Narrative:

I believe I strayed into and inadvertently crossed class B airspace between fty, mge and pdk on jun/fri/97. At the time of my incursion I did not then know I was in class B airspace. I was on the return leg of my first cross country flight (rmg to lzu), I had become disoriented with respect to my position and was attempting to find ground references in order to find my position on my sectional chart. I did not then know I had been blown south of my intended course by 20-25 SM because the winds aloft were much greater than forecast. I did not recognize my inadvertent incursion into class B airspace until the incursion had been made. There are several reasons for this. The sectional chart for this area is extremely cluttered and printed in very small print. Although my experience is limited with respect to recognizing ground references and transferring those references to the chart in order to ascertain my position, ground references during the entire trip on this day were virtually impossible to distinguish because of low level haze. Additionally, once I strayed into class B airspace I was not able to extricate myself by climbing because to have done so would have violated cloud restrs. I exited the space by the most direct route possible so as to minimize any disruption to other operations. I saw no other aircraft during my inadvertent crossing of this space and insofar as I am aware no other aircraft were inconvenienced or rerouted by my mistake. This area of the sectional chart is heavily cluttered with yellow and for that reason ground references depicted on the map are virtually unidentifiable. Additionally, the print used on sectional charts is extremely small, thus adding to the difficulty of finding on the chart those few items that can be distinguished on the ground.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: STUDENT PLT GETS LOST AND WANDERS INTO THE ATL CLASS B AIRSPACE. WX WAS HAZY WITH LOWERED CEILINGS, NOT A GOOD DAY FOR A STUDENT PLT TO BE OUT AND ABOUT. CITES CHART DESIGN FOR GND IDENT PROBS.

Narrative: I BELIEVE I STRAYED INTO AND INADVERTENTLY CROSSED CLASS B AIRSPACE BTWN FTY, MGE AND PDK ON JUN/FRI/97. AT THE TIME OF MY INCURSION I DID NOT THEN KNOW I WAS IN CLASS B AIRSPACE. I WAS ON THE RETURN LEG OF MY FIRST XCOUNTRY FLT (RMG TO LZU), I HAD BECOME DISORIENTED WITH RESPECT TO MY POS AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO FIND GND REFS IN ORDER TO FIND MY POS ON MY SECTIONAL CHART. I DID NOT THEN KNOW I HAD BEEN BLOWN S OF MY INTENDED COURSE BY 20-25 SM BECAUSE THE WINDS ALOFT WERE MUCH GREATER THAN FORECAST. I DID NOT RECOGNIZE MY INADVERTENT INCURSION INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE UNTIL THE INCURSION HAD BEEN MADE. THERE ARE SEVERAL REASONS FOR THIS. THE SECTIONAL CHART FOR THIS AREA IS EXTREMELY CLUTTERED AND PRINTED IN VERY SMALL PRINT. ALTHOUGH MY EXPERIENCE IS LIMITED WITH RESPECT TO RECOGNIZING GND REFS AND TRANSFERRING THOSE REFS TO THE CHART IN ORDER TO ASCERTAIN MY POS, GND REFS DURING THE ENTIRE TRIP ON THIS DAY WERE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DISTINGUISH BECAUSE OF LOW LEVEL HAZE. ADDITIONALLY, ONCE I STRAYED INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE I WAS NOT ABLE TO EXTRICATE MYSELF BY CLBING BECAUSE TO HAVE DONE SO WOULD HAVE VIOLATED CLOUD RESTRS. I EXITED THE SPACE BY THE MOST DIRECT RTE POSSIBLE SO AS TO MINIMIZE ANY DISRUPTION TO OTHER OPS. I SAW NO OTHER ACFT DURING MY INADVERTENT XING OF THIS SPACE AND INSOFAR AS I AM AWARE NO OTHER ACFT WERE INCONVENIENCED OR REROUTED BY MY MISTAKE. THIS AREA OF THE SECTIONAL CHART IS HEAVILY CLUTTERED WITH YELLOW AND FOR THAT REASON GND REFS DEPICTED ON THE MAP ARE VIRTUALLY UNIDENTIFIABLE. ADDITIONALLY, THE PRINT USED ON SECTIONAL CHARTS IS EXTREMELY SMALL, THUS ADDING TO THE DIFFICULTY OF FINDING ON THE CHART THOSE FEW ITEMS THAT CAN BE DISTINGUISHED ON THE GND.

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.