PVT PLT OF A PIPER PA28-180 BECAME DISORIENTED DURING A LOW ALT FLT UNDERNEATH AN OVCST RESULTING IN PENETRATING A CLASS D; AND THEN CLASS B AIRSPACE. HE BECAME REORIENTED AND EXITED THE PENETRATED AIRSPACE.

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ON SEP/XA/97 I WAS FLYING ABOUT 1800-2000 FT JUST N OF HVN. CLOUDS WERE LOW; BUT VISIBILITY WAS GREATER THAN 6 MI. I WAS NAVING TO THE CARMEL VOR (CMK). ONCE THERE; I WOULD BEGIN NAVING TO SPARTA VOR (SAX). I THOUGHT THINGS WERE PROCEEDING NORMALLY TO CMK. I BEGAN IDENTING WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE HUDSON RIVER. HOWEVER; AS I GOT CLOSER; IT BEGAN TO LOOK A LITTLE BIGGER THAN USUAL. A QUICK LOOK AT MY COMPASS SHOWED A SOUTHERLY HDG. THE DIRECTIONAL GYRO AGREED. I BECAME TOTALLY CONFUSED. I BEGAN TO ASCERTAIN WHERE I WAS. IT APPEARED I WAS OVER GREENWICH; CT; HEADED PRETTY MUCH FOR LGA. THE HUDSON RIVER SEEMED BIGGER BECAUSE IT WAS ACTUALLY LONG ISLAND SOUND. I HAD JUST FLOWN RIGHT PAST HPN; PROBABLY AROUND 5 MI; MAYBE LESS; FROM HPN WITHOUT REALIZING IT. ONCE I BEGAN TO DETERMINE MY LOCATION I BEGAN TO GET BACK ON COURSE. I TURNED NW AND ATTEMPTED TO NAV SW OF HPN BUT NE OF THE NEW YORK CLASS B AIRSPACE. I WAS AT ABOUT 1500 FT. I IDENTED THE YONKERS RACEWAY AND TURNED MORE NORTHERLY AND CONTINUED ON COURSE TO MY DEST. I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA HOW THIS OCCURRED. I WAS ABOUT 90 DEGS OFF COURSE THINKING EVERYTHING WAS GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN. I DO NOT REMEMBER MAKING ANY SIGNIFICANT HDG CHANGES JUST PRIOR WHICH MIGHT EXPLAIN 90 DEGS. I NEVER ENTERED LGA OR BDR VORS INTO THE NAV RADIOS; SO WAS NOT LIKELY NAVING TO THE WRONG VOR. I HAD BEEN USING HVN AND CMK VORS FOR DISTANCE VERIFICATION MONITOR THROUGH THE DME. COMPLACENCY OF ANY SORT SHOULD BE ELIMINATED BY CONSTANT VIGILANCE.