PLT LOST GEOGRAPHICALLY ENTERS CLASS B AIRSPACE. UNAUTH PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE. NIGHT OP; TRAINING IN PROGRESS.

Date: 1995-09 · Aircraft: Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|inflight-event-encounter-vfr-in-imc|other-airspace-violation-entry-or-exit

Synopsis

PLT LOST GEOGRAPHICALLY ENTERS CLASS B AIRSPACE. UNAUTH PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE. NIGHT OP; TRAINING IN PROGRESS.

Narrative

ON SEP/XX/95 I WAS ON A XCOUNTRY FLT THAT WOULD SATISFY THE LONG XCOUNTRY REQUIREMENT FOR THE COMMERCIAL PLT CERTIFICATE. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED DURING THE RETURN LEG FROM GSO TO W29; BAY BRIDGE; MD. BECAUSE MY DEP TIME FROM GSO WASN'T UNTIL PM00 I DECIDED TO PLOT A MORE DIRECT RTE BACK HOME. I HAD CALLED MY INSTRUCTOR AS AGREED UPON LNDG AT GSO AND HE EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT ME GETTING BACK BY NIGHTFALL. WE ALSO DISCUSSED MY NIGHT CURRENCY. I AM CURRENTLY DOING MY MULTI-ENG COMMERCIAL IN ADDITION TO THE SINGLE COMMERCIAL RATING. ALL MY CURRENT NIGHT TIME HAD BEEN IN THE TWIN WITH MY INSTRUCTOR. I PROMISED HIM THAT I WOULD LAND AT FKN ARPT; VA; TO REFUEL AND WOULD SPEND THE NIGHT THERE IF NECESSARY. I PLACED A CALL TO FRANKLIN TO ARRANGE FOR FUEL BUT NO ONE ANSWERED. WHEN I HAD LANDED THERE EARLIER THE FBO OPERATOR SAID TO GIVE HIM A CALL IF I WOULD BE LNDG AFTER XA00. NO ONE IS THERE TO FUEL AFTER XA00 UNLESS ARRANGEMENTS ARE MADE. I WAS ALREADY IN A HURRIED STATE AND THIS MADE IT WORSE. INSTEAD OF MAKING PLANS TO INCLUDE ANOTHER ARPT; I DECIDED TO PLOT A MORE DIRECT RTE TO W29; MAKING NO FUEL STOP. I THOUGHT 'I HAVE 22 GALLONS OF FUEL WITH A BURN OF 5 GPH. I HAVE AT LEAST 4:30 OF FUEL ON BOARD.' THIS WASN'T TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THAT I WOULD BE FLYING INTO A 16-17 KT HEADWIND. WINDS WERE 070 DEGS AT 16 KTS; OR MAGNETIC HDG 075 DEGS. MY GND SPD COMPUTED AT 59-60 MPH. HAD I STOPPED TO CONSIDER THESE THINGS THE SERIES OF ERRORS IN MY FLYING JUDGEMENT WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. GET HOMEITIS WAS IN FULL BLOOM. I TOOK OFF FROM GSO ABOUT PM00. IT WAS BRIGHT AND SUNNY. MY PILOTAGE WAS DEAD ON. LATER ON I WOULD TRACK THE LVL BRUNSWICK VOR THEN TO THE HOPEWELL VOR THEN TRACK INBOUND TO BWI AND ASK FOR VECTORS TO W29. THE FIRST PART WENT WELL; CRUISING AT 3500 FT WITH THE ENG LEANED OUT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE FOR FUEL ECONOMY. THINGS DETERIORATED AS DARKNESS FELL. AFTER PASSING LVL VOR; I COULD NOT GET A RELIABLE SIGNAL FROM HOPEWELL SO I CLBED TO 5500 FT PASSING RICHMOND TUNING IN TO BWI VOR. AT THIS POINT I WAS SCARED BECAUSE I WAS BASICALLY NAVING BY VOR ONLY AND SOMETHING ELSE BEGAN TO HAPPEN. THE LIGHTS ON THE GND BECAME FUZZY; APPARENTLY I WAS FLYING ABOVE A THIN CLOUD LAYER. MY INST TRAINING DEFINITELY HELPED ME HERE; BUT HERE I WAS FLYING ABOVE THE CLOUDS AT NIGHT ON A VFR FLT PLAN. I FELT TOTALLY ALONE. I DON'T KNOW WHY I DIDN'T CONTACT RICHMOND AND ASK FOR FLT FOLLOWING TO W29. GET HOMEITIS I GUESS; I PUSHED ON. I FIGURED I SHOULD BE SEEING THE CITY LIGHTS OF THE VIRGINIA/WASHINGTON; DC; METRO AREA BY THIS TIME BUT I COULD NOT SEE ANY LIGHTS IN THE DISTANCE. I COULD SEE LIGHTS ON THE GND; EVEN A LIGHTED TENNIS COURT. I DECIDED TO DSND TO 3500 FT. AS I DSNDED I COULD SEE THAT I WAS GOING THROUGH LIGHT CLOUDS AND STAYED ON INSTS TILL I CAME THROUGH. I WAS VERY; VERY LUCKY. I'VE HEARD INSTRUCTORS SAY NEVER GO INTO CLOUDS YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT COULD BE INSIDE. I CONTACTED ANDREWS AFB; GAVE THEM MY REQUEST. I WAS INBOUND TO W29 AND WOULD APPRECIATE RADAR VECTORS TO W29. HE ASKED MY ALT; GAVE ME A XPONDER CODE; THEN ASKED ME TO IDENT. I DID AND HE TOLD ME THAT I WAS ABOUT 16 MI S OF ANDREWS AND THAT AT MY ALT OF 3500 FT I WAS IN DCA APCH AIRSPACE. I HAD INCURRED ON DCA'S AIRSPACE AND ADDED TO MY MULTITUDE OF ERRORS A CLASS B INCURSION WAS ANOTHER MISTAKE. I WAS HANDED OVER TO DCA APCH AND WITHIN 10 MINS I WAS IN THE PATTERN TO W29. I LANDED WITH LESS THAN 30 MINS OF FUEL WHICH IS ANOTHER MISTAKE. GET HOMEITIS PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN THIS FLT FULL OF ERRORS ALONG WITH POOR PLANNING OF THAT FLT SEGMENT; FLYING WITH LITTLE OR NO NIGHT CURRENCY. FORTUNATELY; I AM STILL REVIEWING THIS FLT AND PLAN NEVER TO REPEAT THESE ERRORS AGAIN.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.