C172 HEARING IMPAIRED STUDENT ENTERED ORD CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative

STUDENT PLT DEPARTED RWY 36 AT CLOW INTL ARPT. DEST WAS DUPAGE ARPT TO PERFORM THE REQUIRED 3 SOLO TKOF AND LNDGS (AT A TWRED ARPT) FOR THE PVT LICENSE. SINCE THE PLT IS DEAF; PRIOR PERMISSION; DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO ENTER THE CLASS D AIRSPACE AND A SQUAWK CODE OF 5151 WERE GIVEN TO THE PLT BY HIS INSTRUCTOR AND THE DPA TWR; APPROX 1/2 HR BEFORE DEP. SINCE THE FLT WAS REQUIRED FOR HIS TRAINING; THE STUDENT AND HIS INSTRUCTOR HAD BEEN TO DUPAGE TWICE BEFORE. FOR NAV ON BOTH FLTS; THE PLT RELIED ON THE FERMI LABS BUILDING AS THE MAIN VISUAL CHKPOINT AND USED HIS SECTIONAL FOR ADDITIONAL POINTS. UPON DEP; THE PLT TURNED TOWARDS A BUILDING HE BELIEVED WAS FERMI LABS. WITHOUT CHKING THE DIRECTIONAL GYRO (HDG INDICATOR) THE PLT TURNED TO THE R (A HDG OF NE) AND NOT TO THE L (TOWARDS THE NW) TOWARDS DUPAGE. AS THE PLT FLEW TOWARDS THE BUILDING; HE GOT DISTR BY LOOKING AT HIS DIRECTIONS FOR ENTRY INTO THE CLASS D AIRSPACE AND NOT AT HIS HDG INDICATOR. THE PLT SAW THE DES PLAINES RIVER; BELIEVING IT TO BE THE FOX RIVER; AND CONTINUED ON AT AN ALT OF 2500 FT MSL. APPROX 15 MINS INTO THE FLT; THE PLT RECOGNIZED MIDWAY ARPT ON THE GND. REALIZING HE WAS NOT WHERE HE WANTED TO BE; THE PLT TURNED TO THE R TO A HDG OF N; THINKING HE HAD TURNED TO THE W; BEGAN A DSCNT TO 1700 FT MSL AND SQUAWKED 7700 FT ON THE XPONDER. THE PLT THEN TRIED TO FLY TOWARDS DUPAGE ARPT USING THE DPA VOR; BUT HE WAS UNABLE TO GET A CLR TO/FROM INDICATION AND A CTRED NEEDLE. (SINCE THE PLT IS PARTIALLY DEAF; HE WAS UNABLE TO HEAR A MORSE CODE IDENT. HE THEN TRIED TO TUNE IN THE JOT VOR TO FIND HIS WAY BACK TO CLOW; BUT COULDN'T GET A CLR INDICATION OF TO/FOM. (WE BELIEVE HIS LOW ALT MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS PROB AS WELL AS HIS PANICKED STATE OF MIND MAY HAVE CAUSED HIM TO TWIST THE NEEDLE WITHOUT GIVING IT A CHANCE TO CTR; SINCE THERE WERE NO NOTAMS OF EITHER VOR BEING INOP.) AT THIS POINT; THE PLT WAS IN A STATE OF PANIC AND LOST; SAW AN ARPT BENEATH HIM AND LANDED THE AIRPLANE. THE PLT WAS PICKED UP BY HIS INSTRUCTOR AT SCHAUMBURG ARPT AND THEY RETURNED TO CLOW. SINCE THE PLT MUST GO TO A TWRED ARPT; CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN WILL CONSIST OF THE PLT USING THE TAC CHART INSTEAD OF SECTIONAL FOR ALL NAV WITHIN THE CLASS B AREA; USING MORE THAN 1 CHKPOINT FOR NAV; AND MORE IN-DEPTH TRAINING ON VOR USAGE; FOCUSING ON FINDING ARPTS USING THE VORS.