Narrative:

An early morning flight from crest airpark to boeing field in seattle, wa, dark, my commute to work with plans to fly on further north after work. I called FSS WX the night before and it looked positive for a VFR flight in the early morning. In the morning I called the FSS again and listened to their recording, then called boeing ATIS. ATIS said 4 mi visibility with 2/10 sky obscured. Checking outside I could see the stars and observed on aircraft on the downwind, could see it quite clearly so decided to go. Climbing out I immediately saw lots of fog on the ground in outlying areas. I decided to turn west to the center myself in the kent valley, then head north toward bfi and avoid the renton airport. Listening to bfi ATIS again visibility was now 3 mi. I called the tower earlier than usual and announced my position as over kent inbound for landing. Tower asked if I was heading north, I saw yes, a mistake as I hadn't turned yet. They reported radar contact over the flight following. I was pretty rattled to realize how disoriented I was. Approach gave me a heading, stressed to remain VFR at or below 2000'. Further up the valley approach reported air carrier large transport Y traffic which I reported in sight. Its landing lights were shining at me but it was considerably higher than I was. I now realize that I was flying higher than normal for the area and kept it glued to 2000'. I was really struggling to find a ground reference that I recognized and the large transport Y was a distraction I didn't need. About that time approach reported me over renton airport with bfi at my 9 O'clock and asked, 'do you see the airport?' looking down I thought I recognized the s-curves on I-405 and then I saw a row of lights where I thought bfi should be. I said yes, probably my biggest mistake of many on this flight. They handed me over to bfi tower. I don't remember receiving tower instructions and I know at 1 point I called approach back for another heading. When I thought I had the airport in sight I headed right for it--another mistake. I needed to fly past and land south on 13. A fog bank south of the field blocked it from vision completely as I got closer. All during this time I kept seeing those large transport Y landing lights and I was real scared, body tense, not making good decisions and I knew it. In the confusion I flew across sea-tac's final at 2000' in front of that large transport y--the ultimate screw-up. Approach let me know about the large transport Y having to go around and I wanted to die. As soon as approach told me what had happened I was no longer disoriented. The ground fog was gone and I recognized plenty of landmarks. I verified with approach that I really did have bfi in sight this time, handed off to the tower and landed west/O incident. I should have turned back to crest and landed, driven to work like normal. Better yet, I shouldn't have taken off with fog on the ground at night (I do know the area quite well, but not in those conditions!). I should have told approach that I was confused and scared and wanted lots of help. They probably could tell, but I should have made it clear. I was so rattled I didn't realize which direction I was to land and didn't even think to use my VOR to get an idea of my location. Even if nothing happens to me via FAA enforcement action, I plan to get more instruction. I consider myself to be a conscientious pilot, have continued reading and learning along the way, but this event has shattered any sense of confidence I may have had.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOW TIME GA PLT IN THE DARK ON AN EARLY MORNING FLT EXPERIENCES DISORIENTATION, TRACK DEVIATION AND AIRBORNE CONFLICT WITH ACR LGT Y THAT IS ON APCH TO SEA.

Narrative: AN EARLY MORNING FLT FROM CREST AIRPARK TO BOEING FIELD IN SEATTLE, WA, DARK, MY COMMUTE TO WORK WITH PLANS TO FLY ON FURTHER N AFTER WORK. I CALLED FSS WX THE NIGHT BEFORE AND IT LOOKED POSITIVE FOR A VFR FLT IN THE EARLY MORNING. IN THE MORNING I CALLED THE FSS AGAIN AND LISTENED TO THEIR RECORDING, THEN CALLED BOEING ATIS. ATIS SAID 4 MI VISIBILITY WITH 2/10 SKY OBSCURED. CHKING OUTSIDE I COULD SEE THE STARS AND OBSERVED ON ACFT ON THE DOWNWIND, COULD SEE IT QUITE CLRLY SO DECIDED TO GO. CLBING OUT I IMMEDIATELY SAW LOTS OF FOG ON THE GND IN OUTLYING AREAS. I DECIDED TO TURN W TO THE CENTER MYSELF IN THE KENT VALLEY, THEN HEAD N TOWARD BFI AND AVOID THE RENTON ARPT. LISTENING TO BFI ATIS AGAIN VISIBILITY WAS NOW 3 MI. I CALLED THE TWR EARLIER THAN USUAL AND ANNOUNCED MY POS AS OVER KENT INBND FOR LNDG. TWR ASKED IF I WAS HDG N, I SAW YES, A MISTAKE AS I HADN'T TURNED YET. THEY RPTED RADAR CONTACT OVER THE FLT FOLLOWING. I WAS PRETTY RATTLED TO REALIZE HOW DISORIENTED I WAS. APCH GAVE ME A HDG, STRESSED TO REMAIN VFR AT OR BELOW 2000'. FURTHER UP THE VALLEY APCH RPTED ACR LGT Y TFC WHICH I RPTED IN SIGHT. ITS LNDG LIGHTS WERE SHINING AT ME BUT IT WAS CONSIDERABLY HIGHER THAN I WAS. I NOW REALIZE THAT I WAS FLYING HIGHER THAN NORMAL FOR THE AREA AND KEPT IT GLUED TO 2000'. I WAS REALLY STRUGGLING TO FIND A GND REF THAT I RECOGNIZED AND THE LGT Y WAS A DISTR I DIDN'T NEED. ABOUT THAT TIME APCH RPTED ME OVER RENTON ARPT WITH BFI AT MY 9 O'CLOCK AND ASKED, 'DO YOU SEE THE ARPT?' LOOKING DOWN I THOUGHT I RECOGNIZED THE S-CURVES ON I-405 AND THEN I SAW A ROW OF LIGHTS WHERE I THOUGHT BFI SHOULD BE. I SAID YES, PROBABLY MY BIGGEST MISTAKE OF MANY ON THIS FLT. THEY HANDED ME OVER TO BFI TWR. I DON'T REMEMBER RECEIVING TWR INSTRUCTIONS AND I KNOW AT 1 POINT I CALLED APCH BACK FOR ANOTHER HDG. WHEN I THOUGHT I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT I HEADED RIGHT FOR IT--ANOTHER MISTAKE. I NEEDED TO FLY PAST AND LAND S ON 13. A FOG BANK S OF THE FIELD BLOCKED IT FROM VISION COMPLETELY AS I GOT CLOSER. ALL DURING THIS TIME I KEPT SEEING THOSE LGT Y LNDG LIGHTS AND I WAS REAL SCARED, BODY TENSE, NOT MAKING GOOD DECISIONS AND I KNEW IT. IN THE CONFUSION I FLEW ACROSS SEA-TAC'S FINAL AT 2000' IN FRONT OF THAT LGT Y--THE ULTIMATE SCREW-UP. APCH LET ME KNOW ABOUT THE LGT Y HAVING TO GO AROUND AND I WANTED TO DIE. AS SOON AS APCH TOLD ME WHAT HAD HAPPENED I WAS NO LONGER DISORIENTED. THE GND FOG WAS GONE AND I RECOGNIZED PLENTY OF LANDMARKS. I VERIFIED WITH APCH THAT I REALLY DID HAVE BFI IN SIGHT THIS TIME, HANDED OFF TO THE TWR AND LANDED W/O INCIDENT. I SHOULD HAVE TURNED BACK TO CREST AND LANDED, DRIVEN TO WORK LIKE NORMAL. BETTER YET, I SHOULDN'T HAVE TAKEN OFF WITH FOG ON THE GND AT NIGHT (I DO KNOW THE AREA QUITE WELL, BUT NOT IN THOSE CONDITIONS!). I SHOULD HAVE TOLD APCH THAT I WAS CONFUSED AND SCARED AND WANTED LOTS OF HELP. THEY PROBABLY COULD TELL, BUT I SHOULD HAVE MADE IT CLEAR. I WAS SO RATTLED I DIDN'T REALIZE WHICH DIRECTION I WAS TO LAND AND DIDN'T EVEN THINK TO USE MY VOR TO GET AN IDEA OF MY LOCATION. EVEN IF NOTHING HAPPENS TO ME VIA FAA ENFORCEMENT ACTION, I PLAN TO GET MORE INSTRUCTION. I CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE A CONSCIENTIOUS PLT, HAVE CONTINUED READING AND LEARNING ALONG THE WAY, BUT THIS EVENT HAS SHATTERED ANY SENSE OF CONFIDENCE I MAY HAVE HAD.

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.