BRAND NEW PVT PLT GETS LOST ON NIGHTTIME VFR FLT TO C29. FINDS AN ARPT AND LANDS. IT WAS ORD.

Narrative

I FLEW A C172 FROM C29 TO C35 DURING DAYLIGHT HRS AT XA30 ON MAY/TUE/04; I PREFLTED PLANE FOR RETURN FLT TO C29. THE LIGHTING ON THE INST PANEL SEEMED FAINT; BUT THE ARPT PAD WAS WELL LIT. I ADJUSTED THE RHEOSTAT ON THE INST PANEL AND DEPARTED. ONCE ALOFT; I COULD NO LONGER EASILY READ MY INSTS. RELYING ON THE COMPASS; I BECAME LOST. I COULDN'T READ THE CLOCK AND LOST TRACK OF TIME. AFTER SEARCHING FOR AN ARPT TO PUT THE PLANE DOWN; I SAW AN ARPT WITH ONE RWY OPEN. I SAW A PLANE APCHING. I MAINTAINED SAFE DISTANCE AND FOLLOWED IT IN AND LANDED. IT WAS O'HARE ARPT. I TOOK THE FIRST TXWY OFF THE RWY AND PULLED THE PLANE OFF AND SHUT IT DOWN. I HAD NOT DECLARED AN EMER; AND WAS NOT IN RADIO CONTACT WITH THE TWR. HUMAN PERFORMANCE: I HAVE VERY LIMITED NIGHT FLT EXPERIENCE. I DID NOT REALIZE MY INSTS WERE NOT LIT UNTIL I WAS ALOFT. I CONTINUED TO LOOK FOR AN ARPT TO PUT THE PLANE DOWN WITHOUT DECLARING AN EMER AND ASKING FOR HELP. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE PLT WAS ESCORTED TO A LCL FBO OFFICE AND INTERVIEWED BY REPRESENTATIVES OF A VARIETY OF AGENCIES. RPTR STATED THAT HE IS CONCERNED BY HIS PERFORMANCE AND HAS HIRED LEGAL COUNSEL TO ADVISE HIM. TO THIS DATE; HE HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED AGAIN BY ANY AGENCY. RPTR STATED HE HAS REVIEWED HIS PERFORMANCE AND INTENDS TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH HIS FLT INSTRUCTOR REFRESHING HIS KNOWLEDGE OF HIS OPTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN EMER SITS.