A PA32 PLT; DEPARTING GAL; AK; ENCOUNTERED A PATCH OF FOG SHORTLY AFTER ROTATION TO APPROX 60 FT.

2001-12 · NASA ASRS report 532878

Date: 2001-12 · Aircraft: PA-32 Cherokee Six/Lance/Saratoga/6X · Phase: takeoff

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|inflight-event-encounter-vfr-in-imc|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence

Synopsis

A PA32 PLT; DEPARTING GAL; AK; ENCOUNTERED A PATCH OF FOG SHORTLY AFTER ROTATION TO APPROX 60 FT.

Narrative

ON THE FLT IN QUESTION; I CONTACTED FSS (TANANA RCO) AND OBTAINED THE MOST CURRENT WX FOR THE GALENA ARPT PRIOR TO ENTERING THE IMMEDIATE ARPT AREA. AT THAT TIME GALENA WAS RPTING VFR WITH ISOLATED PATCHES OF GND FOG. UPON APCHING THE GALENA AREA; I OBTAINED VISUAL CONTACT OF THE ARPT AND RWY ENVIRONMENT FROM 30 MI OUT AT AN ALT OF 6500 FT AND WAS IN CAVU CONDITIONS AT THIS TIME. I PROCEEDED WITH A VISUAL APCH AND LNDG WITHOUT ANY PROBS. IN THE PROCESS OF UNLOADING AND REFUELING I PERCEIVED AND OBSERVED NO APPARENT CHANGE IN SKY OR VISIBILITY CONDITIONS. I PROCEEDED TO TAKE OFF EXPERIENCING A 15-30 SECOND ENCOUNTER WITH A PATCH OF FOG SHORTLY AFTER ROTATION; BUT WAS ONCE AGAIN IN CAVU CONDITIONS AT AN ALT OF 60 FT. SHORTLY AFTER BECOMING AIRBORNE; ANOTHER PLT 20 MI OUT INFORMED THAT OFFICIAL WX RPTED PREVAILING VISIBILITY AT 2 MI AT THE TIME OF MY DEP. GALENA ARPT HAS CLASS E AIRSPACE TO THE SURFACE; THUS THE FIELD WAS BEING RPTED AS IFR. BECAUSE OF MY ASSUMPTION THAT CONDITIONS WERE STILL VFR; I HAD INADVERTENTLY DEPARTED WITHOUT OBTAINING AN SVFR CLRNC. I FAILED TO STRICTLY FOLLOW SOUND AND PROVEN PROCS IN ALWAYS OBTAINING THE CURRENT WX CONDITIONS PRIOR TO DEP. SIMPLY BECAUSE THE ARPT APPEARED TO BE VFR IN MY OPINION DOES NOT EXCUSE THE FAILURE TO FOLLOW PROCS. THE LESSON LEARNED IS TO STRICTLY ADHERE TO AND PRACTICE PROPER PROCS AND JUDGEMENT AND NOT TO DEVIATE FROM THEM NO MATTER THE PERCEPTION OF CONDITIONS ON MY BEHALF. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THIS WILL ELIMINATE ANOTHER SIT FROM ARISING IN THE FUTURE.

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

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