AFTER MISIDENTIFYING A LANDMARK A PLT TURNS IN THE WRONG DIRECTION TO RETURN TO BASE. AFTER DISCOVERING THE ERROR IT IS DETERMINED THAT HE IS INSIDE THE NY ADIZ BY 7 MILES.
Synopsis
AFTER MISIDENTIFYING A LANDMARK A PLT TURNS IN THE WRONG DIRECTION TO RETURN TO BASE. AFTER DISCOVERING THE ERROR IT IS DETERMINED THAT HE IS INSIDE THE NY ADIZ BY 7 MILES.
Narrative
I BEGAN MY FLT OUT OF ISLIP ARPT HDG E TOWARDS SMITHS POINT PARK. JUST PRIOR TO SMITHS POINT PARK; I REQUESTED A RADAR PUNCH-OUT AND WAS ADVISED TO SQUAWK 1200. THE WINDS AT 3000 FT WERE 080 DEGS AT 33 KTS. I WAS PERFORMING MANEUVERS FOR ABOUT 50 MINS TO AN HOUR (STEEP TURNS; STALLS; SLOW FLT; CONSTANT RATE CLIMBS AND DESCENTS; ETC). I DECIDED TO HEAD BACK TO ISLIP ARPT. WHEN I LOOKED DOWN AT THE GND I SAW WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE SMITHS POINT BRIDGE. THINKING THAT I WAS E OF SMITHS POINT; I BEGAN TO HEAD W TO AN AREA CLOSER TO ISLIP BEFORE CONTACTING NY APCH. I WAS ONLY ON A WBOUND HDG FOR A COUPLE OF MINS WHEN I REALIZED MY MISTAKE. I HAD MISTAKEN THE ROBERT MOSSES BRIDGE (MARKED CAPTREE BRIDGE ON THE SECTIONAL) FOR THE SMITHS POINT BRIDGE. UPON REALIZING MY MISTAKE; I IMMEDIATELY TURNED AROUND TO A HDG OF 090 DEGS AND AT THE ACFT'S BEST SPEED I DEPARTED THE AREA. WHILE DOING THIS; I CHKED THE SECTIONAL AND THOUGHT THAT I WAS JUST AT THE BOUNDARY OF THE ADIZ ZONE. WHILE PERFORMING THE MANEUVERS THE WIND MUST HAVE BLOWN ME FURTHER W THAN WHAT I HAD REALIZED. AFTER LNDG I WAS ADVISED TO CALL NY TRACON; WHO INFORMED ME THAT I WAS 7 NM IN THE ADIZ ZONE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.