Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 20; Flight Crew Total 270; Flight Crew Type 240
Confusion; Situational Awareness; Training / Qualification
Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR
Flight Crew Landed As Precaution; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; Flight Crew Diverted
Procedure; Aircraft; Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
A friend and I were flying from [departure airport] to [destination] for a bite to eat and then returning to [departure airport]. We are both very familiar with the Denver area and have done all of our training in the Denver area. Enroute to [destination] we noticed the magnetic compass had become frozen and was no longer moving freely. [Disregarding] its effects on the flight; we proceeded on course. We arrived at [destination] in the dark and had no problems finding the airport. We became rushed to get back to [departure airport] as it was late; 2200 local. When departing from [destination] towards Las Vegas we thought we found and intercepted Interstate I25 and turned to what we thought to be North. We decided that using I25 all the way to the Denver area would be easier for navigation.We tracked I25 and passed what we thought was Raton; Trinidad; and Pueblo; but when we got to Colorado Springs the shape and route of the highway did not seem familiar. The local airport seemed unfamiliar and this is when I decided we were lost. I plugged in VORs and tried to reach Denver Center and COS Approach; none of which responded. We were now three hours into the flight and running low on fuel (aircraft only had 4 hours of fuel); so I decided to squawk 7600 and land at the unfamiliar airport. Tower gave us a green light. After landing we learned we were...in Texas; and that we may have passed through other airports' airspace unknowingly. The causes to the loss of situational awareness are: using only roads for navigation (not backing up with Navaids); lack of flight planning; flight into mountainous and unfamiliar areas at night; the loss of the magnetic compass and not fixing the magnetic compass. To prevent or correct this situation we should not have conducted the flight without more planning; should have utilized ATC when the compass failed; should have fixed the compass; should have been more vigilante when using roads as navigation (make sure its the right road using NAVAIDS or clear land features). The main cause of this incident is the pilots' laziness to perform safe operations combined with the failure and lack of equipment in the aircraft (which the pilot should have prepared for and taken into consideration.)
Two C172 pilots attempted to return to their departure airport in the Denver area at night with an inoperative magnetic compass. Following a highway which they thought was headed north; they land in Texas with low fuel.