C172 PLT ENTERED IAD CLASS B WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative

FLT FOLLOWING. AT FREDERICK; MD (FDK); I WAS WITH ZDC. I HAD LOST MY LORAN ON THE FLT DOWN; AND HAD ONLY A VOR FOR NAV. I HAD NO DISTANCE MEASURING EQUIP. ZDC PASSED ME TO DULLES APCH; AND I CONTACTED DULLES. THE PERSON IN THE R SEAT; MY HUSBAND; A PVT PLT; WAS CHANGING VOR FREQS ON THE MX300. WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE; HE PUSHED THE COM FLIP/FLOP BUTTON; AND SWITCHED ME OFF DULLES APCH. I CONTINUED HOLDING MY HEADING; THINKING DULLES WOULD CONTACT ME. WHEN I DID NOT HEAR ACFT X CALL; I CALLED DULLES APCH. THE CTLR CAME BACK; AND SAID HE WAS ZDC; AND TOLD ME TO CONTACT DULLES APCH ON 133.15 (I BELIEVE). I LOOKED AT MY RADIO; AND REALIZED THE FREQS HAD BEEN SWITCHED. I CONTACTED DULLES APCH. BY THIS TIME; I HAD ENTERED DULLES CLASS B AIRSPACE. UPON THINKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED; AND ANALYZING WHY I DID WHAT I DID; THE PRIMARY FACTOR; IN MY OPINION; IS LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN CLASS B AIRSPACE. I HAVE NAVED THROUGH THE WASHINGTON TRI-AREA TERMINAL ON TRIPS TO FLORIDA WITHOUT A PROB; BUT EXPERIENCED SMOOTH HDOFS; AND I HAD DISTANCE MEASURING EQUIP FUNCTIONING. I ALSO HAVE NAVED TO MANASSAS (FDK); AND LANDED; COMING UP FROM FLORIDA; AND NAVED BACK TO ELM; FROM THERE. BUT; ONLY TWICE; IN 1998 AND 1999. THE MAJORITY OF MY FLYING EXPERIENCE OCCURS LOCALLY; FROM ELMIRA; AND DEALS WITH CLASS C -- CLASS G AIRSPACE. COMPOUNDING THE LACK OF EXPERIENCE WITH CLASS B AIRSPACE WAS THE FACTOR OF LOSING DISTANCE MEASURING EQUIP.