PLT OF SMA BECAME LOST WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RETURN TO HIS ARPT OF DEP.

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PURPOSE OF FLT WAS TO PHOTOGRAPH INDUSTRIAL AREAS IN CHICAGO AND E CHICAGO/GARY; AND SECONDARILY TO FAMILIARIZE MYSELF AND WIFE (OBSERVER/PHOTOGRAPHER) WITH S SUBURBAN LANDMARKS. WE ARE PLANNING SEVERAL TRIPS TO S AND I DO MOST OF MY FLYING W AND N OUT OF DUPAGE COUNTY ARPT. WELL; IT TURNED OUT I REALLY DID NEED TO GET MORE FAMILIAR WITH S SUBURBAN LANDMARKS. COMING BACK FROM INDIANA; I TRACKED THE 270 DEG TO RADIAL OF CGT AND JOT VOR; WHILE VISUALLY FOLLOWING THE INTERSTATE 80 UNTIL ABOUT HALFWAY BTWN CGT AND JOT. I TUNED AND IDENTED DPA VOR AND TURNED NW HDG ABOUT 300 DEG. I CALL DPA TWR ABOUT THE TIME I CROSSED INTERSTATE 55; ABOUT 15 MIN OUT. 10 MIN LATER I DID NOT SEE THE ARPT OR MUCH IN THE WAY OF FAMILIAR LANDMARKS; AND IT IS GETTING RATHER DARK. I AM EXPERIENCED IN NIGHT FLYING AND HAD EXTENSIVE NIGHT NAV WORK DURING MY REFRESHER/FLT REVIEW LAST SUMMER (MAY 1991). 10-15 MINS AFTER MY FIRST CALL UP DPA CALLS WHERE ARE YOU. ABOUT THIS TIME I REALIZE I AM 'WAY' N OF THE ARPT. I EXPLAIN MY PROBLEM AND THEY OFFER ME A TRANSPONDER CODE AND RADAR SVC. I ALSO ATTEMPT TO START TRACKING THE DPA VOR (WHICH I SHOULD HAVE FROM THE BEGINNING). I SPOT CAMPBELL ARPT ABOUT THIS TIME. I TURN ABOUT AND HEAD SW DUPAGE CALLS BACK TO VERIFY THE TRANSPONDER CODE SAID IDENT. I MAY HAVE INCORRECTLY ENTERED THE CODE THE FIRST TIME. I SPOT AN ARPT BEACON AND DSND FROM 2500 FT MSL TO 1800 FT. THIS IS A GOOD TIME BECAUSE IT IS NOT DPA; IT'S 06C AND IT IS UNDER THE 1900 FT PORTION OF THE TCA. AT THIS TIME BOTH DPA TWR AND I ARE SURE OF MY POS AND THEY SUGGEST A HDG. AND AT THIS POINT I THINK I HAVE NOT TRANSGRESSED ON THE TCA; BUT I AM NOT SURE. WHEN I DO SEE THE ARPT I AM STILL NOT ABSOLUTELY SURE I HAVE THE CORRECT ARPT UNTIL THEY TURN ON STROBES. ON SHORT FINAL THERE IS A STRONG WIND FROM THE S AND I REALIZE THAT IT WAS A MAJOR FACTOR IN MY GETTING OFF COURSE.