A VERY LOW TIME PLT UTILIZED POOR DECISION MAKING SKILLS AND CREATED AN EMER SIT DURING WHICH HE DSNDED THROUGH CLOUDS AFTER GETTING CAUGHT ON TOP OF A SOLID LAYER.
Synopsis
A VERY LOW TIME PLT UTILIZED POOR DECISION MAKING SKILLS AND CREATED AN EMER SIT DURING WHICH HE DSNDED THROUGH CLOUDS AFTER GETTING CAUGHT ON TOP OF A SOLID LAYER.
Narrative
I INFORMED THE WX BRIEFERS THAT I WAS LOOKING FOR A VFR RTE BTWN OR AROUND THE CLOUDS AND PRECIP. THEY INFORMED ME THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED DUE TO MVFR CONDITIONS; BUT THAT IF I WERE GOING TO TRY IT; TRAVELING W BTWN BANDS OF CLOUDS AND RAIN VIA VALDOSTA AND TALLAHASSEE LOOKED LIKE IT COULD WORK. CONDITIONS WERE ALSO FORECAST TO IMPROVE BY XF00. I DEPARTED JAX SOLO (MY WIFE AND CHILDREN WERE TO FOLLOW IN A RENTAL CAR IN CASE I WAS UNABLE TO MAKE THE FLT UNDER VFR AND HAD TO LAND AND LEAVE THE PLANE FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO PICK UP) AND HEADED W AFTER LEAVING JAX AIRSPACE. I CONTACTED ZJX FOR FLT FOLLOWING. THE CEILING GRADUALLY DROPPED AND CTR INFORMED ME THAT I WAS NO LONGER IN RADAR CONTACT AND FLT FOLLOWING WAS TERMINATED. (THIS WAS THE FIRST INDICATION THAT I SHOULD HAVE ABORTED THE FLT.) I CONTINUED UNDER VFR INTO THE AREA OF LOWER CEILINGS. DARK CLOUDS AND LOW CEILINGS TO THE N AROUND VALDOSTA PREVENTED ME FROM REACHING THE ARPTS IN THE AREA. (THIS WAS THE SECOND INDICATION THAT I SHOULD HAVE ABORTED THE FLT.) I CONTINUED WESTWARD EXPECTING CONDITIONS TO IMPROVE FARTHER TO THE W. I FOUND A HOLE IN THE OVCST AND CLBED ABOVE HOPING TO BE ABLE TO GET BEYOND THE AREA WITH CLOUDS AND RAIN. AFTER 2 HRS OF FLT WITH NO ARPTS AT WHICH I COULD LAND; I INFORMED ZJX OF MY SIT: VFR OVER THE TOP OF AN OVCST LAYER WITH 90-120 MINS OF FUEL REMAINING; NO VFR LNDG SITES NEARBY; AND THAT I WANTED TO DECLARE AN EMER. I STARTED A CLB TO APPROX 10000 FT AND REDUCED PWR TO 55% TO CONSERVE FUEL. CTR WORKED WITH FLT SVC AND FOUND VFR CONDITIONS TO THE S AND TO THE E. CLOUD TOPS LOOKED HIGHER TO THE S AND TO THE W; SO I CHOSE THE EASTERLY RTE TOWARD SAVANNAH. CTR PROVIDED HDG AND DISTANCE INFO. CTR THEN INFORMED ME THAT AGS WAS VFR AND CLOSER TO MY POS; AND AGAIN PROVIDED HDG AND DISTANCE INFO. I PROCEEDED TOWARD AGS BUT ENCOUNTERED CLOUD TOPS HIGHER THAN MY ALT; AND INFORMED THE CTR CTLR OF MY SIT. I BEGAN AN EMER DSCNT THROUGH THE UNDERCAST AND BROKE OUT AT APPROX 3000 FT AND CONTINUED MY DSCNT TO APPROX 2000 FT INTO VFR CONDITIONS ABOUT 15-20 MI FROM AGS ARPT. THE LURE OF IMPROVING CONDITIONS AND CLR WX TO THE W WERE FACTORS IN BOTH INITIATING AND CONTINUING THE FLT. OTHER FACTORS INCLUDED THE DESIRE TO GET HOME; AND THE INCONVENIENCE AND EXPENSE OF HAVING THE CLUB ACFT BEING FERRIED BACK TO MGY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.