C310 PLT LANDED AT THE FIRST PAVED SURFACE HE SAW TO AVOID FILING AN IFR FLT PLAN. PAVED SURFACE WAS A STATE PARK ROADWAY. PLT DEPARTED SAME ROADWAY WHEN WX IMPROVED.
Synopsis
C310 PLT LANDED AT THE FIRST PAVED SURFACE HE SAW TO AVOID FILING AN IFR FLT PLAN. PAVED SURFACE WAS A STATE PARK ROADWAY. PLT DEPARTED SAME ROADWAY WHEN WX IMPROVED.
Narrative
ON MAY/TUE/03; I WAS RETURNING TO SAN ANTONIO; TX; VFR; FROM CAT ISLAND; BAHAMAS. AFTER CLRING CUSTOMS IN FT PIERCE; I REFUELED AND CALLED FSS FOR A BRIEFING ALONG THE RTE NW TO THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND THEN W TO SAN ANTONIO. ALL STATIONS WERE RPTING VFR WITH 5-7 MI VISIBILITY WITH HAZE. CEILINGS WERE NOT A FACTOR. IMMEDIATELY AFTER TKOF; I CONTACTED DEP CTL; REQUESTED FLT FOLLOWING; RECEIVED A DISCRETE CODE; AND CLBED VFR TO 8500 FT MSL. JUST E OF PANAMA CITY; THE HAZE BEGAN TO THICKEN AND SOME SCUD STARTED FORMING BELOW ME. I BEGAN A LETDOWN TO MAINTAIN VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE GND. THIS DSCNT CONTINUED UNTIL I WAS JUST W OF NAVARRE; FL; AND SE OF PENSACOLA. AT THIS POINT; VISIBILITY APPEARED TO BE DROPPING RAPIDLY AND I MADE A 180 DEG TURN WITH THE THOUGHT OF HEADING BACK E AND LANDED AT DESTIN/FT WALTON BEACH. I ADVISED EGLIN APCH OF MY INTENTIONS. WHILE HDG EBOUND OVER NAVARRE; I NOTICED WHAT APPEARED TO BE A PAVED RWY WITH A LARGE RAMP UNDER CONSTRUCTION. HDG E; ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER I SPOTTED THE 'RWY;' IT APPEARED THAT IF I WERE TO CONTINUE EBOUND I WOULD FLY INTO A 'WALL' OF HAZE THAT I COULD NOT SEE INTO OR THROUGH. I ADVISED EGLIN APCH THAT I WAS RETURNING TO THE STRIP I HAD JUST SEEN AND WAS GOING TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG UNTIL VISIBILITY IMPROVED. I MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AND TAXIED BACK TO THE 'RAMP' WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE THE PARKING LOT OF THE NEW NAVARRE STATE PARK. I VISITED WITH A COUPLE OF PARK RANGERS AND A LCL DEPUTY SHERIFF WHO SUGGESTED I SHOULD BE ON MY WAY ASAP. THE VISIBILITY MATERIALLY IMPROVED IN THE NEXT 45 MINS AND I MADE AN UNEVENTFUL TKOF AND PROCEEDED TO PENSACOLA WHERE I TOPPED OFF MY TANKS AND CONTINUED WBOUND. THE STRIP I LANDED ON WAS THE SOON TO BE ENTRANCE ROAD TO THE PARK. THIS EXPERIENCE WAS A CLASSIC LESSON OF HOW VISIBILITY IN HVY HAZE AT ALT (EVEN LOW ALTS) CAN BE QUITE DIFFERENT THAN THAT ON THE GND; EVEN WHEN CEILING IS NOT REALLY A FACTOR. IN RETROSPECT; I SHOULD HAVE LANDED AT DESTIN/FT WALTON BEACH AND STAYED THERE UNTIL I COULD GET SOME PIREPS TO BE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT THERE WAS GOOD VFR THROUGH SUCH A HIGHLY CONGESTED AREA.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.