Narrative:

On a student training night flight, I had wanted to show to the student the difficulty involved for navigating legally around and under TCA and air traffic area airspace during evening hours. After locating linden airport, but not being able to activate the runway lights, we continued on a northeast heading planning to reach a third east/west road and then proceed northeast towards teterboro, thereby remaining at safe altitude below the TCA. Unfortunately, by navigating via chatau NDB, we miscalculated our distance from morristown and thus entered morristown's air traffic area. Perhaps due to the stress involved from the last 2 events, I attempted to navigation to teterboro via the teterboro 240 degree radial inbound. This was inappropriate since the 270 degree radial was required for effective circumnav under newark's (ny) TCA. We reported our initial position as 10 DME southwest of teterboro to teterboro tower. They instructed us to report a left base for runway 01. By intercepting the wrong 240 degree radial, we flew towards ewr. When we reported 5 wsw of teb, the tower asked us to identify. They then told us our true location and gave us radar vectors towards teb. We had, of course, violated ny's TCA in the process. Planning a VFR night flight around complex ny airspace requires meticulous attention to detail. Preflight planning and checking must be done on the ground and not in the cockpit under a certain degree of stress. Dimple errors such as choosing a wrong radial or inattn to a DME readout will be greatly reduced. Taking the time necessary on the ground with few distrs and good lighting would have allowed for superior and sufficient planning without incident.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR WITH STUDENT PLT ENTERS ATA AND TCA WITHOUT CLRNC

Narrative: ON A STUDENT TRAINING NIGHT FLT, I HAD WANTED TO SHOW TO THE STUDENT THE DIFFICULTY INVOLVED FOR NAVIGATING LEGALLY AROUND AND UNDER TCA AND ATA AIRSPACE DURING EVENING HRS. AFTER LOCATING LINDEN ARPT, BUT NOT BEING ABLE TO ACTIVATE THE RWY LIGHTS, WE CONTINUED ON A NE HDG PLANNING TO REACH A THIRD E/W ROAD AND THEN PROCEED NE TOWARDS TETERBORO, THEREBY REMAINING AT SAFE ALT BELOW THE TCA. UNFORTUNATELY, BY NAVIGATING VIA CHATAU NDB, WE MISCALCULATED OUR DISTANCE FROM MORRISTOWN AND THUS ENTERED MORRISTOWN'S ATA. PERHAPS DUE TO THE STRESS INVOLVED FROM THE LAST 2 EVENTS, I ATTEMPTED TO NAV TO TETERBORO VIA THE TETERBORO 240 DEG RADIAL INBOUND. THIS WAS INAPPROPRIATE SINCE THE 270 DEG RADIAL WAS REQUIRED FOR EFFECTIVE CIRCUMNAV UNDER NEWARK'S (NY) TCA. WE RPTED OUR INITIAL POS AS 10 DME SW OF TETERBORO TO TETERBORO TWR. THEY INSTRUCTED US TO RPT A L BASE FOR RWY 01. BY INTERCEPTING THE WRONG 240 DEG RADIAL, WE FLEW TOWARDS EWR. WHEN WE RPTED 5 WSW OF TEB, THE TWR ASKED US TO IDENT. THEY THEN TOLD US OUR TRUE LOCATION AND GAVE US RADAR VECTORS TOWARDS TEB. WE HAD, OF COURSE, VIOLATED NY'S TCA IN THE PROCESS. PLANNING A VFR NIGHT FLT AROUND COMPLEX NY AIRSPACE REQUIRES METICULOUS ATTN TO DETAIL. PREFLT PLANNING AND CHKING MUST BE DONE ON THE GND AND NOT IN THE COCKPIT UNDER A CERTAIN DEGREE OF STRESS. DIMPLE ERRORS SUCH AS CHOOSING A WRONG RADIAL OR INATTN TO A DME READOUT WILL BE GREATLY REDUCED. TAKING THE TIME NECESSARY ON THE GND WITH FEW DISTRS AND GOOD LIGHTING WOULD HAVE ALLOWED FOR SUPERIOR AND SUFFICIENT PLANNING WITHOUT INCIDENT.

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.