PVT PLT OF A C152 INADVERTENTLY ENTERED CLASS B AIRSPACE DURING A NIGHT XCOUNTRY FLT.
Synopsis
PVT PLT OF A C152 INADVERTENTLY ENTERED CLASS B AIRSPACE DURING A NIGHT XCOUNTRY FLT.
Narrative
PLANNED NIGHT SIGHTSEEING FLT WITH PAX FROM ARB TO LAKE ERIE SHORE AND RETURN. PLAN WAS TO FOLLOW HWY (RTE 23) S TO TOWN OF MILAN; THEN FLY COMPASS HDG TO PWR PLANT COOLING TWRS ON COAST. RETURN OVER SAME PATH. FROM TWRS TO MILAN WAS 20 NM. BRIEFER FORECAST WINDS AT 3000 FT TO BE 260 DEGS AT 27 KTS; AND CARLETON VORTAC OTS. PLOTTED TRUE COURSE OF 116 DEGS; USED 30 KTS AT 260 DEGS FOR A HDG OF 127 DEGS OUTBOUND AND 285 DEGS RETURN. PLANNED TO STAY UNDER 3000 FT LEVEL OF DTW CLASS B. DEPARTED ARB AND FLEW OVER MILAN; WIND APPEARED STRONGER THAN FORECAST BUT DID NOT RE-EVALUATE BECAUSE OF SHORT FLT AND GOOD VISIBILITY. FLEW HDG OF 140 DEGS (SEEMED ABOUT RIGHT) AND USED CUSTER ARPT BEACON AS NAVAID. ARRIVED OVER COAST 5 MI S OF PLOTTED COURSE LINE; SO ASSUMED THAT EXCESS CORRECTION WAS EXCESSIVE. FLEW N TO ORIGINAL COURSE LINE CHKPOINT (COOLING TWRS ON DTW 17 NM RADIAL). FLEW 285 DEG HDG FOR A FEW MINS; NOTED MILAN ON WRONG SIDE OF NOSE; TURNED FARTHER S AND DSNDED. WAS NOT LOOKING OUT R SIDE OF PLANE FOR DTW BECAUSE OF PAX PARTIALLY BLOCKING VIEW; AND BECAUSE MY USUAL PAX IS AN EXPERIENCED OBSERVER AND NAVIGATOR. HAD REPEATEDLY CHKED DIRECTIONAL GYRO AGAINST MAGNETIC COMPASS. WAS NOT SURE OF GND TRACK; BUT KNEW I WAS N OF PLANNED TRACK AND POSSIBLY IN DTW AIRSPACE. CONTINUED TO TURN S AND DSND TO 1700 FT UNTIL N OF MILAN; THEN LANDED AT ARB. SURFACE WINDS WERE MUCH STRONGER THAN THEY HAD BEEN WHEN DEPARTING AN HR EARLIER. LACK OF RECENT FLYING EXPERIENCE CONTRIBUTED TO LACK OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. CLOSEST NAVAID WAS OTS; AND FORGOT TO USE THE DXO VOR BECAUSE THE COMPASS ROSE DOESN'T SHOW ON THE SECTIONAL; AND I HAD NEVER USED IT BEFORE. HAD ALWAYS USED CRL FOR FLTS IN THAT DIRECTION. I FIXATED ON LOOKING FORWARD INSTEAD OF OUT OF BOTH SIDES OF THE AIRPLANE. NAVAID USED (SVM) GAVE NO INFO ABOUT N/S POS -- PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE USED JXN. SHOULD HAVE USED MORE WIND CORRECTION; BUT OUTBOUND LEG HAD SHOWN ADDED CORRECTION TO BE EXCESSIVE. I LACK XCOUNTRY EXPERIENCE WITH STRONG XWINDS. THOUGHT I COULD DO IT VISUALLY BUT GOT DISORIENTED.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.