1991-09 · NASA ASRS report 190164
HOMEBUILT; LOW PWR ACFT CROSSES APCH LIGHTS AT CTLED ARPT AT 200 FT AGL WITH NO CONTACT CLRNC.
A COLD FRONT WAS SLOWLY APCHING THE AIRFIELD THAT I HAD FLOWN TO ON A WKEND XCOUNTRY FLT. FLT SVC RPTED AREAS OF IFR AND MARGINAL VFR ON RTE BACK HOME; BUT SUGGESTED THERE MAY BE PATHS THROUGH THE WX. AFTER 2 GAS STOPS AND WX CALLS; THE 'CLR SKY' WAS 50 MI AHEAD. THE CEILING RAISED AT THE LOCATION OF THE SECOND STOP (PRYOR) THE RAIN; WHICH WAS SPORADICALLY LIGHT TO MEDIUM; STOPPED AND THE DECISION WAS MADE TO FOLLOW A HIGHWAY UNDER THE CLOUDS TO REACH THE CLR WX AREA. THIS POOR JUDGEMENT WAS DRIVEN BY 'GET HOME FEVER' AND THE SUCCESSFUL SECOND LEG WHICH WAS FLOWN ALONG A HIGHWAY UNDER THE CLOUDS. I KNEW THAT I WOULD BE STUCK OUT FOR SEVERAL DAYS IF I STAYED PUT; DUE TO THE FRONTAL SPD AND DISTANCE REQUIRED TO TRAVEL. IN RETROSPECT; THE DECISION TO CONTINUE WAS THE STUPIDEST THING I'VE EVER DONE. THE PLAN WAS TO 'SCUD RUN' TO THE NEXT ACCEPTABLE ARPT; LAND; AND RECHK THE WX. MY ACFT LOSES LIFT AND INCREASES DRAG IN THE RAIN AND IS PWRED BY A 2-CYCLE ENG THAT HAS A QUIRK OF NOT 'COMING ON THE PIPE' AND GAINING FULL PWR UNTIL 95-100 MPH. IT WILL FLY IN RAIN; LAND IN RAIN; BUT NOT TKOF IN RAIN. THE NEXT ARPT (SMITH) WAS ENGULFED IN MEDIUM RAIN UPON ARR SO THE DECISION WAS MADE TO CONTINUE; FOLLOWING THE ROAD. A TURN TO S WAS MADE AT SPRINGDALE; AR; WHERE THE CTL ZONE WAS NOT IN EFFECT. I DID NOT NOTICE DRAKE ARPT ON THE MAP; PROBABLY DUE TO THE WORKLOAD OF FLYING. THE LIGHTS OF DRAKE ARPT WAS MY FIRST CLUE THAT IT WAS THERE. I WAS XING THE APCH END OF THE RWY AT 200 FT APPROX. I LOOKED TO CHK THAT FINAL WAS CLR AND PROCEEDED DOWN THE ROAD TO THE S. THE ROAD TURNED INTO A MOUNTAIN PASS! I DON'T KNOW WHY I CHOSE TO CONTINUE PAST SMITH ARPT; OR WHY I DID NOT TURN S THERE AND AVOID THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AND CTLED AIRSPACE. THE PLT GETS CAUGHT UP IN WHAT HE IS DOING; TASK SATURATED IN JUST FLYING I SUPPOSE. THE CARROT OF CLR WX JUST AHEAD WAS THE DRIVING FORCE TO CONTINUE; AND THE FACT THAT 'THIS IS WORKING' (THE PLANE IS FLYING OK IN THE RAIN; THE ENG IS RUNNING; THE CLOUD BASE IS ABOVE ME; NO TURB; VISIBILITY IS OK; ETC) CLOUDED MY JUDGEMENT. A FEELING THAT I COULD NOT TURN BACK WAS ALSO IN MY MIND. THINKING BACK ON THAT LEG OF THE FLT I AM AMAZED THAT I DID NOT ENCOUNTER A SITUATION WHICH WOULD HAVE KILLED ME AND/OR SOMEONE ON THE GND. I WOULD NOT DUPLICATE THAT FLT FOR ANYTHING -- IT REALLY WASN'T WORTH 2-3 DAYS IN A HOTEL AND OFF OF WORK. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES HE WAS STUPID. (ANALYST CONCURS.) FELT IF HE STOPPED EARLIER HE WOULD BE THERE 3 OR 4 DAYS. HE HAS SUCH SHORT RANGE HE HAD TO STOP AFTER REACHING CLR WX ANYWAY. RAN OUT OF DAYLIGHT; SO STAYED OVERNIGHT. ACFT HAS NO RADIO; NO ELECTRICAL AT ALL. THOUGHT ABOUT STOPPING BUT ENCOURAGED BY LCLS TO GO ON AS CLR WX AHEAD. CLAIMS RAIN SO SEVERE IT TOOK 1/4 INCH OFF THE WOODEN PROP TIPS. HE IS DEATHLY AFRAID FAA WILL TRACK HIM DOWN BECAUSE HE IS SO IDENTIFIABLE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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