FATIGUE; BAD WEATHER AND LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH NAV EQUIPMENT RESULTS IN EARLY DESCENT AND TERRAIN WARNING INSTIGATED GAR FOR PA28 PLT.

Narrative

AFTER A LONG DAY OF FLYING THAT STARTED AT XA00 WHEN I LEFT HOME; I MADE A MISTAKE WHILE PROGRAMMING THE GPS (GARMIN 430) WHILE ON APCH TO LINCOLN (LNK). AS I WAS GETTING VECTORED FOR THE APCH TO LNK; I WAS ALSO SETTING UP THE APCH IN THE GARMIN 430. AT 10 OR 15 MI FROM CLONE; I WAS TOLD TO MAINTAIN 3000 FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED ON THE APCH. I FLEW INBOUND TO CONE AND THE NEEDLE ON THE CDI WAS CTRED. THE GS WAS FULLY DISPLACED UP. AS I GOT CLOSER TO CLONE; THE GS STARTED TO COME DOWN. WHEN IT WAS CTRED; I STARTED MY DSCNT. UNFORTUNATELY; I WAS NOT SET UP ON THE ILS FREQ. I THOUGHT THAT THE GPS AUTOMATICALLY SWITCHED FOR ME (MY MISTAKE; LATE AND TIRED). I FLEW THE GS OR WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A CTRED GS DOWN TO 500 FT AGL. AT THAT POINT THE GARMIN 430 SHOWED ME YELLOW TERRAIN PROBS. I IMMEDIATELY INITIATED A CLB AND CLBED BACK TO 3000 FT MSL. AT THE SAME TIME THE GPS WENT INTO TERRAIN EMER; I GOT A PANICKED CALL FROM THE TWR CTLR. AS I HAD ALREADY INITIATED THE CLB; I ROGERED THE CALL AND CONTINUED INBOUND ON THE ILS AFTER SWITCHING THE FREQ ON THE ILS. I FLEW THE ILS WITH NO FURTHER PROBS. I AM VERY GLAD THAT THE GPS HAD TERRAIN ALERT ON IT. I'M ALSO VERY GLAD THAT THE TWR CTLRS TOOK GOOD CARE OF ME. I FEEL THAT MY LONG DAY ALONG WITH NIGHT IFR AND A LOT OF PLT WORKLOAD CONTRIBUTED HEAVILY TO MY PROB ON THE APCH. I THINK THAT HAD I HAD AN AUTOPLT; TAKEN A BIT MORE TIME; AND WORKED A BIT MORE ON MY SITUATIONAL AWARENESS; I WOULD HAVE CAUGHT MY PROBS ON THE APCH. I ALSO THINK THAT ONE THING THAT CONTRIBUTED TO MY CONFUSION WAS THE GREEN LOC PERFORMANCE WITH VERT GUIDANCE BOX ON THE GARMIN 430 DISPLAY. I TOOK THAT TO MEAN THAT IT WAS SET UP CORRECTLY. I ALSO NEVER HEARD ANY OF THE MARKER BEACONS WHILE ON THE APCH; BUT I KNOW I TURNED THAT ON. I REALIZE THAT I WAS LUCKY AND I HOPE THAT THIS RPT HELPS OTHER PLTS NOT MAKE A MISTAKE THAT WAS MORE OF A TRAGEDY.