1997-10 · NASA ASRS report 384261
PVT PLT IN SMA GETS INVOLVED WITH DETERIORATING WX AT MLI WHILE 3 MI FROM ARPT. PLT LOSES CTL OF ACFT FOR A SHORT TIME AND GETS ASSISTANCE FROM TWR CTLR FOR A VISUAL TO ARPT.
I WAS ENRTE VFR TO QUAD CITY ARPT AT MOLINE; IL; FROM ILLINOIS VALLEY REGIONAL ARPT PERU; IL; ON OCT/THU/97. AT APPROX AB55 AM I WAS MONITORING THE QUAD CITY ATIS FREQ AT WHICH TIME THE INFO CHANGED ADVISING 9 MI VISIBILITY AND 1400 FT AGL SCATTERED AND OVERCAST. ELEVATION AT QUAD CITY ARPT IS 589 FT MSL. I INITIALLY CONTACTED QUAD CITY APCH ON FREQ 125.95; 20 MI E OF QUAD CITY ARPT HDG 270 DEGS. I ADVISED MY INTENTIONS TO LAND; MY LOCATION; AND THAT I HAD INFO FROM ATIS. AT APPROX 15 MI FROM THE QUAD CITY ARPT I OBSERVED CLOUDS AT MY FLT LEVEL; OF 2500 FT MSL; APPROX 5 MI IN FRONT OF ME AND REQUESTED TO DSND TO A FLT LEVEL OF 1500 FT MSL; WHICH WAS APPROVED. AFTER REACHING THAT LEVEL; I WAS CLR OF THE CLOUDS ABOVE ME. APPROX 10 MI FROM THE QUAD CITY ARPT I WAS HANDED OVER TO QUAD CITY CTL TWR ON FREQ 119.4 AND I WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 27. AT THIS TIME; FORWARD VISIBILITY DETERIORATED RAPIDLY. I ADVISED THE CTLR OF THIS CONDITION. APPROX 3 MI FROM THE ARPT I REQUESTED TO TURN 180 DEGS TO A HDG OF 090 DEGS. CTLR ADVISED ME TO FLY W; N-NWBOUND IF POSSIBLE. AT THIS TIME I HAD NO VISIBILITY IN ANY DIRECTION AND BEGAN TO BECOME DISORIENTED AND VERTIGO SET IN. THE CTLR ASKED WHAT DIRECTION I WAS HEADING AND I DETERMINED THAT I WAS ON A HDG OF 360 DEGS. I THEN BECAME DISORIENTED AGAIN; AND FELT THAT MY ACFT WAS IN A STEEP BANK TURN TO THE R. AFTER REGAINING CTL OF THE ACFT; THE CTLR GUIDED ME TO THE ARPT; AT WHICH TIME I OBSERVED THE ARPT AND LANDED ON RWY 27. I BELIEVE THIS SIT OCCURRED BECAUSE I DEPENDED ON THE INFO CONCERNING THE WX THAT WAS AVAILABLE TO THE CTLR. IT APPEARS THAT THE CTLRS CAN ONLY WORK WITH THE INFO AVAILABLE TO THEM. WX CAN BE A DYNAMIC SIT; AND CAN CHANGE AT A RAPID PACE. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE CTLR'S ACTIONS AND HIS PROFESSIONALISM IS WHAT HELPED ME THROUGH THIS INCIDENT. TRAINING FOR MY IFR RATING IS ALREADY UNDERWAY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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