Narrative:

On jan/fri/05; I filed an IFR flight plan from ZZZ2 to ZZZ. I was conducting a ferry flight to relocate a piper cherokee for flight training for a flight school at ZZZ. I am a relatively low time pilot with most of my instrument experience in new airplanes with GPS and better avionics than the cherokee I was flying. The cherokee was IFR equipped with one VOR receiver. My boss had given me an older handheld GPS that I was unfamiliar with and told me I could accept direct routing as long as I had VFR handheld GPS in the remarks section of my flight plan. This is when I should have decided not to go. The flight was uneventful until getting close to ZZZ. The VOR CDI seemed to be jumping around a lot so I was trying to use both the GPS and the VOR to navigate. I should have picked one. When about 20 miles northwest of ZZZ I was told to descend down to 2300 ft; radar contact lost and contact ZZZ1 center on another frequency. At this point I was breaking out of the clouds with about 5 miles visibility and I could see a familiar highway. I contacted the controller who asked my location according to whatever I was using. According to the GPS I was 10 miles northwest of the field so I told him that. I could hear the ZZZ3 FSS transmitting over the VOR clrncs for other aircraft trying to depart ZZZ. The ZZZ1 controller again asked my position and I told him I was near the airport and I would cancel IFR. I've asked myself a thousand times why I did this. The controller told me to squawk VFR and contact CTAF-123.0. I told CTAF that I was approximately 10 miles northwest inbound for landing. When I did not see the airfield I knew I had gotten myself into a mess. I immediately decided to climb to minimum safe altitude of 2400 ft where I found myself back in IMC. I began to use my VOR to figure out where I was and I think I was really close to the VOR cone of confusion because I could not figure out exactly what radial I was on. The air carrier pilots asked me on CTAF if I needed any help and if I was IFR rated. I'm not exactly sure how the dialogue went but I told them to make sure no one would take off. They asked me if I wanted to declare an emergency and I said yes. I climbed up to get high enough for center to see me on radar. The air carrier pilots had given me a squawk code and a frequency to contact center with. I contacted center and a nice voice vectored and descended me toward the city which lined me up with runway 18. Once on the ground at ZZZ I thanked the air carrier crew who practically saved my life. I got the hint that they weren't happy with me. Words can't describe the amount appreciation I have for those that helped me. I think the bottom line in all of this is that I exceeded my abilities as a pilot with the equipment that I had. I should have never cancelled my IFR with center nor should I have relied on 1 VOR and a handheld GPS. I learned a valuable lesson that day that I thought I had learned in college. I have studied every parameter of this incident and have talked to pilots that fly in and out of ZZZ. I am lucky that I didn't hurt myself or anyone else in this incident. My boss told me 'welcome to the real world of aviation.' I didn't find it funny. I am the one totally responsible and will make sure I don't find myself in a situation like this again. Callback conversation with reporter reveled the following information: pilot stated that not only was the VOR unreliable but the handheld GPS was basically useless for him. It had a 2 inch X 2 inch screen; was an old model; and used a simple pointer directing the operator to the next waypoint. The reporter felt the GPS may have been more useful to him if he had been more familiar with it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA28 PLT WITH AN UNRELIABLE VOR AND A HANDHELD GPS WAS IMC WHILE VFR. HE DECLARED AN EMER AND WAS GIVEN AN IFR APCH CLRNC.

Narrative: ON JAN/FRI/05; I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM ZZZ2 TO ZZZ. I WAS CONDUCTING A FERRY FLT TO RELOCATE A PIPER CHEROKEE FOR FLT TRAINING FOR A FLT SCHOOL AT ZZZ. I AM A RELATIVELY LOW TIME PLT WITH MOST OF MY INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE IN NEW AIRPLANES WITH GPS AND BETTER AVIONICS THAN THE CHEROKEE I WAS FLYING. THE CHEROKEE WAS IFR EQUIPPED WITH ONE VOR RECEIVER. MY BOSS HAD GIVEN ME AN OLDER HANDHELD GPS THAT I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH AND TOLD ME I COULD ACCEPT DIRECT ROUTING AS LONG AS I HAD VFR HANDHELD GPS IN THE REMARKS SECTION OF MY FLT PLAN. THIS IS WHEN I SHOULD HAVE DECIDED NOT TO GO. THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL GETTING CLOSE TO ZZZ. THE VOR CDI SEEMED TO BE JUMPING AROUND A LOT SO I WAS TRYING TO USE BOTH THE GPS AND THE VOR TO NAVIGATE. I SHOULD HAVE PICKED ONE. WHEN ABOUT 20 MILES NW OF ZZZ I WAS TOLD TO DESCEND DOWN TO 2300 FT; RADAR CONTACT LOST AND CONTACT ZZZ1 CTR ON ANOTHER FREQUENCY. AT THIS POINT I WAS BREAKING OUT OF THE CLOUDS WITH ABOUT 5 MILES VISIBILITY AND I COULD SEE A FAMILIAR HIGHWAY. I CONTACTED THE CTLR WHO ASKED MY LOCATION ACCORDING TO WHATEVER I WAS USING. ACCORDING TO THE GPS I WAS 10 MILES NW OF THE FIELD SO I TOLD HIM THAT. I COULD HEAR THE ZZZ3 FSS TRANSMITTING OVER THE VOR CLRNCS FOR OTHER ACFT TRYING TO DEPART ZZZ. THE ZZZ1 CTLR AGAIN ASKED MY POS AND I TOLD HIM I WAS NEAR THE ARPT AND I WOULD CANCEL IFR. I'VE ASKED MYSELF A THOUSAND TIMES WHY I DID THIS. THE CTLR TOLD ME TO SQUAWK VFR AND CONTACT CTAF-123.0. I TOLD CTAF THAT I WAS APPROX 10 MILES NW INBOUND FOR LNDG. WHEN I DID NOT SEE THE AIRFIELD I KNEW I HAD GOTTEN MYSELF INTO A MESS. I IMMEDIATELY DECIDED TO CLB TO MINIMUM SAFE ALTITUDE OF 2400 FT WHERE I FOUND MYSELF BACK IN IMC. I BEGAN TO USE MY VOR TO FIGURE OUT WHERE I WAS AND I THINK I WAS REALLY CLOSE TO THE VOR CONE OF CONFUSION BECAUSE I COULD NOT FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT RADIAL I WAS ON. THE ACR PLTS ASKED ME ON CTAF IF I NEEDED ANY HELP AND IF I WAS IFR RATED. I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE HOW THE DIALOGUE WENT BUT I TOLD THEM TO MAKE SURE NO ONE WOULD TAKE OFF. THEY ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO DECLARE AN EMER AND I SAID YES. I CLBED UP TO GET HIGH ENOUGH FOR CTR TO SEE ME ON RADAR. THE ACR PLTS HAD GIVEN ME A SQUAWK CODE AND A FREQUENCY TO CONTACT CTR WITH. I CONTACTED CTR AND A NICE VOICE VECTORED AND DESCENDED ME TOWARD THE CITY WHICH LINED ME UP WITH RWY 18. ONCE ON THE GND AT ZZZ I THANKED THE ACR CREW WHO PRACTICALLY SAVED MY LIFE. I GOT THE HINT THAT THEY WEREN'T HAPPY WITH ME. WORDS CAN'T DESCRIBE THE AMOUNT APPRECIATION I HAVE FOR THOSE THAT HELPED ME. I THINK THE BOTTOM LINE IN ALL OF THIS IS THAT I EXCEEDED MY ABILITIES AS A PLT WITH THE EQUIPMENT THAT I HAD. I SHOULD HAVE NEVER CANCELLED MY IFR WITH CTR NOR SHOULD I HAVE RELIED ON 1 VOR AND A HANDHELD GPS. I LEARNED A VALUABLE LESSON THAT DAY THAT I THOUGHT I HAD LEARNED IN COLLEGE. I HAVE STUDIED EVERY PARAMETER OF THIS INCIDENT AND HAVE TALKED TO PLTS THAT FLY IN AND OUT OF ZZZ. I AM LUCKY THAT I DIDN'T HURT MYSELF OR ANYONE ELSE IN THIS INCIDENT. MY BOSS TOLD ME 'WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD OF AVIATION.' I DIDN'T FIND IT FUNNY. I AM THE ONE TOTALLY RESPONSIBLE AND WILL MAKE SURE I DON'T FIND MYSELF IN A SIT LIKE THIS AGAIN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVELED THE FOLLOWING INFO: PLT STATED THAT NOT ONLY WAS THE VOR UNRELIABLE BUT THE HANDHELD GPS WAS BASICALLY USELESS FOR HIM. IT HAD A 2 INCH X 2 INCH SCREEN; WAS AN OLD MODEL; AND USED A SIMPLE POINTER DIRECTING THE OPERATOR TO THE NEXT WAYPOINT. THE RPTR FELT THE GPS MAY HAVE BEEN MORE USEFUL TO HIM IF HE HAD BEEN MORE FAMILIAR WITH IT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.