PLT OF C172 PRACTICING NIGHT OPS BECOMES DISORIENTED; MISREADS ALTIMETER AND DSNDS TO 400 FT AGL. CONTACT WITH THE TWR MAKES PLT AWARE OF THE TERRAIN PROX.

Narrative

I FLEW FROM ORL TO LEE TO PRACTICE NIGHT LNDGS; LEAVING ORL AT DUSK AND ARRIVING AT LEE AFTER DARK. ENRTE; I TURNED ON THE INTERIOR LIGHTS. I DID 3 FULL STOP LNDGS AND THEN HEADED BACK TO ORL. DURING CLBOUT; I NOTICED THAT THE LITTLE LIGHT ON THE ADF; WHICH I WAS NOT EVEN USING; WAS NOT LIT; SO I PULLED THE BULB OUT AND REPLACED IT; TRYING TO GET IT TO LIGHT. I LEVELED OUT WHEN I THOUGHT I HAD REACHED 1600 FT MSL. I FLEW ABOUT HALF OF THE 30 NM DISTANCE; THEN DSNDED 200 FT TO REMAIN CLR OF THE ORLANDO INTL CLASS B AIRSPACE. THROUGHOUT THE FLT BACK; EVERYTHING JUST LOOKED STRANGE. I AM FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA AND KNEW THE HEADING NEEDED TO GET BACK. I ALSO HAD A GPS; WHICH TOLD ME I WAS WHERE I THOUGHT I WAS; BUT THE LANDMARKS THAT I WAS EXPECTING DIDN'T LOOK RIGHT; WHEN I COULD FIND THEM AT ALL. I SAW THE LIGHTS OF A TWR DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME AND THE TWR LOOKED A LOT HIGHER THAN I REMEMBERED IT TO BE; IN FACT; IT SEEMED TO BE AT MY ALT. I CHANGED COURSE TO GIVE IT A WIDE BERTH; ALL THE WHILE WONDERING WHY I DIDN'T REMEMBER ANY TWR THIS TALL IN THE AREA. I SAW LAKE APOPKA BUT COULDN'T FIND ORLANDO COUNTY ARPT. FINALLY I COULD SEE THE TALL DOWNTOWN ORLANDO BUILDINGS. I COULD NOT SEE THE ARPT; BUT KNEW THAT IT WAS JUST E OF DOWNTOWN. I HAVE DONE A FAIR BIT OF NIGHT FLYING; BUT HAVE ONLY MADE ONE OTHER NIGHT FLT RECENTLY. I WAS GETTING DISORIENTED BUT DIDN'T REALIZE IT. I RATIONALIZED THAT THE REASON EVERYTHING LOOKED SO ODD WAS BECAUSE I WAS USED TO SEEING THE LANDMARKS BY DAY. WHEN I WAS 6 NM OUT; I CALLED THE TWR AND ANNOUNCED MY LOCATION AND INTENTIONS. THE CTLR ASKED MY LOCATION AND I REPEATED IT. HE HAD ME RECYCLE MY XPONDER; THEN ANNOUNCED THAT I WAS AT 400 FT MSL. OOPS. THAT WAS WHY EVERYTHING LOOKED SO ODD; I WAS USED TO SEEING IT FROM 1000 FT HIGHER. I QUICKLY CLBED TO 1000 FT MSL AND CONTINUED TO THE ARPT. THE CTLR TOLD ME TO ENTER BASE FOR RWY 7. AFTER AWHILE; I NOTICED THAT I COULD NO LONGER SEE DOWNTOWN AND HAD LOST THE ARPT. I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE I WAS WHEN THE CTLR TOLD ME THAT I WAS OVER THE ARPT AND TO MAKE A SHARP TURN TO AVOID THE CLASS B. I HAD 2 VORS; DME; GPS AND A SECTIONAL; AND DIDN'T REALIZE THAT I WAS DIRECTLY OVER THE ARPT UNTIL THE CTLR TOLD ME. I HAVE BEEN FLYING IN THIS AREA SINCE 1991 AND NORMALLY ORIENT MYSELF VIA GND REF AND A SECTIONAL; AND AN OCCASIONAL GLANCE AT THE VOR; DME OR GPS. MY FIRST MISTAKE WAS TO ALLOW MYSELF TO BECOME DISTRACTED DURING CLBOUT; ESPECIALLY TRYING TO FIX SOMETHING THAT I WAS NOT EVEN GOING TO NEED. THE SECOND WAS MISREADING THE ALTIMETER. I THINK THAT WAS PARTLY BECAUSE IT WAS NIGHT AND I WAS LOOKING AT IT LIT UP. I ASSUMED THAT IT LOOKED A LITTLE DIFFERENT BECAUSE IT WAS NIGHT. THE NEXT MISTAKE WAS WHEN I FAILED TO SEE WHY EVERYTHING LOOKED DIFFERENT; ESPECIALLY A TWR IN THE AREA THAT IS 372 FT MSL. I HAVE DONE ENOUGH FLYING IN THIS AREA TO KNOW THAT THERE IS NOT A 1000 FT HIGH TWR OVER THERE. THEN WHEN I FIRST LOST SIGHT OF DOWNTOWN AND COULDN'T FIND THE ARPT; I SHOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY ASKED THE TWR FOR GUIDANCE. I RELATED MY STORY TO AN INSTRUCTOR; WHO TOLD ME THAT OTHERS HAVE BOTH MISREAD THE ALTIMETER AND GOTTEN DISORIENTED. JUST BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE DONE THE SAME IS NO EXCUSE FOR MY DOING THIS. I NEED TO BE MORE CAREFUL WHEN READING THE ALTIMETER; AND IF THINGS LOOK ODD; I NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHY. AND; IF I AM EVER AGAIN NEAR THE ARPT AND CANNOT SEE IT; I NEED TO ASK FOR HELP INSTEAD OF BLINDLY CONTINUING.