Narrative:

I departed with cno as my destination. This was to be the return trip of my first solo cross country flight as part of my private pilot training. The trip had been a little more difficult to navigation than I had expected, mainly due to the haze that covered the area. After refueling, I phoned riverside FSS to file a flight plan for 4500 ft cruise altitude. That was one in a series of small errors that led to an incursion of the class C airspace surrounding ont. I had planned a navigation log for 6500 ft cruise altitude for the return trip, and maybe due to mental fatigue or the heat or an unnecessary feeling of urgency to be back before sunset I told the WX briefer that I would fly at 4500 ft. Everything was still going fine until I was about midway through the pass and palm springs approach radioed me saying that they would hand me off to socal approach and for me to change frequency. Unfortunately, I became distraction by some light-to-moderate turbulence and forgot to change frequencys. Once through the pass, I again encountered the haze, which by now, combined with the glare from the setting sun, was very difficult to navigation through. I continued to fly my planned VOR radial towards rir, my next VFR waypoint. Although I searched in vain for quite a while, I did not radio for help, thinking that I was not really lost, as I was still on my radial and knew where banning pass was. Had I attempted to radio, I would have realized that I was still tuned into palm springs, and the bulk of my problems would have been avoided. Much sooner than I expected, I saw ont, what looked to be a few mi away and not wanting to enter the class C airspace, I turned left (south) and flew towards cno. What I had unwittingly done was enter the core of the class C airspace and cross the path of departing commercial aircraft, so as to cause one to alter its takeoff climb and others to be delayed while I vacated the airspace. I had also begun a descent intending to land at cno, but with no ability to contact me, socal was left to wonder as to my intentions and even considered intercepting me. This portion was told to me over the phone by a socal supervisor once I had landed. There are many ways that this problem could have been avoided, and unfortunately, most of them involve making better decisions. First, while going through my before taxi checklist, I noticed that the GPS was not operating. During some of my previous flts, I had been instructed in its use, and had become comfortable in knowing that I could use it as a safety net if all other forms of navigation failed me, but I chose to fly without the navigation card in place, not realizing just how used to its presence I had become. Second, in my haste to get back in the air, I filed my flight plan without first consulting my navigation log. Had I done so, I would have filed for my planned cruising altitude, which would have taken me over the class C airspace. I am not quite certain why I felt rushed at all, but I remember feeling surprised that it was 1 hour later than I had expected and that I had better get back before sunset. I now know that I should have given myself a few more mins of rest before making any aviation related decisions. Third, I let myself become distraction with keeping the plane straight and level to the point that I failed to change frequencys when necessary. I had been taught to aviate first, navigation second, and communication last, but in retrospect, once I had started communications by telling palm springs that I would change frequency, I shouldn't have let the thermals jostling the plane prevent me from doing it. Fourth, I should have admitted to myself that I was lost when I couldn't find my waypoint and radioed for help. If I had, I would have realized that I had not changed frequencys and changed over before I flew too far in the wrong direction (into the class C airspace). This is probably the toughest correction to make because it involves a change of attitude to allow myself that I was lost. Lastly, once I saw that I was near or in ontario's airspace, I should not have panicked, but instead radioed either socal or ont to ask for help in leaving theairspace safely and quickly.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28 STUDENT PLT ON FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY GETS LOST, FAILS TO MAINTAIN COM WITH ATC, VIOLATES ONT CLASS C AIRSPACE CAUSING POTENTIAL TFC CONFLICTS, AND CONTINUES TO DEST.

Narrative: I DEPARTED WITH CNO AS MY DEST. THIS WAS TO BE THE RETURN TRIP OF MY FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT AS PART OF MY PVT PLT TRAINING. THE TRIP HAD BEEN A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT TO NAV THAN I HAD EXPECTED, MAINLY DUE TO THE HAZE THAT COVERED THE AREA. AFTER REFUELING, I PHONED RIVERSIDE FSS TO FILE A FLT PLAN FOR 4500 FT CRUISE ALT. THAT WAS ONE IN A SERIES OF SMALL ERRORS THAT LED TO AN INCURSION OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE SURROUNDING ONT. I HAD PLANNED A NAV LOG FOR 6500 FT CRUISE ALT FOR THE RETURN TRIP, AND MAYBE DUE TO MENTAL FATIGUE OR THE HEAT OR AN UNNECESSARY FEELING OF URGENCY TO BE BACK BEFORE SUNSET I TOLD THE WX BRIEFER THAT I WOULD FLY AT 4500 FT. EVERYTHING WAS STILL GOING FINE UNTIL I WAS ABOUT MIDWAY THROUGH THE PASS AND PALM SPRINGS APCH RADIOED ME SAYING THAT THEY WOULD HAND ME OFF TO SOCAL APCH AND FOR ME TO CHANGE FREQ. UNFORTUNATELY, I BECAME DISTR BY SOME LIGHT-TO-MODERATE TURB AND FORGOT TO CHANGE FREQS. ONCE THROUGH THE PASS, I AGAIN ENCOUNTERED THE HAZE, WHICH BY NOW, COMBINED WITH THE GLARE FROM THE SETTING SUN, WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO NAV THROUGH. I CONTINUED TO FLY MY PLANNED VOR RADIAL TOWARDS RIR, MY NEXT VFR WAYPOINT. ALTHOUGH I SEARCHED IN VAIN FOR QUITE A WHILE, I DID NOT RADIO FOR HELP, THINKING THAT I WAS NOT REALLY LOST, AS I WAS STILL ON MY RADIAL AND KNEW WHERE BANNING PASS WAS. HAD I ATTEMPTED TO RADIO, I WOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT I WAS STILL TUNED INTO PALM SPRINGS, AND THE BULK OF MY PROBS WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. MUCH SOONER THAN I EXPECTED, I SAW ONT, WHAT LOOKED TO BE A FEW MI AWAY AND NOT WANTING TO ENTER THE CLASS C AIRSPACE, I TURNED L (S) AND FLEW TOWARDS CNO. WHAT I HAD UNWITTINGLY DONE WAS ENTER THE CORE OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE AND CROSS THE PATH OF DEPARTING COMMERCIAL ACFT, SO AS TO CAUSE ONE TO ALTER ITS TKOF CLB AND OTHERS TO BE DELAYED WHILE I VACATED THE AIRSPACE. I HAD ALSO BEGUN A DSCNT INTENDING TO LAND AT CNO, BUT WITH NO ABILITY TO CONTACT ME, SOCAL WAS LEFT TO WONDER AS TO MY INTENTIONS AND EVEN CONSIDERED INTERCEPTING ME. THIS PORTION WAS TOLD TO ME OVER THE PHONE BY A SOCAL SUPVR ONCE I HAD LANDED. THERE ARE MANY WAYS THAT THIS PROB COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED, AND UNFORTUNATELY, MOST OF THEM INVOLVE MAKING BETTER DECISIONS. FIRST, WHILE GOING THROUGH MY BEFORE TAXI CHKLIST, I NOTICED THAT THE GPS WAS NOT OPERATING. DURING SOME OF MY PREVIOUS FLTS, I HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED IN ITS USE, AND HAD BECOME COMFORTABLE IN KNOWING THAT I COULD USE IT AS A SAFETY NET IF ALL OTHER FORMS OF NAV FAILED ME, BUT I CHOSE TO FLY WITHOUT THE NAV CARD IN PLACE, NOT REALIZING JUST HOW USED TO ITS PRESENCE I HAD BECOME. SECOND, IN MY HASTE TO GET BACK IN THE AIR, I FILED MY FLT PLAN WITHOUT FIRST CONSULTING MY NAV LOG. HAD I DONE SO, I WOULD HAVE FILED FOR MY PLANNED CRUISING ALT, WHICH WOULD HAVE TAKEN ME OVER THE CLASS C AIRSPACE. I AM NOT QUITE CERTAIN WHY I FELT RUSHED AT ALL, BUT I REMEMBER FEELING SURPRISED THAT IT WAS 1 HR LATER THAN I HAD EXPECTED AND THAT I HAD BETTER GET BACK BEFORE SUNSET. I NOW KNOW THAT I SHOULD HAVE GIVEN MYSELF A FEW MORE MINS OF REST BEFORE MAKING ANY AVIATION RELATED DECISIONS. THIRD, I LET MYSELF BECOME DISTR WITH KEEPING THE PLANE STRAIGHT AND LEVEL TO THE POINT THAT I FAILED TO CHANGE FREQS WHEN NECESSARY. I HAD BEEN TAUGHT TO AVIATE FIRST, NAV SECOND, AND COM LAST, BUT IN RETROSPECT, ONCE I HAD STARTED COMS BY TELLING PALM SPRINGS THAT I WOULD CHANGE FREQ, I SHOULDN'T HAVE LET THE THERMALS JOSTLING THE PLANE PREVENT ME FROM DOING IT. FOURTH, I SHOULD HAVE ADMITTED TO MYSELF THAT I WAS LOST WHEN I COULDN'T FIND MY WAYPOINT AND RADIOED FOR HELP. IF I HAD, I WOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT I HAD NOT CHANGED FREQS AND CHANGED OVER BEFORE I FLEW TOO FAR IN THE WRONG DIRECTION (INTO THE CLASS C AIRSPACE). THIS IS PROBABLY THE TOUGHEST CORRECTION TO MAKE BECAUSE IT INVOLVES A CHANGE OF ATTITUDE TO ALLOW MYSELF THAT I WAS LOST. LASTLY, ONCE I SAW THAT I WAS NEAR OR IN ONTARIO'S AIRSPACE, I SHOULD NOT HAVE PANICKED, BUT INSTEAD RADIOED EITHER SOCAL OR ONT TO ASK FOR HELP IN LEAVING THEAIRSPACE SAFELY AND QUICKLY.

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.