PLT OF SMA ON VFR FLT BECAME TRAPPED ON TOP BROKEN TO OVCST LAYER SAW HOLE WENT DOWN THROUGH ENCOUNTERING IFR BEFORE BREAKING OUT 1200 AGL. PROCEEDED VFR TO DEST (15 MI).

1991-12 · NASA ASRS report 196991

Date: 1991-12 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|ground-incursion-taxiway|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence|inflight-event-encounter-vfr-in-imc

Synopsis

PLT OF SMA ON VFR FLT BECAME TRAPPED ON TOP BROKEN TO OVCST LAYER SAW HOLE WENT DOWN THROUGH ENCOUNTERING IFR BEFORE BREAKING OUT 1200 AGL. PROCEEDED VFR TO DEST (15 MI).

Narrative

SAT AFTERNOON; MY HUSBAND AND I COULD NOT GET BACK TO OUR HOME BASE (C29; MIDDLETON; WI) OR INTO NEARBY MSN AFTER A PLEASURE FLT DUE TO THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF HVY FOG. WE DIVERTED TO C47; PORTAGE MUNI; APPROX 25 MI WAY. MONDAY NIGHT THE WX WAS PREDICTED TO BE GOOD VFR SO WE DECIDED TO RETRIEVE THE PLANE. WE DROVE TO PORTAGE; FUELED; SETTLED THE BILL; AND DECIDED THAT I WOULD FLY BACK WHILE MY HUSBAND DROVE. I DEPARTED RWY 35. EVEN THOUGH MY LAST NIGHT FLT HAD BEEN 6 MOS AGO; I FELT CONFIDENT ABOUT MAKING THE SHORT FLT OVER VERY FAMILIAR TERRITORY. I WAS CLBING OUT AND HAD TURNED ON COURSE WHEN AT ABOUT 2000 FT AGL THE VISIBILITY STARTED TO DETERIORATE. IT TOOK ME A SECOND OR TWO TO REALIZE THAT IT WASN'T THE WINDOWS FOGGING UP; BUT RATHER THAT I WAS ENTERING THE CLOUD BASES. BY THE TIME I DECIDED TO RETURN TO THE ARPT; I HAD LOST VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE GND. BEFORE I COULD DECIDE WHETHER TO CONTINUE CLBING OR DSND; I WAS ON TOP IN VMC. AFTER DECIDING NOT TO PANIC; I TUNED IN MSN ATIS WHICH WAS RPTING M17 BKN. I CLBED TO 3500 AND SELECTED A COURSE TO KEEP ME CLR OF THE MSN ARSA; HOPING TO FIND A HOLE IN THE ALLEGEDLY BROKEN LAYER. AFTER SEVERAL MI I REALIZED THAT THIS WAS AN OVCST LAYER. I THROTTLED BACK TO A SLOW CRUISE SPD AND CIRCLED WHILE I TRIED TO FORMULATE A PLAN. I CAME UP WITH 3 OPTIONS: CALL MSN APCH; THROW MYSELF ON THEIR MERCY. TRY THE VOR B APCH INTO C29 WITHOUT TALKING TO MSN. CALL GRB FSS AND FIND THE NEAREST VFR. I HAD ABOUT DECIDED ON (3) WHEN I SAW A SMALL HOLE; THROUGH WHICH I COULD RECOGNIZE A BRIGHTLY LIT SKI HILL. I KNEW THERE WERE NO OBSTRUCTIONS S F THE SKI HILL; AND SET UP A 500 FPM DSCNT WHICH TOOK ME PARTLY THROUGH THE HOLE; AND PARTLY THROUGH THE CLOUDS. I BROKE OUT RIGHT AROUND 2000 MSL (1200 AGL) AND RETURNED TO C29 IN VMC.

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

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