A PVT INST RATED PLT FLYING A PA28 BECOMES DISTR AFTER DEPARTING ADS VFR RESULTING IN AN INADVERTENT PENETRATION OF CLASS B AIRSPACE AT DFW.

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EVER HAVE ONE OF THOSE DAYS WHEN YOU JUST SHOULDN'T BE FLYING? THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE DAYS. MY FLT FROM GPM TO ADS HAD BEEN UNEVENTFUL; BUT UPON LEAVING ADDISON FOR LNC; ALL THAT CHANGED. IT SEEMED LIKE ALL I COULD DO WAS MADE ONE STUPID MISTAKE AFTER ANOTHER. CLBING OUT FROM ADDISON; I LOOKED AT MY DFW SECTIONAL; AND RECONFIRMED HOW CLOSE I WAS TO THE SURFACE AREA OF DFW'S CLASS B AIRSPACE. THEN; I REMEMBERED I HAD A DFW TERMINAL AREA CHART IN THE PLANE AND THAT MIGHT MAKE THE EXACT LIMITS OF THE DFW SURFACE AREA MORE CLR. SO I REACHED INTO THE POCKET I KEEP MY CHARTS IN; FOUND THE CHART; AND PROCEEDED TO OPEN IT UP. WHEN I LOOKED BACK AT MY ALTIMETER; I HAD CLBED ABOVE 2000 FT MSL AND WAS NOW CLRLY IN THE DFW CLASS B WITHOUT CLRNC. I IMMEDIATELY DSNDED OUT OF THE CLASS B. I CONTINUED LOOKING AT THE CHART AND AM STILL UNSURE WHETHER I BROKE THE LATERAL LIMITS OF THE CLASS B SURFACE AREA JUST S OF ADDISON. I HAD STARTED MY TURN TO THE E IN A TIMELY MANNER; BUT EVEN LOOKING AT THE CHART NOW; I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THE ROAD I WAS JUST S OF IS IN THE SURFACE AREA OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE OR THE AREA WHICH STARTS AT 2000 FT MSL. WHEN I WAS CLRLY E OF THE DFW SURFACE AREA; I TURNED ON A SOUTHERLY HDG TO PROCEED TO LANCASTER. ABOUT THAT TIME; I NOTICED I HAD LEFT MY PREVIOUS SQUAWK CODE IN THE XPONDER AS OPPOSED TO CHANGING IT BACK TO 1200. I QUICKLY CORRECTED THIS MISTAKE. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THE CTLRS WERE THINKING AS THEY WATCHED THIS UNCTLED ACFT CLB INTO THEIR AIRSPACE; AND THEN DSND OUT OF IT -- ALL WHILE SQUAWKING A CODE THAT WAS CLRLY NOT VFR. ONE WOULD HOPE THE SAGA ENDS THERE; BUT I WASN'T DONE WITH MY STUPID MISTAKES FOR THE DAY. I STOPPED AT LANCASTER AND REFUELED; AND THEN CLBING OUT OF LANCASTER; I REALIZED I HAD FAILED TO LATCH THE DOOR PROPERLY. ONCE I REACHED A SAFE ALT; I TESTED THE DOOR; AND IT DID NOT SEEM TO WANT TO MOVE IN ANY DIRECTION AT ALL. I DECIDED TO FLY BACK TO GRAND PRAIRIE WITH THE DOOR AS IT WAS; AS THE ONLY PROB IT SEEMED TO BE CAUSING WAS MORE COCKPIT NOISE THAN USUAL. LNDG AT GPM WAS UNEVENTFUL; AND THE UNLATCHED DOORS CAUSED NO PROB AT ALL. DID I DO ANYTHING RIGHT THIS DAY AT ALL? THE ANSWER IS A RESOUNDING 'YES!' I HAD BEEN PLANNING TO FLY TO FTW THAT EVENING FOR A MEETING. AFTER REALIZING I WAS NOT AS ON TOP OF THINGS AS I SHOULD BE; I DECIDED TO DRIVE RATHER THAN FLY. IT SEEMS THE ONLY THING I COULD DO RIGHT CONCERNING FLYING WAS NOT TO FLY AT ALL. THE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS I SHOULD TAKE TO CORRECT THESE ERRORS SEEM PRETTY OBVIOUS. 1) I SHOULD HAVE HAD MY TAC ALREADY OPENED; AND I SHOULD STUDY IT MORE THOROUGHLY BEFORE FLYING; WHEN PLANNING A FLT SO CLOSE TO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. 2) I TURNED MY XPONDER FROM 'ON' TO 'ALT.' AT THAT TIME I SHOULD ALWAYS RECONFIRM THE CODE I'M SQUAWKING (IN MOST CASES 1200).' 3) I SHOULD FOLLOW MY CHKLIST MORE CLOSELY; EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS IN A PLANE I FLY ON A REGULAR BASIS. I'VE TRIED TO CONSIDER WHAT FACTORS FIGURED INTO MY POOR PERFORMANCE THAT DAY; BECAUSE IT'S PAINFULLY OBVIOUS THERE WERE MANY. I HAD ADEQUATE REST THE NIGHT BEFORE; AND DON'T BELIEVE THAT WAS A FACTOR. I HAD ONLY EATEN A PIECE OF TOAST THAT MORNING; AND AN APPLE BEFORE THE FLT; AND IT WAS NOW XA30 LCL TIME; SO A LACK OF PROPER NUTRITION MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED. I WAS STRESSED BY SCHOOL STUDIES WHICH COULD BE A FACTOR. I FAILED TO PREPARE PROPERLY FOR THE FLT BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH A SHORT FLT. I HAVE A TENDENCY TO THINK THAT IT'S JUST A SHORT DISTANCE; NOT MUCH CAN HAPPEN. I CAN SEE THAT IS A HAZARDOUS ATTITUDE. ALSO; I FIND THAT WHEN I GO THROUGH A CHKLIST OVER AND OVER AS I HAVE FOR THIS PLANE; I QUIT PAYING ATTN TO IT. PHYSICALLY; I'M MOSTLY GOING THROUGH THE ACTIONS; BUT NOT MENTALLY PAYING ATTN TO EACH DETAIL. THAT ALLOWS THINGS LIKE AN UNLATCHED DOOR TO BE MISSED. FORTUNATELY; IN THIS CASE; IT'S SOMETHING THAT TURNS OUT TO BE INCONVENIENT; BUT NOT FATAL. IF I CONTINUE SKIPPING ITEMS ON A CHKLIST; WHO KNOWS WHEN THAT ONE DETAIL WILL BECOME SERIOUS.