LIGHT TIME GA PLT OF SMA ENTERS CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC AND LATER PASSES ANOTHER ACFT ON FINAL APCH TO ARB.

Narrative

I AM A STUDENT PLT AND WAS ON A LONG SOLO XCOUNTRY PHL TO TOL; TOL TO ARB; ARB TO PHN. ON APCH TO ARB; I CONTACTED THE TWR AND ASKED FOR PERMISSION TO LAND. I WAS ABOUT 12 MI TO THE SW; OR SO I THOUGHT. THEY RESPONDED BY TELLING ME TO RPT IN WHEN I WAS ON A 4 MI FINAL FOR RWY 6. THERE WAS VERY HVY RADIO TFC AND AIRPLANE TFC AT ARB. IT WAS VERY HARD FOR ME TO GET A BREAK IN WHICH TO TALK WITH THE TWR. I BEGAN LOOKING FOR THE ARPT AND RWY 6. I SAW IN THE DISTANCE TO MY NE WHAT I BELIEVED TO BE ARB RWY 6. WHEN I WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO ANNOUNCE TO ARB TWR I WAS 4 MI OUT; I WAS UNABLE TO GET MY RADIO XMISSION OVER THE OTHER RADIO TFC. AT THAT TIME I REALIZED THE ARPT WAS NOT ARB; BUT YIP AND THAT I HAD VIOLATED THEIR AIRSPACE UNINTENTIONALLY. I QUICKLY TURNED TO THE W AND HEADED FOR ARB (WHICH IS ONLY A FEW MI AWAY). WHEN I WAS OUT OF YIP AIRSPACE; ARB CALLED AND TOLD ME I HAD GONE INTO YIP AIRSPACE; AND ASKED ME TO CONTINUE BACK TO ARB ON A R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 6. I LOOKED AT MY SECTIONAL AND SAW THAT YIP HAS A RWY 5; WHICH IS WHY I MUST HAVE MISTAKEN IT FOR ARB RWY 6 AT A DISTANCE. THE LNDG INCURSION HAPPENED WHILE I WAS GOING BACK TO ARB (AFTER ENTERING YIP AIRSPACE BY MISTAKE). ARB TWR TOLD ME TO TURN AFTER THE CHEROKEE THAT WAS ON A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 6 (I WAS ON A R DOWNWIND). I SAW THE CHEROKEE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ARPT AND RPTED TO TWR THAT I HAD TFC IN SIGHT. THE RADIO TFC WAS NONSTOP BTWN THE TWR AND ACFT; AND I DON'T THINK THEY RECEIVED MY XMISSION BECAUSE THEY CAME BACK AND ASKED ME IF I SAW MY TFC TO FOLLOW TURNING BASE. I RESPONDED THAT I DID. AT THAT POINT I TURNED BASE AFTER GIVING THE CHEROKEE SOME TIME ON FINAL TO MAKE SURE WE HAD GOOD SPACING FOR LNDG. I ESTIMATE THAT I WAS 3 - 3 1/2 MI OUT AND THE CHEROKEE WAS 1 MI AHEAD OF ME. I WAS MAINTAINING PATTERN ALT (1500-1600 FT MSL) AND WAS WATCHING THE CHEROKEE AHEAD OF ME. THE CHEROKEE STARTED GETTING REALLY LOW (ABOUT 200-300 FT ABOVE THE TREE TOPS) AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING (THERE WAS NO RADIO COM FROM CHEROKEE TO TWR; BUT THE RADIO TFC MIGHT HAVE PREVENTED THAT). THEN THE CHEROKEE STARTED GETTING HIGHER AND WHEN HE CROSSED MY LEVEL OF SIGHT; I COULD TELL I WAS GAINING ON HIM. HE THEN WENT UP TO ABOUT 2000 FT OR 2200 FT AND WE WERE ABOUT LESS THAN 1 MI FROM RWY 6. THE CHEROKEE HAD CLRNC FROM TWR TO LAND; BUT IT DID NOT APPEAR HE WAS LNDG. I WAS TRYING TO RADIO THE TWR TO ASK FOR SPACING MANEUVERS; BUT THE RADIO TFC KEPT ME FROM GETTING THROUGH; AND BY THAT TIME I WAS GETTING VERY CLOSE TO THE CHEROKEE; SO I LOWERED MY ALT AND PASSED UNDERNEATH HIM; AT WHICH POINT THE TWR SAW WHAT I HAD DONE AND CLRED ME TO LAND AHEAD OF THE CHEROKEE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CHEROKEE WAS DOING; BECAUSE I WAS IN LNDG CONFIGN ONLY DOING ABOUT 80 KTS. I DIDN'T KNOW WHY I OVERTOOK HIM. I KNOW THAT NEXT TIME I WILL NOT WAIT FOR THE TWR TO RESPOND TO MY SPACING; I WILL DO MANEUVERS AS NEEDED AND INFORM THE TWR AFTERWARDS WHEN THERE IS SO MUCH RADIO TFC.