AN INEXPERIENCED PLT BECAME DISORIENTED AND STRAYED INTO PBI CLASS C AIRSPACE WITHOUT ESTABLISHING 2-WAY RADIO COMS.

Date: 1999-08 · Aircraft: Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer

Anomalies: airspace-violation-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

AN INEXPERIENCED PLT BECAME DISORIENTED AND STRAYED INTO PBI CLASS C AIRSPACE WITHOUT ESTABLISHING 2-WAY RADIO COMS.

Narrative

I STARTED MY FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY. SHORTLY AFTER DEP; I OPENED MY VFR FLT PLAN FROM PHK TO SUA WITH MIA RADIO 122.35. AS I CLBED TO MY CRUISING ALT OF 3500 FT MSL; I RECEIVED VFR FLT FOLLOWING FROM PBI APCH ON 124.60. BEFORE I ARRIVED AT MY FIST CHK POINT; I REQUESTED A DSCNT TO 2000 FT MSL TO MAINTAIN VFR CLOUD CLRNCS. DURING MY DSCNT I MADE SOME TURNS TO FURTHER MAINTAIN VFR. AT THIS POINT I BECAME DISORIENTED AS TO MY POS. I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE CONTACTED PBI AND TELL THEM OF MY DISORIENTATION BUT IT WAS AT THAT POINT THAT I FELT I HAD SPOTTED LANDMARKS THAT LED ME TO BELIEVE I WAS BACK ON MY COURSE. I EVENTUALLY THOUGHT THAT I WAS N OF STUART ARPT BECAUSE I COULD SEE AN ARPT SEVERAL MI TO THE S. IN MY RELIEF TO SEE WHAT I THOUGHT WAS SUA; I LISTENED TO THE ADVISORIES OF PBI APCH; YET; NERVOUS; I DID NOT FULLY THINK ABOUT WHAT THE CTLR WAS ACTUALLY TELLING ME. THIS WAS JUST ONE OF MY LINKS IN A CHAIN OF ERRORS I MADE THAT FLT. AT THIS POINT; I CANCELED FLT FOLLOWING; BELIEVING I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT; AND SOON AFTER CANCELED MY VFR FLT PLAN WITH MIA RADIO. THE CLOSER I GOT TO THE ARPT; I BEGAN SPEAKING WITH SUA TWR ON 126.6. ABOUT 1 1/2 - 2 MI FROM THE ARPT I SAW A LARGE ACFT AT MY 3 O'CLOCK POS. AT THIS POINT I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG. ABOUT TO MAKE A RADIO CALL I WAS CONTACTED BY SUA TWR TO CONTACT PBI APCH. I WAS TOLD BY EITHER SUA TWR OR PALM BEACH APCH TO MAKE A SHARP L TURN (BEING NERVOUS I DON'T REMEMBER WHICH ONE TOLD ME THIS). I WAS THEN VECTORED TO THE E TO THE COAST LINE. I; AT THIS POINT (UPON REACHING THE COAST LINE) REALIZED I HAD BEEN IN CLASS C AIRSPACE. I THEN PROCEEDED N TO SUA AND LANDED.

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