Narrative:

On jan/xx/97, I was returning back to ral from sna at about XA30 hours. I had requested VFR flight following after departure for the trip back to ral. This was my first experience using the VFR radar services. The departure from sna was uneventful and I was quickly handed off to socal. I was given an initial heading to follow by them and I was at 3500 ft MSL. After only a few mins the controller told me to 'resume your own navigation.' I misinterpreted this to mean that the radar service was being terminated and that I should reset the transponder to 1200 and continue VFR unassisted. I began to reset the transponder to 1200. The controller then asked if I wanted to terminate the flight following. I said that I wanted to continue. Here there was a misunderstanding. I can not recall exactly the wording of the controller, but the ultimate outcome was that I was separated from the radar service. I descended below 2700 ft MSL to assure that I was below the floor of ontario's airspace and continued following the 55/91 freeway back to riverside. Within about 15 mins I became disoriented. It was full dark and I was having trouble determining which freeway I was intending to follow. After another 5-10 mins I was certain I had lost my way and called riverside tower to see if they had radar contact with me and could direct me to the airport. They did not. They advised me to check with march TCA since I thought I might have strayed to the south and ended up near french valley airport. March TCA was also unable to verify radar contact with me. I described the few landmarks I could identify but we were still unable to determine my position. March TCA requested that I climb from 2500 ft so that they could perhaps get radar contact. As I was climbing to 3000 ft MSL I saw an airport nearby. March TCA still did not have any radar contact with me. I could see that there was very high terrain to the north of my position and decided it would be prudent to land and determine my location on the ground. March TCA provided the advisory frequency for french valley since that is still the area I thoughti was in. I saw another small aircraft setting up for landing at the airport I had seen. I decided to follow behind that plane since I didn't see any others in the immediate area. I announced my intentions on the frequency for french valley. I made an approach and landed my aircraft. Unfortunately as I was landing I saw a control tower for the first time. That certainly ruled out french valley. I taxied off of the runway and over to a fuel stop where I shut down. I was met by airport employees asking me to call the tower. I called and talked to the tower personnel who told me where I was. I landed at poc. I explained to them that I had become disoriented and had been unable to determine where I was. The tower personnel were very helpful and understanding of my uninvited appearance. Although, they did say that they had tried to use light gun signals to communicate with me. I told them I hadn't even seen the tower until I was landing. I also hadn't seen any of the signals. I was mortified to have landed at a class D twred airport without having made radio contact or obtained clrncs. As I sat back in the aircraft calming down and preparing myself for the short flight back to ral I thought about the experience of the evening. I started looking back at how the events had unfolded. I realized that the first link in the chain of events was my allowing the end of the VFR flight following. If I had still been under the radar service it would have only taken a moment for controllers to determine where I was. They could have provided heading assistance once I became lost as well. The major factor in this was my lack of familiarity with the system and the lack of confidence to insist on continuing the radar service. I did not have the confidence to correct the misunderstanding at the early opportunity, choosing instead to try to continue on my own. The next factor was my nervousness. When I realized I had gone off course and was unaware of my position I became very nervous. I think this kept me from exploring other options for locating my position. I got scared andstarted to fixate on landing as soon as possible even though I was having no trouble maintaining VFR. Finally, I was doing too many new things. I was trying to get my night currency as well as go to a new airport. I hadn't been to sna or poc before this night. I should have had a much better plan for even a short night flight. I was unprepared for the disorientation of the night flight. It had been several months since my nighttime training. While I learned a great deal from this incident, I hope never to have to learn by trial and error again . Certainly not by the error part. I am arranging some additional nighttime dual with my instructor. I am also arranging to go places for the first time with other pilots who are familiar with the destinations.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT OF AN SMA SEL BECAME LOST ON A SHORT XCOUNTRY AT NIGHT AND LANDED AT A CTLED ARPT WITHOUT CONTACTING THE TWR.

Narrative: ON JAN/XX/97, I WAS RETURNING BACK TO RAL FROM SNA AT ABOUT XA30 HRS. I HAD REQUESTED VFR FLT FOLLOWING AFTER DEP FOR THE TRIP BACK TO RAL. THIS WAS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE USING THE VFR RADAR SVCS. THE DEP FROM SNA WAS UNEVENTFUL AND I WAS QUICKLY HANDED OFF TO SOCAL. I WAS GIVEN AN INITIAL HEADING TO FOLLOW BY THEM AND I WAS AT 3500 FT MSL. AFTER ONLY A FEW MINS THE CTLR TOLD ME TO 'RESUME YOUR OWN NAV.' I MISINTERPRETED THIS TO MEAN THAT THE RADAR SVC WAS BEING TERMINATED AND THAT I SHOULD RESET THE XPONDER TO 1200 AND CONTINUE VFR UNASSISTED. I BEGAN TO RESET THE XPONDER TO 1200. THE CTLR THEN ASKED IF I WANTED TO TERMINATE THE FLT FOLLOWING. I SAID THAT I WANTED TO CONTINUE. HERE THERE WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING. I CAN NOT RECALL EXACTLY THE WORDING OF THE CTLR, BUT THE ULTIMATE OUTCOME WAS THAT I WAS SEPARATED FROM THE RADAR SVC. I DSNDED BELOW 2700 FT MSL TO ASSURE THAT I WAS BELOW THE FLOOR OF ONTARIO'S AIRSPACE AND CONTINUED FOLLOWING THE 55/91 FREEWAY BACK TO RIVERSIDE. WITHIN ABOUT 15 MINS I BECAME DISORIENTED. IT WAS FULL DARK AND I WAS HAVING TROUBLE DETERMINING WHICH FREEWAY I WAS INTENDING TO FOLLOW. AFTER ANOTHER 5-10 MINS I WAS CERTAIN I HAD LOST MY WAY AND CALLED RIVERSIDE TWR TO SEE IF THEY HAD RADAR CONTACT WITH ME AND COULD DIRECT ME TO THE ARPT. THEY DID NOT. THEY ADVISED ME TO CHK WITH MARCH TCA SINCE I THOUGHT I MIGHT HAVE STRAYED TO THE S AND ENDED UP NEAR FRENCH VALLEY ARPT. MARCH TCA WAS ALSO UNABLE TO VERIFY RADAR CONTACT WITH ME. I DESCRIBED THE FEW LANDMARKS I COULD IDENT BUT WE WERE STILL UNABLE TO DETERMINE MY POS. MARCH TCA REQUESTED THAT I CLB FROM 2500 FT SO THAT THEY COULD PERHAPS GET RADAR CONTACT. AS I WAS CLBING TO 3000 FT MSL I SAW AN ARPT NEARBY. MARCH TCA STILL DID NOT HAVE ANY RADAR CONTACT WITH ME. I COULD SEE THAT THERE WAS VERY HIGH TERRAIN TO THE N OF MY POS AND DECIDED IT WOULD BE PRUDENT TO LAND AND DETERMINE MY LOCATION ON THE GND. MARCH TCA PROVIDED THE ADVISORY FREQ FOR FRENCH VALLEY SINCE THAT IS STILL THE AREA I THOUGHTI WAS IN. I SAW ANOTHER SMALL ACFT SETTING UP FOR LNDG AT THE ARPT I HAD SEEN. I DECIDED TO FOLLOW BEHIND THAT PLANE SINCE I DIDN'T SEE ANY OTHERS IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA. I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS ON THE FREQ FOR FRENCH VALLEY. I MADE AN APCH AND LANDED MY ACFT. UNFORTUNATELY AS I WAS LNDG I SAW A CTL TWR FOR THE FIRST TIME. THAT CERTAINLY RULED OUT FRENCH VALLEY. I TAXIED OFF OF THE RWY AND OVER TO A FUEL STOP WHERE I SHUT DOWN. I WAS MET BY ARPT EMPLOYEES ASKING ME TO CALL THE TWR. I CALLED AND TALKED TO THE TWR PERSONNEL WHO TOLD ME WHERE I WAS. I LANDED AT POC. I EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT I HAD BECOME DISORIENTED AND HAD BEEN UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHERE I WAS. THE TWR PERSONNEL WERE VERY HELPFUL AND UNDERSTANDING OF MY UNINVITED APPEARANCE. ALTHOUGH, THEY DID SAY THAT THEY HAD TRIED TO USE LIGHT GUN SIGNALS TO COMMUNICATE WITH ME. I TOLD THEM I HADN'T EVEN SEEN THE TWR UNTIL I WAS LNDG. I ALSO HADN'T SEEN ANY OF THE SIGNALS. I WAS MORTIFIED TO HAVE LANDED AT A CLASS D TWRED ARPT WITHOUT HAVING MADE RADIO CONTACT OR OBTAINED CLRNCS. AS I SAT BACK IN THE ACFT CALMING DOWN AND PREPARING MYSELF FOR THE SHORT FLT BACK TO RAL I THOUGHT ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF THE EVENING. I STARTED LOOKING BACK AT HOW THE EVENTS HAD UNFOLDED. I REALIZED THAT THE FIRST LINK IN THE CHAIN OF EVENTS WAS MY ALLOWING THE END OF THE VFR FLT FOLLOWING. IF I HAD STILL BEEN UNDER THE RADAR SVC IT WOULD HAVE ONLY TAKEN A MOMENT FOR CTLRS TO DETERMINE WHERE I WAS. THEY COULD HAVE PROVIDED HEADING ASSISTANCE ONCE I BECAME LOST AS WELL. THE MAJOR FACTOR IN THIS WAS MY LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE SYS AND THE LACK OF CONFIDENCE TO INSIST ON CONTINUING THE RADAR SVC. I DID NOT HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO CORRECT THE MISUNDERSTANDING AT THE EARLY OPPORTUNITY, CHOOSING INSTEAD TO TRY TO CONTINUE ON MY OWN. THE NEXT FACTOR WAS MY NERVOUSNESS. WHEN I REALIZED I HAD GONE OFF COURSE AND WAS UNAWARE OF MY POS I BECAME VERY NERVOUS. I THINK THIS KEPT ME FROM EXPLORING OTHER OPTIONS FOR LOCATING MY POS. I GOT SCARED ANDSTARTED TO FIXATE ON LNDG AS SOON AS POSSIBLE EVEN THOUGH I WAS HAVING NO TROUBLE MAINTAINING VFR. FINALLY, I WAS DOING TOO MANY NEW THINGS. I WAS TRYING TO GET MY NIGHT CURRENCY AS WELL AS GO TO A NEW ARPT. I HADN'T BEEN TO SNA OR POC BEFORE THIS NIGHT. I SHOULD HAVE HAD A MUCH BETTER PLAN FOR EVEN A SHORT NIGHT FLT. I WAS UNPREPARED FOR THE DISORIENTATION OF THE NIGHT FLT. IT HAD BEEN SEVERAL MONTHS SINCE MY NIGHTTIME TRAINING. WHILE I LEARNED A GREAT DEAL FROM THIS INCIDENT, I HOPE NEVER TO HAVE TO LEARN BY TRIAL AND ERROR AGAIN . CERTAINLY NOT BY THE ERROR PART. I AM ARRANGING SOME ADDITIONAL NIGHTTIME DUAL WITH MY INSTRUCTOR. I AM ALSO ARRANGING TO GO PLACES FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH OTHER PLTS WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE DESTS.

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.