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.

Date: 2003-05 · Aircraft: Cessna 310/T310C · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: inflight-event-encounter-other-unknown|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence

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.