An instructor pilot entered sgj's class D airspace accidently after he became distracted when the ai...

Narrative:

I departed crg as the certified flight instructor (CFI) on a training flight with a student pilot. We departed the airport and proceeded southbound climbing to 4;500 ft MSL. Once at altitude we performed all of our air work and maneuvers then turned back to the north descending 1;000 ft MSL. Announcing our position on the common frequency for the training area; we then practiced ground reference maneuvers and were aware of sgj class D airspace and remained clear. During 'turns around a point' the engine began to produce an alarming noise and slight vibration; I quickly began to assess the situation; checking all engine gauges and the overall condition of the engine. Meanwhile; I lost my situational awareness; and slightly strayed into sgj's airspace without contacting them prior to. Once I realized I had accidentally crossed into the airspace; I immediately turned away from the airport; climbed; and preceded direct to crg. A combination of not being familiar with the area and airspace; the overall distractions that occur when training student pilots; becoming focused more on the noises coming from the engine; and a loss of situational awareness all played factors into me accidentally busting sgj's airspace. I learned a very valuable lesson as did my student. Sometimes lessons are learned the hard way and I believe this experience has made me a better pilot and flight instructor.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: An instructor pilot entered SGJ's Class D airspace accidently after he became distracted when the aircraft's engine began making a strange noise and vibrating during a student's practice maneuver.

Narrative: I departed CRG as the Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) on a training flight with a student pilot. We departed the airport and proceeded southbound climbing to 4;500 FT MSL. Once at altitude we performed all of our air work and maneuvers then turned back to the north descending 1;000 FT MSL. Announcing our position on the common frequency for the training area; we then practiced ground reference maneuvers and were aware of SGJ Class D airspace and remained clear. During 'turns around a point' the engine began to produce an alarming noise and slight vibration; I quickly began to assess the situation; checking all engine gauges and the overall condition of the engine. Meanwhile; I lost my situational awareness; and slightly strayed into SGJ's airspace without contacting them prior to. Once I realized I had accidentally crossed into the airspace; I immediately turned away from the airport; climbed; and preceded direct to CRG. A combination of not being familiar with the area and airspace; the overall distractions that occur when training student pilots; becoming focused more on the noises coming from the engine; and a loss of situational awareness all played factors into me accidentally busting SGJ's airspace. I learned a very valuable lesson as did my student. Sometimes lessons are learned the hard way and I believe this experience has made me a better pilot and flight instructor.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.

Attributes
ACN	970156
Time
Date	201109
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	SGJ.Tower
State Reference	FL
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft High Wing 1 Eng Fixed Gear
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Cruise
Route In Use	None
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Function	Instructor
Qualification	Flight Crew Commercial Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 150 Flight Crew Total 400 Flight Crew Type 250
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Airspace Violation All Types

An instructor pilot entered sgj's class D airspace accidently after he became distracted when the aircraft's engine began making a strange noise and vibrating during a student's practice maneuver.