Narrative:

I was on my first local solo flight since 1986. I was a little nervous because I had not flown solo in 3 yrs. Once I made it out to the practice area, I saw that the ceiling was slowly and steadily getting lower and this drew my attention to staying within VFR minimums. This was my first experience with low ceilings. My other VFR flts were made on days where the clouds were broken, and not so low as to be a factor to maneuver around. As the flight progressed my nervousness grew and I was becoming disoriented. I was preoccupied with the clouds and staying clear, rather than focusing my attention to my other cockpit duties. On return to dab, I monitored ATIS before contacting approach. Upon tuning in approach control, I found it very difficult to make radio contact west/O stepping over someone's transmission. I was still keeping myself aware of the clouds, and my clearance from them. I knew I was getting close to the arsa, so I made a 360 degree turn and tried once again to contact approach. Upon successful contact, approach control notified me I was 4 mi south of daytona and that I had penetrated the arsa prior to contacting them. The controller then gave me vectors to steer away from the airport. Up to this point in the flight things seemed to be in an accelerated pace. Now I felt I was no longer responding to the events, but rather, I was reacting to the circumstances before me. Routine duties on previous flts appeared to be difficult tasks on this flight. After I was vectored out of daytona, approach control began to bring me back in toward the airport. On one of the last xmissions approach made, they asked me if I had an small aircraft Y in sight. I replied negative. Approach then stated that traffic should not be a factor. Upon contacting the tower, I was told to follow small aircraft Y on final. I was mistaken and thought tower was referring to small aircraft Z. I figured that because approach said traffic small aircraft Y should be of no factor, they would be landing on runway 7 left at daytona, and I should follow the small aircraft Z. I made a right turn onto my base leg, as I made the turn I recognized that small aircraft Y and I were heading toward one another. I continued my turn to the right so I would be able to avoid small aircraft Y. Concurrently, daytona tower told me to make a 360 degree turn, and informed me that I had just cut off small aircraft Y. After this final occurrence, I was not in a good mental or physical state. My heart was racing, my hands were shaking, and I was sweating a great deal. This greatly affected my landing, I ballooned once and it took most of the runway to settle the aircraft to the ground. It seemed when one thing went wrong everything went wrong. The problems just kept getting larger and larger as the flight progressed. When I left dab the WX was fairly clear. After I arrived in the practice area the clouds started to roll in and maintaining VFR was becoming a task. Perhaps if in my training I had been introduced to a low ceiling environment, I could have handled the situation in a more positive manner and kept everything in perspective.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOW TIME PRIVATE PLT ON FIRST SOLO IN 4 YEARS HAS LOUSY DAY. ENCOUNTERS WX, PENETRATES ARSA WITHOUT CLRNC, ATTEMPTS WRONG RWY APCH, HAS NMAC, AND NEARLY LOSES CTL OF ACFT WHILE LNDG.

Narrative: I WAS ON MY FIRST LCL SOLO FLT SINCE 1986. I WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS BECAUSE I HAD NOT FLOWN SOLO IN 3 YRS. ONCE I MADE IT OUT TO THE PRACTICE AREA, I SAW THAT THE CEILING WAS SLOWLY AND STEADILY GETTING LOWER AND THIS DREW MY ATTN TO STAYING WITHIN VFR MINIMUMS. THIS WAS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH LOW CEILINGS. MY OTHER VFR FLTS WERE MADE ON DAYS WHERE THE CLOUDS WERE BROKEN, AND NOT SO LOW AS TO BE A FACTOR TO MANEUVER AROUND. AS THE FLT PROGRESSED MY NERVOUSNESS GREW AND I WAS BECOMING DISORIENTED. I WAS PREOCCUPIED WITH THE CLOUDS AND STAYING CLEAR, RATHER THAN FOCUSING MY ATTN TO MY OTHER COCKPIT DUTIES. ON RETURN TO DAB, I MONITORED ATIS BEFORE CONTACTING APCH. UPON TUNING IN APCH CTL, I FOUND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO MAKE RADIO CONTACT W/O STEPPING OVER SOMEONE'S XMISSION. I WAS STILL KEEPING MYSELF AWARE OF THE CLOUDS, AND MY CLRNC FROM THEM. I KNEW I WAS GETTING CLOSE TO THE ARSA, SO I MADE A 360 DEG TURN AND TRIED ONCE AGAIN TO CONTACT APCH. UPON SUCCESSFUL CONTACT, APCH CTL NOTIFIED ME I WAS 4 MI S OF DAYTONA AND THAT I HAD PENETRATED THE ARSA PRIOR TO CONTACTING THEM. THE CTLR THEN GAVE ME VECTORS TO STEER AWAY FROM THE ARPT. UP TO THIS POINT IN THE FLT THINGS SEEMED TO BE IN AN ACCELERATED PACE. NOW I FELT I WAS NO LONGER RESPONDING TO THE EVENTS, BUT RATHER, I WAS REACTING TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES BEFORE ME. ROUTINE DUTIES ON PREVIOUS FLTS APPEARED TO BE DIFFICULT TASKS ON THIS FLT. AFTER I WAS VECTORED OUT OF DAYTONA, APCH CTL BEGAN TO BRING ME BACK IN TOWARD THE ARPT. ON ONE OF THE LAST XMISSIONS APCH MADE, THEY ASKED ME IF I HAD AN SMA Y IN SIGHT. I REPLIED NEGATIVE. APCH THEN STATED THAT TFC SHOULD NOT BE A FACTOR. UPON CONTACTING THE TWR, I WAS TOLD TO FOLLOW SMA Y ON FINAL. I WAS MISTAKEN AND THOUGHT TWR WAS REFERRING TO SMA Z. I FIGURED THAT BECAUSE APCH SAID TFC SMA Y SHOULD BE OF NO FACTOR, THEY WOULD BE LNDG ON RWY 7 LEFT AT DAYTONA, AND I SHOULD FOLLOW THE SMA Z. I MADE A R TURN ONTO MY BASE LEG, AS I MADE THE TURN I RECOGNIZED THAT SMA Y AND I WERE HDG TOWARD ONE ANOTHER. I CONTINUED MY TURN TO THE R SO I WOULD BE ABLE TO AVOID SMA Y. CONCURRENTLY, DAYTONA TWR TOLD ME TO MAKE A 360 DEG TURN, AND INFORMED ME THAT I HAD JUST CUT OFF SMA Y. AFTER THIS FINAL OCCURRENCE, I WAS NOT IN A GOOD MENTAL OR PHYSICAL STATE. MY HEART WAS RACING, MY HANDS WERE SHAKING, AND I WAS SWEATING A GREAT DEAL. THIS GREATLY AFFECTED MY LNDG, I BALLOONED ONCE AND IT TOOK MOST OF THE RWY TO SETTLE THE ACFT TO THE GND. IT SEEMED WHEN ONE THING WENT WRONG EVERYTHING WENT WRONG. THE PROBS JUST KEPT GETTING LARGER AND LARGER AS THE FLT PROGRESSED. WHEN I LEFT DAB THE WX WAS FAIRLY CLR. AFTER I ARRIVED IN THE PRACTICE AREA THE CLOUDS STARTED TO ROLL IN AND MAINTAINING VFR WAS BECOMING A TASK. PERHAPS IF IN MY TRNING I HAD BEEN INTRODUCED TO A LOW CEILING ENVIRONMENT, I COULD HAVE HANDLED THE SITUATION IN A MORE POSITIVE MANNER AND KEPT EVERYTHING IN PERSPECTIVE.

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.