Narrative:

During the preflight; I did notice several insects on the aircraft windscreen; but their quantity did not 'seem' excessive; and I judged that the windshield did not require cleaning prior to flight. (This was my first judgement error; which I will explain more later.) just after takeoff; as I cleared the tree line at fme and had a 'clear sky' view through the windscreen; I immediately observed that the aircraft windscreen insect/bug density was approximately 1 per square inch and that I had something like 50-75 tiny specifications/dots on the windscreen across my forward field of view. My immediate thought was 'I should have inspected the windscreen much closer and I should have cleaned it during preflight.' just after turning east and contacting potomac TRACON/ADIZ; it became very clear to me that 'my windscreen insect problem' was not 'minimal' and that flying east towards the morning sun the 'insect spots' became very dark small spots on the windscreen and increased my visual scan workload to sort out 'fixed spots' on the windscreen from possible conflicting VFR air traffic in the ADIZ that I was responsible to avoid/deconflict per VFR flight rules. My intended flight route from fme to the paleo ADIZ gate was to fly a southeast heading from fme across the middle of the peninsula that brackets annapolis; md; and lee airport (anp) between the severn and west rivers of the chesapeake bay western shore; and then exit the paleo gate near kent island; md. In retrospect; I believe; due to my increased visual scan workload; that I inadvertently visually lined up my aircraft heading with the wrong peninsula north of my intended route peninsula; and thus embarked on an eastbound flight path that entered the baltimore class B east of fme and approximately 1.5 NM from the southern edge of the 10/surface class B zone. After approximately 3-6 mins from my check-in with potomac TRACON/ADIZ (and after I had already entered class B); I became aware that the chesapeake bay bridge was way too close to my nose heading and that I was north of my intended course and probably very near the class B boundary. At this same moment potomac TRACON/ADIZ contacted me and informed me of my position 1.5 NM inside class B and directed me to make an immediate turn south to exit class B; which I immediately executed. In summary; I believe that the root cause of my inadvertent incursion into the southern edge of baltimore class B airspace was caused by my visual navigation error that was in turn caused by my greatly increased VFR visual scanning workload; which was caused by my failure to properly clean the aircraft windscreen of bug/insect spots during preflight. In conclusion; it is clear to me that I could have and should have avoided this chain of events that led to my inadvertent class B incursion by: 1) proper windscreen cleaning during preflight. 2) given the post takeoff windscreen problem; I should have stayed in the fme pattern and immediately landed to clean the windscreen; and then re-file another ADIZ flight plan. 3) given that I did none of the above; and regardless of my increased VFR visual scan workload; I should have more quickly realized my navigation error by reference to the directional gyro/compass and correlation with the chesapeake bay peninsula of my intended route.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DISTRACTED BY UNEXPECTEDLY LARGE NUMBER OF DECEASED BUGS ON HIS WINDSHIELD; PLT OF SMA RE-ENTERS DCA ADIZ WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION. BELIEVES THE OFFENDING TRACK DEVIATION TO HAVE BEEN THE RESULT OF INCREASED WORKLOAD MAINTAINING AN EFFECTIVE TRAFFIC SCAN THROUGH THE BUGS.

Narrative: DURING THE PREFLT; I DID NOTICE SEVERAL INSECTS ON THE ACFT WINDSCREEN; BUT THEIR QUANTITY DID NOT 'SEEM' EXCESSIVE; AND I JUDGED THAT THE WINDSHIELD DID NOT REQUIRE CLEANING PRIOR TO FLT. (THIS WAS MY FIRST JUDGEMENT ERROR; WHICH I WILL EXPLAIN MORE LATER.) JUST AFTER TKOF; AS I CLRED THE TREE LINE AT FME AND HAD A 'CLR SKY' VIEW THROUGH THE WINDSCREEN; I IMMEDIATELY OBSERVED THAT THE ACFT WINDSCREEN INSECT/BUG DENSITY WAS APPROX 1 PER SQUARE INCH AND THAT I HAD SOMETHING LIKE 50-75 TINY SPECS/DOTS ON THE WINDSCREEN ACROSS MY FORWARD FIELD OF VIEW. MY IMMEDIATE THOUGHT WAS 'I SHOULD HAVE INSPECTED THE WINDSCREEN MUCH CLOSER AND I SHOULD HAVE CLEANED IT DURING PREFLT.' JUST AFTER TURNING E AND CONTACTING POTOMAC TRACON/ADIZ; IT BECAME VERY CLR TO ME THAT 'MY WINDSCREEN INSECT PROB' WAS NOT 'MINIMAL' AND THAT FLYING E TOWARDS THE MORNING SUN THE 'INSECT SPOTS' BECAME VERY DARK SMALL SPOTS ON THE WINDSCREEN AND INCREASED MY VISUAL SCAN WORKLOAD TO SORT OUT 'FIXED SPOTS' ON THE WINDSCREEN FROM POSSIBLE CONFLICTING VFR AIR TFC IN THE ADIZ THAT I WAS RESPONSIBLE TO AVOID/DECONFLICT PER VFR FLT RULES. MY INTENDED FLT RTE FROM FME TO THE PALEO ADIZ GATE WAS TO FLY A SE HDG FROM FME ACROSS THE MIDDLE OF THE PENINSULA THAT BRACKETS ANNAPOLIS; MD; AND LEE ARPT (ANP) BTWN THE SEVERN AND WEST RIVERS OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WESTERN SHORE; AND THEN EXIT THE PALEO GATE NEAR KENT ISLAND; MD. IN RETROSPECT; I BELIEVE; DUE TO MY INCREASED VISUAL SCAN WORKLOAD; THAT I INADVERTENTLY VISUALLY LINED UP MY ACFT HDG WITH THE WRONG PENINSULA N OF MY INTENDED RTE PENINSULA; AND THUS EMBARKED ON AN EBOUND FLT PATH THAT ENTERED THE BALTIMORE CLASS B E OF FME AND APPROX 1.5 NM FROM THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE 10/SURFACE CLASS B ZONE. AFTER APPROX 3-6 MINS FROM MY CHK-IN WITH POTOMAC TRACON/ADIZ (AND AFTER I HAD ALREADY ENTERED CLASS B); I BECAME AWARE THAT THE CHESAPEAKE BAY BRIDGE WAS WAY TOO CLOSE TO MY NOSE HDG AND THAT I WAS N OF MY INTENDED COURSE AND PROBABLY VERY NEAR THE CLASS B BOUNDARY. AT THIS SAME MOMENT POTOMAC TRACON/ADIZ CONTACTED ME AND INFORMED ME OF MY POS 1.5 NM INSIDE CLASS B AND DIRECTED ME TO MAKE AN IMMEDIATE TURN S TO EXIT CLASS B; WHICH I IMMEDIATELY EXECUTED. IN SUMMARY; I BELIEVE THAT THE ROOT CAUSE OF MY INADVERTENT INCURSION INTO THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF BALTIMORE CLASS B AIRSPACE WAS CAUSED BY MY VISUAL NAV ERROR THAT WAS IN TURN CAUSED BY MY GREATLY INCREASED VFR VISUAL SCANNING WORKLOAD; WHICH WAS CAUSED BY MY FAILURE TO PROPERLY CLEAN THE ACFT WINDSCREEN OF BUG/INSECT SPOTS DURING PREFLT. IN CONCLUSION; IT IS CLR TO ME THAT I COULD HAVE AND SHOULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT LED TO MY INADVERTENT CLASS B INCURSION BY: 1) PROPER WINDSCREEN CLEANING DURING PREFLT. 2) GIVEN THE POST TKOF WINDSCREEN PROB; I SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN THE FME PATTERN AND IMMEDIATELY LANDED TO CLEAN THE WINDSCREEN; AND THEN RE-FILE ANOTHER ADIZ FLT PLAN. 3) GIVEN THAT I DID NONE OF THE ABOVE; AND REGARDLESS OF MY INCREASED VFR VISUAL SCAN WORKLOAD; I SHOULD HAVE MORE QUICKLY REALIZED MY NAV ERROR BY REF TO THE DIRECTIONAL GYRO/COMPASS AND CORRELATION WITH THE CHESAPEAKE BAY PENINSULA OF MY INTENDED RTE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.