A FOREIGN BORN SMA PLT HERE FOR TRAINING GOT LOST ON A XCOUNTRY AND PENETRATED A TCA INADVERTENTLY. THERE WERE NO KNOWN CONFLICTS. HE PROPERLY ADMITTED TO HIMSELF AND ATC THAT HE WAS LOST.

Narrative

THE PROBLEM AROSE DUE TO THE ACFT BEING DRIFTED TOWARDS THE AREA WHILE ON MY WAY TO JONESBORO. I DISCOVERED IT WHEN I NOTICED THAT THE RWY DIRECTIONS OF JONESBORO WERE DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE OF MEMPHIS INTL. IT OCCURRED BECAUSE I WAS RELYING TOO MUCH ON RADIO NAV INSTEAD OF LOOKING; AT THE SAME TIME FOR LANDMARKS. WIND WAS ALSO A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN SOMEWAY. ONCE I REALIZED THAT I WAS LOST; I TOLD JONESBORO RADIO ABOUT IT AND I SQUAWKED WHAT THEY TOLD ME (XXXX). I TRIED TO TUNE INTO THE JONESBORO VOR BUT IT COULD NOT BE PICKED UP. I LOOKED AT THE TFC PATTERN AND ACTIVE RWY IN AN AIRFIELD THAT WAS NEAR MEMPHIS INTL AND THAT WAS OLIVE-BRANCH. I THEN ENTERED THE TFC PATTERN ON THE DOWNWIND LEG AND I STARTED SWITCHING ON AND OFF MY LNDG LIGHTS WHEN I WAS ON FINAL SINCE I DID NOT KNOW WHICH ARPT IT WAS AND IT'S FREQ. I DID NOT KNOW THAT I WAS IN MEMPHIS UNTIL I GOT TO THE GND AT OLIVE BRANCH SINCE I AM A FOREIGN STUDENT FROM KENYA AND AM HERE FOR MY COMMERCIAL/INST AND MULTI-ENG TRAINING. FROM MY EXPERIENCE; I THINK THAT PLT'S FLYING IN VMC SHOULD RELY MORE ON CHARTS AND MAJOR LANDMARKS THEN ON USING VOR. SINCE ON MY WAY BACK FROM JONESBORO TO SPRINGDALE I HAD NO PROBLEMS AS I WAS USING MAJOR LANDMARKS AND AT THE SAME TIME USING VOR RADIALS TO POSITIVELY IDENT THEM.