2002-02 · NASA ASRS report 537141
SMA NON INST RATED PVT PLT INADVERTENTLY FLEW INTO IMC DURING VFR XCOUNTRY FLT UNDERNEATH AN OVCST WITH OCCASIONAL SNOW SHOWERS.
VFR FLT; 5-10 MI VISIBILITY; LIGHT SNOW RPTED. LEAVING CLE TO MPV; ALL STATIONS RPTED 10 MI VISIBILITY; CEILINGS 4500 FT OR GREATER. USED FLT FOLLOWING FROM CLE. VISIBILITY GOOD UNTIL NE OF UTICA. SNOW SHOWERS REDUCED VISIBILITY TO 3-5 MI. I ASKED ATC WHAT RADAR WAS SHOWING; AND WAS TOLD I WAS IN A BELT OF SNOW 15 MI WIDE. AS VISIBILITY DROPPED; I LOOKED TO THE SE IN ANTICIPATION OF A 180 DEG TURN BACK TO BETTER VISIBILITY BUT SNOW STARTED TO BECOME HVY ALL AROUND AND BEHIND. I RPTED CONDITIONS TO ATC AND ASKED FOR VECTORS OUT OF THE WX. ATC SAID UTICA WAS RPTING 10 MI CLR. I INITIATED A TURN TO UTICA. REGAINED VISIBILITY WITHIN 2 MINS. ATC DID A GOOD JOB WITH ME AND HELPED ME OUT OF THE SIT. ON A PREVIOUS DAY; ALONG WITH THIS INSTANCE; WHILE ON FLT FOLLOWING; I WAS NOT GIVEN ANY INFO ON HVY WX THAT I WAS FLYING INTO. IN FLORIDA I WAS HEADED DIRECTLY TOWARD CLASS 1 PRECIP AND WAS NOT INFORMED UNTIL UPON IT. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE COM FROM ATC WHEN A FLT IS ENRTE TO VISIBLE RADAR REFLECTIONS FOR WX. IT WOULD TAKE VERY LITTLE TIME AND COULD HELP PREVENT THIS TYPE OF SIT.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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