SMA PLT ENROUTE ARPT UNDER EDGE OF ARSA PENETRATED ARSA AIRSPACE.

Narrative

ON X JAN 1988; A VFR FLT WAS PLANNED ORIGINATING AT MC KENZIE; TN AND WAS TO CONCLUDE AT SMYRNA; TN. A WX BRIEFING WAS OBTAINED ON THE MORNING OF X JAN; WHICH INDICATED WINDS AT 3000' AT 280 DEGS WITH RPTED VIS AT NASHVILLE OF 12 MI. IN PLOTTING THE COURSE; I HAD PROPOSED TO FLY DIR UNTIL I ARRIVED AT THE BOUNDARY OF THE NASHVILLE ARSA; AT WHICH TIME I HAD PLANNED TO FLY SLIGHTLY S AND COME INTO SMYRNA FROM THE S. THIS WOULD DIRECT ME CLR OF ANY INTERFERENCE WITH THE ARSA. ADDITIONALLY; I HAD PLANNED TO ARRIVE AT SMYRNA AT APPROX XX HRS TO AVOID ANY COMMUTER BUSINESS TFC WHICH MAY OCCUR IN THE EARLY HRS OF MORNING. I DEPARTED CARROLL COUNTY ARPT; MC KENZIE; TN. AFTER FLYING A SHORT DISTANCE; I ESTABLISHED THAT I HAD A GND SPD OF 115 MPH CREATING ARR WITHIN AN HR. ALL ALONG THE COURSE I SHOWED MYSELF APPROX 3 MI S OF MY PLANNED COURSE; WHICH I FELT COMFORTABLE WITH DUE TO IT ALLOWING ME AN ADDITIONAL BUFFER PREVENTING DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE ARSA. I ALSO HAD PLANNED THE EXACT POINT IN WHICH I WOULD BEGIN CONTACT WITH SMYRNA TWR OR UNICOM; WHICHEVER WAS IN SVC. ALL WAS GOING AS PLANNED; SO IT SEEMED; UP TO WHERE I MADE VISUAL CONTACT OF WHAT I THOUGHT TO BE SMYRNA ARPT. UPON ARRIVING AT MY POINT TO INITIATE CONTACT WITH SMYRNA; I BEGAN ATTEMPTING CONTACT WITH NO RESULTS. EFFORTS WERE CONTINUOUSLY MADE ON BOTH TWR AND UNICOM FREQ. MY ALT AT THIS TIME WAS APPROX 1700' MSL; A SAFE ALT SHOULD I PENETRATE THE OUTER SKIRTS OF THE ARSA. I CONTINUED MY PRE-PLANNED APCH FROM THE S. AS I WAS INBND FROM THE S; I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER SCANNING TO THE NNW IN AN EFFORT TO IDENTIFY THE NASHVILLE ARPT. HOWEVER; DUE TO THE SOMEWHAT HAZY VIS; I DETERMINED THAT I WOULD BE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY IT CLEARLY. I BEGAN MY TERRAIN REFERENCING AND ATTEMPTING TO ESTABLISH GND REFERENCES TO VERIFY THAT I WAS AT SMYRNA. I NOTICED THE BODY OF WATER TO THE E; THE WATER TWR ADJACENT TO THE RWY AND THE ROW OF LARGE BLDGS LYING ON THE E SIDE OF THE RWY. ACCORDING TO THE FLT GUIDE RWY DIAGRAM WHICH I WAS REFERRING TO; ALL SEEMED IN ORDER. HOWEVER; I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH MY INABILITY TO MAKE RADIO CONTACT. AT ONE POINT; WHICH WAS MY FIRST MISTAKE; IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT I SHOULD HOLD SHORT AND ESTABLISH RADIO CONTACT WITH SOMEONE. HOWEVER; I WAS OVER-RIDDEN WITH ASSURANCE OF BEING ON COURSE DUE TO NO MAJOR ACTIVITY (AIR TFC) AT THE ARPT AND THE TERRAIN FEATURES MENTIONED EARLIER. ARRIVING CLOSER TO THE ARSA; STILL REPORTING MY POS AND ATTEMPTING TO GAIN RADIO CONTACT; I BEGAN AN EFFORT TO READ THE RWY NUMBERS. IT WAS THEN I BEGAN REALIZING THAT SOMETHING WAS DEFINITELY WRONG. I ALERTED MY PAX TO WATCH CLOSELY FOR TFC. UPON ASSESSING MY POS; AN IMMEDIATE TURN AND DES TOWARD THE E WAS MADE TO INSURE SEP FROM ANY TFC. I PROCEEDED ESE UNTIL I WAS OUT OF THE ARSA. I LOCATED THE SMYRNA ARPT AND LANDED. CONSIDERING HUMAN PERFORMANCE FACTORS; MY FIRST ERROR WAS NOT MAKING RADIO CONTACT WITH NASHVILLE ARSA UPON HAVING DOUBT AS TO MY EXACT LOCATION. SECONDLY; A NAV ERROR WAS MADE NOT KNOWING EXACTLY WHERE I WAS WHILE OPERATING AROUND AN INTENSE AREA SUCH AS THE ARSA. I AM ASHAMED; EMBARRASSED AND RESPONSIBLE FOR MY ACTIONS. I AM; HOWEVER; THANKFUL NO SERIOUS CONFLICT OCCURRED. WITH ONLY WORDS TO EXPRESS THIS AT THE PRESENT TIME; I HAVE LEARNED A SERIOUS LESSON. IT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: NO VOR ABOARD SMALL 2-PLACE PLANE. PILOTAGE ONLY TO NAVIGATE. NASHVILLE ARPT AND SMYRNA ARPT RWYS ARE LAID OUT VERY SIMILARLY; THE RIVER AND BLDGS ARE ALSO SIMILAR. 2 AIRLINES HAVE MADE THE REVERSE MISTAKE; NEARLY LNDG AT SMYRNA INSTEAD OF NASHVILLE.