PA28 STUDENT PLT ON FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY GETS LOST; FAILS TO MAINTAIN COM WITH ATC; VIOLATES ONT CLASS C AIRSPACE CAUSING POTENTIAL TFC CONFLICTS; AND CONTINUES TO DEST.

Narrative

I DEPARTED WITH CNO AS MY DEST. THIS WAS TO BE THE RETURN TRIP OF MY FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT AS PART OF MY PVT PLT TRAINING. THE TRIP HAD BEEN A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT TO NAV THAN I HAD EXPECTED; MAINLY DUE TO THE HAZE THAT COVERED THE AREA. AFTER REFUELING; I PHONED RIVERSIDE FSS TO FILE A FLT PLAN FOR 4500 FT CRUISE ALT. THAT WAS ONE IN A SERIES OF SMALL ERRORS THAT LED TO AN INCURSION OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE SURROUNDING ONT. I HAD PLANNED A NAV LOG FOR 6500 FT CRUISE ALT FOR THE RETURN TRIP; AND MAYBE DUE TO MENTAL FATIGUE OR THE HEAT OR AN UNNECESSARY FEELING OF URGENCY TO BE BACK BEFORE SUNSET I TOLD THE WX BRIEFER THAT I WOULD FLY AT 4500 FT. EVERYTHING WAS STILL GOING FINE UNTIL I WAS ABOUT MIDWAY THROUGH THE PASS AND PALM SPRINGS APCH RADIOED ME SAYING THAT THEY WOULD HAND ME OFF TO SOCAL APCH AND FOR ME TO CHANGE FREQ. UNFORTUNATELY; I BECAME DISTR BY SOME LIGHT-TO-MODERATE TURB AND FORGOT TO CHANGE FREQS. ONCE THROUGH THE PASS; I AGAIN ENCOUNTERED THE HAZE; WHICH BY NOW; COMBINED WITH THE GLARE FROM THE SETTING SUN; WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO NAV THROUGH. I CONTINUED TO FLY MY PLANNED VOR RADIAL TOWARDS RIR; MY NEXT VFR WAYPOINT. ALTHOUGH I SEARCHED IN VAIN FOR QUITE A WHILE; I DID NOT RADIO FOR HELP; THINKING THAT I WAS NOT REALLY LOST; AS I WAS STILL ON MY RADIAL AND KNEW WHERE BANNING PASS WAS. HAD I ATTEMPTED TO RADIO; I WOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT I WAS STILL TUNED INTO PALM SPRINGS; AND THE BULK OF MY PROBS WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. MUCH SOONER THAN I EXPECTED; I SAW ONT; WHAT LOOKED TO BE A FEW MI AWAY AND NOT WANTING TO ENTER THE CLASS C AIRSPACE; I TURNED L (S) AND FLEW TOWARDS CNO. WHAT I HAD UNWITTINGLY DONE WAS ENTER THE CORE OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE AND CROSS THE PATH OF DEPARTING COMMERCIAL ACFT; SO AS TO CAUSE ONE TO ALTER ITS TKOF CLB AND OTHERS TO BE DELAYED WHILE I VACATED THE AIRSPACE. I HAD ALSO BEGUN A DSCNT INTENDING TO LAND AT CNO; BUT WITH NO ABILITY TO CONTACT ME; SOCAL WAS LEFT TO WONDER AS TO MY INTENTIONS AND EVEN CONSIDERED INTERCEPTING ME. THIS PORTION WAS TOLD TO ME OVER THE PHONE BY A SOCAL SUPVR ONCE I HAD LANDED. THERE ARE MANY WAYS THAT THIS PROB COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED; AND UNFORTUNATELY; MOST OF THEM INVOLVE MAKING BETTER DECISIONS. FIRST; WHILE GOING THROUGH MY BEFORE TAXI CHKLIST; I NOTICED THAT THE GPS WAS NOT OPERATING. DURING SOME OF MY PREVIOUS FLTS; I HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED IN ITS USE; AND HAD BECOME COMFORTABLE IN KNOWING THAT I COULD USE IT AS A SAFETY NET IF ALL OTHER FORMS OF NAV FAILED ME; BUT I CHOSE TO FLY WITHOUT THE NAV CARD IN PLACE; NOT REALIZING JUST HOW USED TO ITS PRESENCE I HAD BECOME. SECOND; IN MY HASTE TO GET BACK IN THE AIR; I FILED MY FLT PLAN WITHOUT FIRST CONSULTING MY NAV LOG. HAD I DONE SO; I WOULD HAVE FILED FOR MY PLANNED CRUISING ALT; WHICH WOULD HAVE TAKEN ME OVER THE CLASS C AIRSPACE. I AM NOT QUITE CERTAIN WHY I FELT RUSHED AT ALL; BUT I REMEMBER FEELING SURPRISED THAT IT WAS 1 HR LATER THAN I HAD EXPECTED AND THAT I HAD BETTER GET BACK BEFORE SUNSET. I NOW KNOW THAT I SHOULD HAVE GIVEN MYSELF A FEW MORE MINS OF REST BEFORE MAKING ANY AVIATION RELATED DECISIONS. THIRD; I LET MYSELF BECOME DISTR WITH KEEPING THE PLANE STRAIGHT AND LEVEL TO THE POINT THAT I FAILED TO CHANGE FREQS WHEN NECESSARY. I HAD BEEN TAUGHT TO AVIATE FIRST; NAV SECOND; AND COM LAST; BUT IN RETROSPECT; ONCE I HAD STARTED COMS BY TELLING PALM SPRINGS THAT I WOULD CHANGE FREQ; I SHOULDN'T HAVE LET THE THERMALS JOSTLING THE PLANE PREVENT ME FROM DOING IT. FOURTH; I SHOULD HAVE ADMITTED TO MYSELF THAT I WAS LOST WHEN I COULDN'T FIND MY WAYPOINT AND RADIOED FOR HELP. IF I HAD; I WOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT I HAD NOT CHANGED FREQS AND CHANGED OVER BEFORE I FLEW TOO FAR IN THE WRONG DIRECTION (INTO THE CLASS C AIRSPACE). THIS IS PROBABLY THE TOUGHEST CORRECTION TO MAKE BECAUSE IT INVOLVES A CHANGE OF ATTITUDE TO ALLOW MYSELF THAT I WAS LOST. LASTLY; ONCE I SAW THAT I WAS NEAR OR IN ONTARIO'S AIRSPACE; I SHOULD NOT HAVE PANICKED; BUT INSTEAD RADIOED EITHER SOCAL OR ONT TO ASK FOR HELP IN LEAVING THEAIRSPACE SAFELY AND QUICKLY.