SPI GETS DISORIENTED; CONTINUES XCOUNTRY FLT. PENETRATES TCA; REQUIRES FLT ASSIST WHEN LOW ON FUEL.
Synopsis
SPI GETS DISORIENTED; CONTINUES XCOUNTRY FLT. PENETRATES TCA; REQUIRES FLT ASSIST WHEN LOW ON FUEL.
Narrative
I WAS ON A XCOUNTRY FROM ZANESVILLE TO WADSWORTH. I DEPARTED FROM ZANESVILLE AND CLBED TO 3000 FT AND TRIED TO ACTIVATE MY FLT PLAN ON 121.1 AND ON THE NEWCOMERSTOWN VOR. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WITH NO RESPONSE I WENT TO 122.45 WHERE I ACTIVATED MY FLT PLAN; AND CHANGED TO AKRON APCH TO GET A FLT FOLLOWING ON 118.6. I WAS TOLD TO SQUAWK XXXX AND WAS TO MY KNOWLEDGE ON COURSE; A MAG HDG OF 4 DEG. MY CHKPOINTS WERE OFF FROM THE START BUT I FIGURED I WOULD EVENTUALLY CROSS A CHKPOINT. AFTER REALIZING THAT I WAS LOST I USED THE TIVERTON AND NEWCOMERSTOWN VOR'S THAT SHOWED THAT I WAS W OF MY PLANNED RTE. I CHANGED COURSE TO A MORE N HDG; AND BELIEVED THAT I WOULD INTERCEPT MY PLANNED RTE. AT THIS TIME I WAS TOLD TO SQUAWK 1200 FOR VFR TO WADSWORTH FROM AKRON APCH. I CONTINUED ON MY HDG FIGURING THAT I WAS COMING UP ON WADSWORTH. I CONTINUED TO FLY N UNTIL I REALIZED THAT LAKE ERIE WAS ON MY HORIZON I HAD OVERFLOWN WADSWORTH. KNOWING THAT I WAS LOW ON FUEL I CONTACTED CLEVELAND RADIO ON 122.35 WHERE THEY IMMEDIATELY TOLD ME TO CONTACT CLEVELAND APCH. WHERE THEY GAVE ME VECTORS AND A SQUAWK CODE. THEY LATER GAVE ME VECTORS TO LORAIN COUNTY AFTER I TOLD THEM THAT I WAS LOW ON FUEL. I THEN REALIZED THAT I ACCIDENTLY ENTERED THE CLEVELAND TCA. FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS SITUATION BEGAN WHEN I LEFT ZZU AND FLEW OFF COURSE. I DID NOT TAKE PROPER CORRECTIONS TO GET BACK ON COURSE. I SHOULD HAVE COMMUNICATED TO CAK APCH AND ASKED FOR A HDG; RV TO MY DEST. TO PREVENT THIS OCCURRENCE FROM HAPPENING AGAIN; I WOULD COMMUNICATE WITH THE APCH FACILITIES MORE OFTEN SINCE THEY ARE THERE TO HELP ME. I WILL ALSO KEEP BETTER TRACK OF MY FLT COURSE AS MY FLT PROGRESSES.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.