Narrative:

This event was not a direct result of an error on my part but concerns a common practice by flight instrs. A fellow flight instrument's student wanted to make a cross-country to an airport 70 mi away. The trip was to be there and back - direct. The route has many chkpoints and is flown by many students. My fellow flight instrument was not available so I was asked to sign off the student. With the simplicity of the cross-country in mind, along with the thorough planning by the student, I signed the student off for the flight. I remember feeling apprehensive about signing off a student I had never flown with. But I did so anyway because I didn't want to disappoint the student. The student had no problem on the flight to the destination, but the return trip did not go so well. The student dialed in his home base VOR, and centered the needle with a 'from' indication. Since he was going to the station, what followed was the classic 'reverse sensing' scenario. The needle deflected to the right so the student turned right. As the needle went further right and eventually went full scale, he continued to try to intercept the course. In the confusion, he lost track of his ground chkpoints and, becoming totally disoriented, ended up 20 mi off course. Realizing he was lost, he looked for a place to land. Unfortunately, the airport he selected was an air force landing strip in the middle of a restr area which was 'hot' that day. Upon landing the student was met by a group of military personnel who informed him of where he was. They would not let him leave by himself and requested that a certified pilot fly him out. After paying a $100 landing fee, we flew him out with no further problems. Since I had never flown with this student, I was not aware of his trouble with VOR navigation. I should have followed my initial feelings and not signed off a student I didn't know. His flight planning was thorough, but just because a pilot can plan it right doesn't mean he can fly it right. My advice to other flight instrs would be to avoid endorsing students for cross-countries unless you've flown with them yourself. You never know who you are signing off. The favor your are doing for a fellow instrument may be one to regret later on that day.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: STUDENT PLT ON SOLO CROSS-COUNTRY MISINTERPRETS VOR INDICATION, DEVIATES IN HEADING, PENETRATES RESTRICTED AREA, BECOMES COMPLETELY DISORIENTED AND LANDS AT RESTRICTED MIL ARPT.

Narrative: THIS EVENT WAS NOT A DIRECT RESULT OF AN ERROR ON MY PART BUT CONCERNS A COMMON PRACTICE BY FLT INSTRS. A FELLOW FLT INSTR'S STUDENT WANTED TO MAKE A CROSS-COUNTRY TO AN ARPT 70 MI AWAY. THE TRIP WAS TO BE THERE AND BACK - DIRECT. THE RTE HAS MANY CHKPOINTS AND IS FLOWN BY MANY STUDENTS. MY FELLOW FLT INSTR WAS NOT AVAILABLE SO I WAS ASKED TO SIGN OFF THE STUDENT. WITH THE SIMPLICITY OF THE CROSS-COUNTRY IN MIND, ALONG WITH THE THOROUGH PLANNING BY THE STUDENT, I SIGNED THE STUDENT OFF FOR THE FLT. I REMEMBER FEELING APPREHENSIVE ABOUT SIGNING OFF A STUDENT I HAD NEVER FLOWN WITH. BUT I DID SO ANYWAY BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO DISAPPOINT THE STUDENT. THE STUDENT HAD NO PROB ON THE FLT TO THE DEST, BUT THE RETURN TRIP DID NOT GO SO WELL. THE STUDENT DIALED IN HIS HOME BASE VOR, AND CENTERED THE NEEDLE WITH A 'FROM' INDICATION. SINCE HE WAS GOING TO THE STATION, WHAT FOLLOWED WAS THE CLASSIC 'REVERSE SENSING' SCENARIO. THE NEEDLE DEFLECTED TO THE R SO THE STUDENT TURNED R. AS THE NEEDLE WENT FURTHER R AND EVENTUALLY WENT FULL SCALE, HE CONTINUED TO TRY TO INTERCEPT THE COURSE. IN THE CONFUSION, HE LOST TRACK OF HIS GND CHKPOINTS AND, BECOMING TOTALLY DISORIENTED, ENDED UP 20 MI OFF COURSE. REALIZING HE WAS LOST, HE LOOKED FOR A PLACE TO LAND. UNFORTUNATELY, THE ARPT HE SELECTED WAS AN AIR FORCE LNDG STRIP IN THE MIDDLE OF A RESTR AREA WHICH WAS 'HOT' THAT DAY. UPON LNDG THE STUDENT WAS MET BY A GROUP OF MIL PERSONNEL WHO INFORMED HIM OF WHERE HE WAS. THEY WOULD NOT LET HIM LEAVE BY HIMSELF AND REQUESTED THAT A CERTIFIED PLT FLY HIM OUT. AFTER PAYING A $100 LNDG FEE, WE FLEW HIM OUT WITH NO FURTHER PROBS. SINCE I HAD NEVER FLOWN WITH THIS STUDENT, I WAS NOT AWARE OF HIS TROUBLE WITH VOR NAV. I SHOULD HAVE FOLLOWED MY INITIAL FEELINGS AND NOT SIGNED OFF A STUDENT I DIDN'T KNOW. HIS FLT PLANNING WAS THOROUGH, BUT JUST BECAUSE A PLT CAN PLAN IT RIGHT DOESN'T MEAN HE CAN FLY IT RIGHT. MY ADVICE TO OTHER FLT INSTRS WOULD BE TO AVOID ENDORSING STUDENTS FOR CROSS-COUNTRIES UNLESS YOU'VE FLOWN WITH THEM YOURSELF. YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOU ARE SIGNING OFF. THE FAVOR YOUR ARE DOING FOR A FELLOW INSTR MAY BE ONE TO REGRET LATER ON THAT DAY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.