A SUPERCUB PVT PLT OBTAINS A FLT ASSIST FROM MCN APCH CTLR AND A MIL APCH CTLR TO WRB AFB WHEN THE WX AT THE PLANNED FUEL STOP AT DBN IS UNSUITABLE FOR THIS NON IFR RATED PLT.

1999-09 · NASA ASRS report 450201

Date: 1999-09 · Aircraft: PA-18/19 Super Cub · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence|inflight-event-encounter-vfr-in-imc|other-diversion

Synopsis

A SUPERCUB PVT PLT OBTAINS A FLT ASSIST FROM MCN APCH CTLR AND A MIL APCH CTLR TO WRB AFB WHEN THE WX AT THE PLANNED FUEL STOP AT DBN IS UNSUITABLE FOR THIS NON IFR RATED PLT.

Narrative

ON SEP/XA/99 I DEPARTED PNS AT ABOUT XA30 IN MY PIPER SUPERCUB (PA-18A-150) BOUND FOR DBN TO TAKE ON FUEL. I PLANNED TO CONTINUE ON TO 5W8 TO AGAIN TOP OFF WITH FUEL AND ARRIVE AT MY ULTIMATE DEST AND HOME BASE OF 2W6 BEFORE DARK. I RECEIVED WX DATA PRIOR TO DEP VIA THE AUTOMATIC WX TERMINAL AT PNS. THE PROGNOSTIC CHART INDICATED MVFR AND EVENTUALLY IFR CONDITIONS MOVING UP FROM THE S. AT THE TIME OF TKOF PNS WAS ON THE NORTHERN EDGE OF THE MVFR AREA. SINCE MY FLT TOOK ME TO THE NW; I EXPECTED TO LEAVE THE POOR WX BEHIND AND HAVE ONLY SKY CLR CONDITIONS WITH LIGHT HAZE FOR THE WHOLE TRIP. AS I DEPARTED PNS THE WX WAS SCATTERED AT 3000 FT; WINDS OUT OF THE N AT 9 KTS; AND UNLIMITED VISIBILITY. ABOUT 1 HR INTO THE FLT CRUISING AT 7500 FT; THE SCATTERED LAYER BELOW ME BECAME BROKEN. ABOVE THE LAYER THE SKY WAS CLR; VISIBILITY WAS UNLIMITED; AND THERE WAS NO TURB. AS THE FLT PROGRESSED THE LAYER BECAME SOLID AND THE TOPS ROSE SLOWLY. EVENTUALLY I CLBED TO 9500 FT TO STAY CLR OF THE CLOUD TOPS. AS I CAME INTO THE VICINITY OF VIENNA VOR (ABOUT 32N; 84W) I TUNED IN THE DBN AWOS. I DON'T RECALL THE ACTUAL NUMBERS BUT IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT I WOULD NOT BE LNDG AT DBN DUE TO LOW CEILINGS AND POOR VISIBILITY. I HAD ENOUGH FUEL TO CRUISE FOR ANOTHER 110 NM AND SO I TUNED IN THE AWOS AT 3J7 AND HQU WHICH ONLY RPTED LOW (AS I RECALL 1500 FT AND 2000 FT) SCATTERED LAYERS AND ACCEPTABLE VISIBILITY. THE PROB WAS THAT THERE WAS A RIDGE OF HIGH CLOUDS TOPPING OUT AT MAYBE 16000 FT STRETCHING FROM NW TO SE AND CTRED OVER DBN. THE PLANE; BEING 450 LBS UNDER GROSS WT AND 150 HP; MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CLB THAT HIGH (THE FLT MANUAL LISTS THE SVC CEILING AT FL180) BUT WITHOUT OXYGEN AND HAVING NO EXPERIENCE WITH HYPOXIA; I WASN'T EVEN GOING TO TRY IT. I CALLED MACON APCH AND ALERTED THEM TO MY SIT AND FUEL STATE (1 HR 15 MINS FUEL REMAINING). THEY ASKED; 'ARE YOU AND YOUR ACFT IFR CERTIFIED?' I RESPONDED; 'NEGATIVE.' THEY THEN SECURED PIREPS FROM SEVERAL ACFT IN THE VICINITY AND METARS FROM NEARBY RPTING STATIONS. AFTER SEVERAL MINS OF DISCUSSING MY OPTIONS WITH THEM; THEY SUGGESTED 'A RADAR SURVEILLANCE APCH INTO ROBINS.' I ACCEPTED AND MACON APCH ASSIGNED ME TO A NEW FREQ WITH A DEDICATED CTLR FOR THE APCH. NOTE: I DO NOT HAVE AN ATTITUDE GYRO (ARTIFICIAL HORIZON) OR A GYROCOMPASS IN MY SUPERCUB. THE CTLR AND I BRIEFLY DISCUSSED THE PROC. I SLOWED TO 90 MPH AND REDUCED PWR FOR A STEADY; APPROX 750 FPM; DSCNT. I BEGAN PRACTICING MY PARTIAL PANEL INST SCAN KEEPING THE TURN RATE INDICATOR (NEEDLE) AND SLIP INDICATOR (BALL) CTRED TO MAINTAIN WINGS LEVEL. I RPTED ENTERING FULL IMC AT 10000 FT AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY ENCOUNTERED MODERATE TURB. I GOT VERTIGO PRETTY QUICKLY BUT JUST HAD TO KEEP BELIEVING THE INSTS AND IGNORING WHAT I FELT. I HAD TROUBLE HOLDING ANY HDG UNTIL THE TURB SUBSIDED AT ABOUT 6000 FT MSL. THE CTLR CLRED ME DOWN TO 1500 FT MSL. ONCE AT 1500 FT; I STILL COULDN'T SEE THE GND SO HE THEN CLRED ME TO 800 FT MSL (FIELD ELEVATION 295 FT MSL). DSNDED TO 800 FT MSL AND CALLED GND IN SIGHT. NOT UNTIL I WAS WITHIN LESS THAN 1/2 MI DID I SEE THE RWY LIGHTS. AS I CROSSED THE THRESHOLD I NOTICED THE ROW OF B1 BOMBERS OFF TO THE R. NOT UNTIL THEN DID I REALIZE THAT 'ROBINS' WAS AN AFB. I TIED DOWN MY PLANE AT THE BASE FLYING CLUB RAMP AND GOT A ROOM AT THE BOQ FOR THE NEXT 3 NIGHTS WHILE I WAITED OUT THE WX. I NEVER DID ACTUALLY DECLARE AN EMER BUT APPARENTLY MACON DID BECAUSE ONCE I WAS ON THE GND IN THE AIR OPS OFFICE I HEARD ONE OF THE AIR FORCE GUYS TALKING ON THE PHONE TO DECLARE THE EMER OVER.

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

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