZ1 FROM MY HOME BASE IN ZZZ2. LEFT THE HOUSE ABOUT XA15 WITH THE GOAL OF GETTING TO ZZZ1 AROUND THE TIME THEY OPENED AT XB30. I HADN'T EATEN BREAKFAST. I HADN'T TAKEN MY MEDICINE. I SKIPPED GETTING A WX BRIEFING. SHOULD HAVE TAKEN NO MORE THAN 30 MINS. SMOKY SUMMER HAZE FILLED THE WINDLESS; CLOUDLESS SKY; PROBABLY MADE WORSE BY A FOREST FIRE. I FLEW BY PILOTAGE TO THE COAST; THEN E TOWARD TWRS. WHEN READY TO CALL ZZZ1 TWR TO REQUEST LNDG; CHKED GPS TO GET THE DISTANCE. GPS WAS DISPLAYING THE SATELLITE PAGE. THE SATELLITE SIGNALS WERE LOST. I FLIPPED THROUGH THE GPS PAGES LOOKING IN VAIN FOR NAV INFO AND RETURNED TO THE SATELLITE PAGE. I BACKTRACKED TO ABC; DIALED THE CDF VOR IN ON NAV #2. HEADING E AGAIN; THE COMPASS; HDG INDICATOR AND VOR ALL REGISTERED 090 DEGS. CALLED ZZZ1 FOR LNDG CLRNC. THE VOR NEEDLE WANDERED. TOLD ZZZ1 TWR THAT I WAS HAVING PROBS WITH MY NAV EQUIP BUT DECLINED OFFER OF ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE. I COULDN'T THINK OF ANYTHING TO ASK FOR. DSNDING TO PATTERN ALT. I PEERED INTO THE CRAPPY SKY; KEEPING THE BEACHFRONT TO MY L; LOOKING FOR SMOKE STACK AND RWYS AT THE WATER'S EDGE. IT TOOK FOREVER. THE GPS DID NOT GIVE ME GND SPD. THE GPS HAD STAYED ON THE SATELLITE'S PAGE AND REVEALED NO NAV INFO. IT INDICATED SATELLITES HAD BEEN ACQUIRED AND EACH HAD A 'D' IN IT. SINCE THE GPS AUTOMATICALLY SWITCHES FROM THE SATELLITE PAGE TO A NAV PAGE ON STARTUP; I DECIDED THAT THE 'D' MEANT THAT THE SIGNAL QUALITY WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO SWITCH. I STARTED THINKING THERE MUST BE A STRONG HEADWIND EVEN THOUGH ZZZ1 ATIS INDICATED (AS I RECALL) A 3 KT WIND. FINALLY; 2 XING RWYS APPEARED TO MY L; BUT IT DIDN'T LOOK QUITE RIGHT. I TOLD TWR THE RWYS WERE IN SIGHT AND ASKED WHETHER HE COULD SEE ME JUST OFF SHORE. I WAS CLRED FOR RWY 24 AND STARTED LOOKING FOR THE NUMBERS. TWR ASKED ME FOR A POS RPT; LEADING ME TO BELIEVE HE DIDN'T SEE ME. I WAS LOOKING STRAIGHT AT THE TWR AND HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE ME. THE RWY NUMBER BECAME VISIBLE. RWY 2. I'M STARTING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET TO RWY 24 WHEN THAT LITTLE VOICE THAT LIVES SOMEWHERE IN THE BACK OF MY BRAIN STARTED SHOUTING; 'THERE IS NO RWY 2 AT THIS ARPT.' AT THE SAME TIME; ZZZ1 TWR WAS ASKING ME FOR A POS RPT. I WAS STARING DOWN THE DEP END OF AN UNKNOWN RWY AT PATTERN ALT. I COULD IMAGINE AN ACFT ON TKOF ROLL STRAIGHT TOWARD ME. MY IMMEDIATE RESPONSE WAS TO YANK THE YOKE TO THE R TO GET AWAY FROM THERE. I WAS IN A 45 DEG BANK AND LOSING ALT. UNUSUAL ATTITUDE TRAINING KICKED IN AND I GOT THE PLANE STRAIGHT AND LEVEL. THEN THE 5 C'S CAME TO MIND: CLB; CONFESS; COMPLY. I CLBED. STILL TALKING TO ZZZ1 TWR; I KEYED THE MIKE AND SAID; 'I'M DECLARING AN EMER. I DON'T KNOW WHERE I AM. I'M LOST.' I CLBED BACK UP TO 2800 FT WHILE TWR CONTACTED APCH AND GOT ME A SQUAWK CODE. A VERY PROFESSIONAL CTLR VECTORED ME AWAY FROM ZZZ3 AIRSPACE AND BACK TO ZZZ1. I HAVE SPOKEN TO A CFII WHO WAS AT ZZZ1 AND ARRANGED FOR ADDITIONAL TRAINING. WE SPENT SOME TIME ANALYZING THE PROB AND MY DECISION MAKING. IT IS MY INTENTION TO GET MY INST RATING; BUT ALSO CONCENTRATE ON SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND ANY OTHER SHORTCOMINGS THAT MAY COME TO LIGHT DURING TRAINING. I WILL BE SURE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT USING THE GPS. I DID NOT KNOW THAT IT WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY RETURN TO A NAV PAGE AFTER ACQUIRING SATELLITES AND THAT THE 'D' IN EACH OF THE SATELLITE COLUMNS MEANT THAT THEY WERE FULLY FUNCTIONAL. I WILL NOT SKIP AN FSS BRIEFING EVEN FOR A SHORT FLT. THIS IS A PROB; AS THE WAIT FOR A BRIEFING CAN BE 15 MINS ORMORE.

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.