A C172 PLT 'VFR' IN 'IMC.'

Narrative

AT XA30 AM LCL TIME ON NOV/THU/01 A CALL WAS PLACED TO THE BURLINGTON FLT SVC STATION AND A PREFLT WX BRIEFING WAS OBTAINED FOR THE RTE OF FLT FROM POTSDAM'S DAEMON FIELD (PTD) TO NEW HAVEN'S TWEED ARPT (HVN). THE BRIEFER RPTED THAT A STATIONARY FRONT NORTH OF THE ST LAWRENCE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME CLOUDINESS ALONG THE NORTHERN SECTION OF THE ROUTE. MASSENA (MSS) AUTOMATED WX INDICATED WINDS CALM; VISIBILITY 10 MI; CEILING 5000 FT OVERCAST. THE BRIEFER INDICATED THAT THE WX WOULD IMPROVE STEADILY ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLT. SARANCA LAKE (SLK) WAS RPTING 10 MI (VISIBILITY) WITH 3500 FT OVERCAST. ALBANY (ALB) WAS CLR BELOW 12000 FT AS WAS NEW HAVEN (HVN). THERE WAS AN AIRMET FOR MODERATE RIME/MIXED ICING IN CLOUDS AND PERCEPTION NORTH OF SYRACUSE (SYR). THE BRIEFER NOTED THAT THE RADAR SHOWED NO PRECIPITATION AND THAT NONE WAS TO BE EXPECTED DURING THE DAY. PIREPS ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLT INDICATED THAT CLOUD TOPS WERE IN THE VICINITY OF 6000 FT. AT NO TIME DID THE BRIEFER INDICATE THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. DEPARTING POTSDAM (PTD) AT APPROX XB40 THE ASOS WAS INDICATING 3000 FT OVERCAST WITH 10 MI VISIBILITY AND LIGHT WINDS. WHILE PROCEEDING SOUTH ENRTE THE WX WAS FAIR; WITH IN FLT VISIBILITY GREATER THAN 10 MI WITH AN OVERCAST LAYER VARYING BETWEEN 3000 FT AND 5000 FT (AGL). THE WX APPEARED TO BE IMPROVING IN FRONT OF US. APPROX 30 MINS INTO THE FLT (APPROX 50 MI SOUTH OF PTD) THE WX BEGAN TO RAPIDLY DETERIORATE. A DECENT FROM OUR INITIAL CRUISING ALT OF 3500 FT MSL WAS REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN THE REQUIRED SEPARATION FROM THE THICKENING COULD BASES. FACED WITH DETERIORATING WX ALONG OUR RTE OF FLT A DECISION WAS MADE TO RTN TO POTDAM (PTD). A 180 DEG TURN WAS EXECUTED (STILL IN VFR CONDITIONS) ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT SOLID IMC NOW PREVAILED ALONG THE RTE TO POSTSDAM (PTD). THE WX ABOUT US WAS DETERIORATING RAPIDLY. FACED WITH RAPIDLY DETERIORATING WX WHILE FLYING IN HIGH TERRAIN; THE ONLY REASONABLE APCH SEEMED TO BE ATTEMPT A HIGH PERFORMANCE CLB INTO VFR CONDITIONS ON TOP OF THE WORSENING WX. A TURN WAS MADE INTO THE PREVAILING WIND (APPROX 270 DEG AT 15 KTS) AND SUCH A CLB INITIATED. IT BECAME QUICKLY APPARENT THAT IT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE TO COMPLETE THIS CLB ENTIRELY IN VMC. WHILE CLBING THROUGH 3500 FT MSL THE ONSET OF RAPID AIRFRAME ICING (RIME) WAS NOTED. FULL CARBURETOR; PITOT; AND CAB HEAT WAS APPLIED TO LIMIT THE EFFECTS OF ICING. AT APPROX 4200 FT THE VERTICAL SPEED AND ALTIMETER WERE INDICATING A ZERO RATE OF CLB. AIRSPEED WAS NORMAL (APPROX 75 KTS) AND THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR INDICATED A NOSE UP ATTITUDE. APPROX ONE MIN LATER THE SELECTION OF ALTERNATE STATIC AIR RESTORED THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE ALTIMETER AND VSI (THE STATIC PORT MUST HAVE ICED OVER). DUE TO THE HIGH WORKLOAD DURING THE CLIMB; NO ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO CONTACT ATC DURING THE CLB. AIRFRAME ICING STOPPED AT APPROX 5500 FT. A BREAKOUT INTO VMC OCCURRED AT APPROX 6500 FT. THE CLB WAS CONTINUED TO 7000 FT. BOS CENTER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED THAT A VFR FLT INTO IMC HAD OCCURRED WITH AN INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT ON BOARD. A CLRNC WAS REQUESTED AND OBTAINED DIRECT TO POTSDAM (PTD) AND AN UNEVENTFUL NDB APCH TO RWY 24 WAS COMPLETED. I DO NOT HOLD AN INSTRUMENT RATING; HOWEVER I HAVE COMPLETED ALL OF THE REQUIRED TRAINING FOR THE RATING; BUT HAVE YET TO TAKE THE CHECK RIDE. GIVEN THE DETERIORATING WX; POTSDAM'S PROXIMITY; AND MY FAMILIARITY WITH THE NDB 24 APCH INTO POTSDAM I DECIDED THAT THIS WAS THE SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION.