STUDENT PLT ON XCOUNTRY INADVERTENTLY PENETRATED ARSA AFTER INFLT ENCOUNTER WITH WX.

Date: 1992-10 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence|other-airspace-violation-entry-or-exit|other-unspecified

Synopsis

STUDENT PLT ON XCOUNTRY INADVERTENTLY PENETRATED ARSA AFTER INFLT ENCOUNTER WITH WX.

Narrative

RPTR WAS ON VFR XCOUNTRY SOLO FROM BFI TO SLE VIA HQM. FLYING JUST W OF I-5 CORRIDOR BY VISUAL REF TO GND ON SOUTHERLY HDG AT 5500 MSL. RPTR WAS ABEAM OF LONGVIEW WHEN I-5 CORRIDOR DISAPPEARED UNDER 3000 FT CLOUD LAYER. RPTR PROCEEDED ON SAME COURSE W OF CORRIDOR FOR SEVERAL MINS ATTEMPTING TO DETERMINE CLOUD COVER EXTENT. AT SAME TIME; RPTR; WHO HAD BEEN IN NEED OF A LAVATORY FOR SOME TIME; DETERMINED HE WAS UNABLE TO PROCEED TO SALEM UNDER WX CONDITIONS (GND OBSCURED) AND NEEDED TO LAND FOR PERSONAL REASONS. RPTR THEN SAW AN OPENING 2 BY 4 MI DIRECTLY OVER COLUMBIA RIVER AND DSNDED OVER THE COLUMBIA. ONCE UNDER THE CLOUD LAYER; RPTR SEARCHED FOR EITHER WOODLAND STATE (WA71) OR SCAPPOOSE (1S4); BOTH OF WHICH LANDMARKS ON RPTR'S FLT LOG. AS RPTR PROCEEDED S ALONG COLUMBIA RIVER; HE NOTICED RAPIDLY INCREASING GND CONGESTION; QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY DOWNTOWN PORTLAND LANDMARKS WHICH RPTR RECOGNIZED. AT THIS TIME; RPTR SAW A MAJOR ARPT APPROX 4 MI AHEAD ADJACENT TO THE RIVER AND REALIZED HE WAS IN CLOSE PROX TO PDX. RPTR IMMEDIATELY STARTED TURN 90 DEGS TO R (TOWARD HILLS SEPARATING DOWNTOWN PORTLAND AND HILLSBORO) AT WHICH TIME HE SAW A HVY PAX TURBINE ACFT ON FINAL APCH TO PDX AND AT APPROX SAME ALT (1600 MSL). RPTR CONTINUED ON SOUTHERLY HDG; DIVING HIS ACFT TO 1000 MSL WHILE XING DOWNTOWN PORTLAND; FOLLOWED BY CLB TO CLR HILLS SW OF DOWNTOWN. ONCE ACROSS HILLS; RPTR SEARCHED FOR NEAREST ARPT; LOCATING HIQ; AND LANDED THERE. FOLLOWING TOUCHDOWN; RPTR WAS ADVISED BY HIQ TWR TO CONTACT TWR ASAP. FOLLOWING SECURING OF ACFT AT TIEDOWN; RPTR VISITED HIQ TWR WHERE HE SPOKE DIRECTLY TO PDX ATC TO EXPLAIN ABOVE EVENTS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR STATED THAT HE CHKED THE WX VIA 'DUATS' EARLY THE MORNING OF THE FLT AND DID NOT HAVE HIS FLT INSTRUCTOR'S ENDORSEMENT FOR THIS XCOUNTRY FLT WHICH WAS TO BE THE 'LONG ONE' FOR THE PRIVATE PLT REQUIREMENT. HE ALSO STATED THAT HE DOVE HIS ACFT OUT OF THE WAY OF THE 'BIG AIRLINER.' HE STATED THAT HE WAS NOT AWARE THAT HE NEEDED A SEPARATE CFI ENDORSEMENT FOR EACH XCOUNTRY AND THAT HIS FLT INSTRUCTOR ADVISED HIM TO MAKE A XCOUNTRY (LONG) TO SALEM; OR; WHEN POSSIBLE. THE RPTR WAS COUNSELED IN STUDENT PLT REQUIREMENTS AND FLT INSTRUCTOR SUPERVISION.

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