PLT OF SMA ON VFR X-COUNTRY FLT BECAME CAUGHT ON TOP AND NIGHT. RADAR ASSISTED TO SELFRIDGE AIR BASE BROKEN TO SCATTERED CLOUDS FOR VFR DSCNT AND LNDG AT SELFRIDGE.

Date: 1991-10 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence|other-unspecified

Synopsis

PLT OF SMA ON VFR X-COUNTRY FLT BECAME CAUGHT ON TOP AND NIGHT. RADAR ASSISTED TO SELFRIDGE AIR BASE BROKEN TO SCATTERED CLOUDS FOR VFR DSCNT AND LNDG AT SELFRIDGE.

Narrative

I L NW INDIANA; VFR; FOR SMALL ARPT E OF FLINT; MI. THE WX FORECAST WAS GOOD FOR THE FIRST THIRD OF THE RTE BUT LOW CEILINGS AT FLINT. IT WAS FORECAST BETTER ON EXTREME E SIDE OF SOUTHEASTERN; MI. I HAD 5 HRS FUEL FOR LESS THAN A 2 HR FLT SO I THOUGHT IF I COULDN'T COME DOWN IN VFR E OF FLINT I COULD ALWAYS RETURN TO THE GOOD WX. IT WAS SMOOTH WITH GREAT VISIBILITY BTWN CLOUD DECKS FROM SW MICHIGAN TO MY DEST BUT I COULDN'T GET DOWN THROUGH THE OVCST. I WENT E TO CROSWELL WHERE THE CLOUDS WERE BROKEN BUT THEY WERE CLOSER TO THE GND THAN I THOUGHT AND I COULDN'T SPOT AN ARPT THROUGH THE HOLES. BY THEN IT WAS DARK EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NIGHT EXPERIENCE; AND WAS NIGHT CURRENT; I WASN'T PREPARED FOR VFR NIGHT FLT BTWN CLOUDS DECKS WITH NO LIGHTS BELOW AND NO STARS ABOVE. I CALLED SAGINAW APCH FOR HELP. THE ONLY VFR IN SE MICHIGAN WAS SELFRIDGE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE. SAGINAW; THEN FLINT APCH; THEN SELFRIDGE VECTORED ME TO SELFRIDGE WHERE IT WAS 3000 FT SCATTERED AND 5 MI VISIBILITY. I LANDED OK AND THEN WENT THROUGH THE RECEPTION YOU GET WHEN A CIVILIAN LANDS AT A MIL BASE.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.