A VFR C182 PLT ON TOP OF AN OVERCAST CONDITION REQUESTED A GPS RWY 4 APCH TO MGR; BUT THE CTLR DID NOT AUTHORIZE THE APCH. AS A RESULT; THE PLT DSNDED THROUGH THE OVERCAST AND LANDED.
Synopsis
A VFR C182 PLT ON TOP OF AN OVERCAST CONDITION REQUESTED A GPS RWY 4 APCH TO MGR; BUT THE CTLR DID NOT AUTHORIZE THE APCH. AS A RESULT; THE PLT DSNDED THROUGH THE OVERCAST AND LANDED.
Narrative
MY FLT WAS TO MGR. PREFLT WX BRIEFING (TAF) FORECAST CLOUDS IN THE SOUTHERN GA AND NORTHERN FL AREA SURROUNDING MGR AS SCATTERED CLOUDS FROM 3000 - 4000 FT. SINCE THE RTE OF FLT WX N OF THE AREA WAS 'CLR;' I DECIDED TO MAKE THE TRIP 'VFR.' FROM ROUGHLY COLUMBUS; GA; S TO MOULTRIE; THE SCATTERED CLOUDS BENEATH ME BEGAN TO CLOSE INTO BROKEN CLOUDS; AND BECAME OVERCAST IN SPOTS. KNOWING THAT IT MAY BECOME DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN VFR DURING MY DSCNT TO MGR; I CONTACTED APCH CTL AND REQUESTED TO FLY THE GPS RWY 4 APCH TO MGR. INITIALLY; A CTLR ATTEMPTED TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE; BUT HIS VOICE WAS EXTREMELY DEEP; MUDDLED; AND GARBLED. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; ANOTHER CTLR CAME ON THE FREQUENCY AND COM WAS NO LONGER A PROB. HOWEVER; THE CTLR WOULD NOT AUTH AN APCH (ALTHOUGH IT WAS REQUESTED) TO MGR. INSTEAD THE CTLR SIMPLY INFORMED ME THERE WAS NO TFC IN THE AREA AFFECTING A GPS RWY 4 APCH. COMMENTS: 1) ON RARE OCCASIONS; AND IN ALL CASES IT'S MALE CTLRS WHEN IT HAPPENS; I ENCOUNTER A CTLR WHOSE VOICE TONAL QUALITIES ARE VERY POOR. THIS LEADS TO PLTS MISUNDERSTANDING THE CTLR AND/OR ASKING THAT INSTRUCTIONS BE REPEATED SLOWLY. PERHAPS; FAA SHOULD HAVE SOME FORM OF AUDIO SCREENING OF INDIVIDUAL CTLRS TO ASSURE GOOD; CLR COM. 2) GIVEN MY IFR RATING THIS SIT WAS AN ENTIRELY SAFE SIT; AS IT WAS A VERY SIMPLE MATTER TO SHOOT THE APCH. HOWEVER; WHEN AN UNFORESEEN WX EVENT OCCURS REQUIRING A SHIFT FROM A VFR FLT TO AN IFR DSCNT; IT WOULD BE BOTH HELPFUL AND SAFER IF ATC WILL READILY ACCOMMODATE THE PLT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE ROUTING AND THE ARPT. HIS ROUTINE IS TO START CHKING THE WX ALONG THE INTENDED RTE 4 OR 5 DAYS IN ADVANCE USING GENERAL INTERNET WX SITES; THEN REFER TO THE PLT GROUP WX FORECAST SITE FOR MORE DETAILED INFO ALONG THE ENTIRE ROUTE A DAY OR SO BEFORE THE FLT. TAF ARE THEN CHKED THE NIGHT BEFORE AND JUST PRIOR TO DEPARTING. IN THIS CASE THE WX WAS FORECASTED TO REMAIN SCATTERED TO BROKEN THE ENTIRE FLT; BUT LATER ON WENT FROM BROKEN TO OVERCAST; WITH BASES ABOUT 1900 FT AND TOPS 2200 FT. AFTER THE CTLR INDICATED THAT AN IFR DSCNT WOULD NOT BE APPROVED; THE RPTR CIRCLED THROUGH THE OVERCAST AND LANDED AT MGR. HE SAID THAT THERE WAS NOT ANY OTHER TFC IN THE AREA AS HE DSNDED THROUGH THE CLOUDS. THE ACFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A GARMAN GDL49 WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED; BUT HAS SINCE BEEN UPGRADED TO A GARMAN GDL69. IN ADDITION TO PLT GROUP WX AND TAF; THE RPTR USES OTHER RESOURCES SUCH AS ASOS AND AWOS; HOWEVER; IF THE WX IS BAD; HE WILL TERMINATE HIS FLT.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.