AN SPI SMA PLT GOT LOST AND WANDERED INTO THE SAN TCA.

Narrative

STUDENT DEPARTED CRQ TO PRACTICE TKOFS AND LNDGS AT L39. EXPERIENCED RADIO COM DIFFICULTIES. DUE TO DISTR; WIND DRIFT; AND HAZE; BECAME DISORIENTED AND MISSED LANDMARKS FOR TRIP TO RAMONA ARPT. FOUND HIMSELF IN THE SAN DIEGO TCA BTWN GILLISPIE ARPT AND MIRAMAR NAVAL AIR STATION. HE FOUND I-15 AND FOLLOWED IT N TO THE PRACTICE AREA; SWITCHED FUEL TANKS AND THEN PROCEEDED BACK TO PALOMAR ARPT. AS HIS CFI; I HAD FLOWN THE RTE TO L39 (RAMONA) WITH HIM THE PREVIOUS DAY. WE HAD GONE OVER THE SAN TCA MAP AND IDENTED PROMINENT LANDMARKS. THESE LANDMARKS WERE OBSCURED BY THE HAZE AND MISSED BECAUSE OF HIS DISTR WITH RADIO PROBLEMS. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL DISCUSS 'WHAT IF' SCENARIOS WITH STUDENTS TO HELP THEM WITH THEIR NAV. I'LL ALSO DEVELOP RADIO NAVAIDS TO HELP THEM BETTER CHK THEIR POSITIONS TO AVOID THE SAN TCA. ONCE STUDENT RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM AND HIS LOCATION; HE EXHIBITED GOOD JUDGEMENT IN GETTING OUT OF THE TCA AND IN MAINTAINING CTL OF THE ACFT. THIS WAS ONLY HIS SECOND UNSUPERVISED SOLO FLT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 225082. TWR CLRED ME TO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD AND WHEN I REPEATED THE INSTRUCTIONS I NOTICED THAT I COULD NO LONGER HEAR THE COM THROUGH MY HEADSET; A NEW BRAND X. I BECAME FIXATED ON THE RADIO PROBLEM. I TURNED TO A NORTHERLY HDG KNOWING THAT I WAS SURE TO FIND INTERSTATE 15 TO NAVIGATE N. I HAD ALLOWED MYSELF TO FLY RIGHT INTO THE MIRAMAR NAS CTL ZONE. I FOUND INTERSTATE 15 OFF MY L WING AND FOLLOWED THE HWY N TO A POINT WHERE I RECOGNIZED THE AREA.