GA pilot reported inadvertently entering PHL Class B airspace without a clearance due to distraction from having to troubleshoot the GPS system on the aircraft.

ACN 1775414 2020-12 Small Aircraft Penetration of Prohibited Airspace

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What is ASRS?

The Aviation Safety Reporting System is NASA's voluntary, confidential, non- punitive incident-reporting system, established 1976. Pilots, controllers, dispatchers, and maintenance technicians file reports describing safety- relevant events. NASA de-identifies every report before adding it to the public database. Reports are not investigated by NASA, the FAA, or the NTSB — they represent the reporter's perspective.

Pilot narrative

Verbatim from the de-identified NASA record. First-person account by the reporter. NASA strips identifying details (names, company, specific time); anonymization placeholders are ZZZ, X, Y.

While flying a VFR flight to LOM, I may have entered the Philadelphia Bravo airspace without clearance. I was communicating with PHL ATC on 124.35 for flight following. I was told to climb from 3,000 to 3,500 to avoid a TFR but don't remember specifically being cleared into the bravo airspace. Normally I would verify with ATC before entering the bravo if I was unsure. However, on this flight, my GPS equipment lost the GPS signal near Wilmington and I got distracted troubleshooting it. I was a few miles into the Bravo airspace when I realized I had not double checked the clearance. I was still talking with PHL ATC and they did not express any concerns with my location.

NASA classification — Anomalies

Aircraft Equipment Problem
Airspace Violation
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural

NASA classification — Assessments

Contributing Factors / Situations: Aircraft · Human Factors
Primary Problem: Human Factors

ASRS reports are voluntarily submitted, de-identified by NASA, and represent the reporter's perspective. The presence of reports on a topic cannot be used to infer prevalence in the National Airspace System. The authoritative source is the NASA ASRS Database Online at asrs.arc.nasa.gov ↗.