SPI ON FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY ENCOUNTERS WX; BECOMES DISORIENTED; REQUESTS ASSISTANCE.

Date: 1993-04 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear

Anomalies: inflight-event-encounter-vfr-in-imc|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence|other-unspecified

Synopsis

SPI ON FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY ENCOUNTERS WX; BECOMES DISORIENTED; REQUESTS ASSISTANCE.

Narrative

I WAS TO GO ON MY 1ST SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT THAT WOULD START FROM PROVIDENCE TO NEW HAVEN (FULL STOP) TO WINDHAM (TOUCH-AND-GO) AND THEN ON TO PROVIDENCE. I CALLED FOR A WX BRIEFING. THE BRIEFING I RECEIVED WAS 4500 FT SCATTERED TO BROKEN AND UNRESTRICTED VISIBILITIES. I BEGAN MY CLB TO 4500 FT. DUE TO THE CLOUDS BEING LOWER THAN FORECASTED I COULD ONLY CLB TO 3000 FT WITH THE CEILING AT 3700 FT. WITHIN 20-25 MINS FROM NEW HAVEN ARPT THE CLOUDS WERE LOWERING FURTHER. TO AVOID GOING INTO THE CLOUDS I HAD TO DSND TO 2000 FT. AGAIN; WITHIN 7 MI OF NEW HAVEN THE CONDITIONS BEGAN TO DETERIORATE AND VISIBILITY BECAME WORSE NEAR THE ARPT. AFTER LNDG IN NEW HAVEN I HAD MY LOGBOOK SIGNED. I WENT TO FBO TO CALL FOR A WX BRIEFING AGAIN. I EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT THE BRIEFING I RECEIVED EARLIER WAS NOT CORRECT WITH WHAT I EXPERIENCED. HE TOLD ME THAT BASICALLY NOTHING HAS CHANGED; AND RPTED 4500 FT BROKEN CURRENT AND FORECASTED. I EXPLAINED THAT THE VISIBILITY WAS NOT SO CLR DUE TO FOG; AND AGAIN HE SAID THAT IS NOT WHAT THEY SHOW. I DID MY PREFLT AND LISTENED TO THE ATIS. I CALLED FOR TKOF; AND EXPLAINED TO THE TWR THAT I WAS A STUDENT PLT AND MY RTE WAS TO WINDHAM; BUT DUE TO VISIBILITY I WOULD LIKE TO GO BACK TO PROVIDENCE. THE TWR AGREED AND SAID THAT HE WOULD CHK CURRENT CONDITIONS AT PROVIDENCE. PROVIDENCE TOLD HIM THAT THEY HAD 4500 FT BROKEN. I MADE THE TKOF BASED ON THAT INFO. 20 MI FROM THE ARPT THE FOG BEGAN PUSHING DOWN AND AROUND ME; I BEGAN TO DSND BUT IT WAS JUST GETTING WORSE RAPIDLY. SOON I WAS IN CONDITIONS I HAD NEVER BEEN IN BEFORE; AND I COULD NO LONGER USE THE OUTSIDE HORIZON TO FLY THE ACFT SO I BECAME A BIT DISORIENTED. I CONCENTRATED MORE AT THIS POINT IN KEEPING THE PLANE STRAIGHT AND LEVEL BY THE ACFT INSTS. NEXT; I TUNED INTO FREQ 122.2 FOR THE FSS TO GET ASSISTANCE IN FINDING A SUITABLE ARPT CLOSE BY BECAUSE I FELT GOING BACK TO PROVIDENCE WOULD BE TAKING TOO MUCH OF A RISK. I EXPLAINED THE SIT TO THE FSS 'I AM A STUDENT PLT ON MY 1ST XCOUNTRY; I AM 20 MI E OF NEW HAVEN WITH VERY POOR VISIBILITY AND I AM HAVING A HARD TIME SEEING THE GND. I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN THESE CONDITIONS AND I FEEL DISORIENTED.' A PLT OVER NEW HAVEN TOOK OVER THE CONVERSATION AND OFFERED ME THE ASSISTANCE OF GETTING INTO GROTEN ARPT. I FEEL THAT I DID ALL THE RIGHT THINGS TO GET MYSELF OUT OF THAT SIT. I REMAINED CALM; DID NOT PANIC; CALLED FOR ASSISTANCE AND FOLLOWED DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY. HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR PREVIOUS INST TRAINING WITH THE HOOD; THE SIT MAY HAVE BEEN EVEN MORE DIFFICULT.

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