C185 PLT ENTERS SMOKE FROM FOREST FIRE RESULTING IN VFR IN IMC.

Narrative

I WAS RETURNING FROM A FLT TO THE BROOKS RANGE VFR TO FAI. A FOREST FIRE WAS BURNING 30 SW OF FAI. HAD BEEN CRUISING BETWEEN 5500 AND 7000 FT MSL; BASED ON CEILINGS ABOVE. AT ABOUT 50 NM FROM FAI; SMOKE BEGAN TO GET THICK; BUT STILL HAD GOOD VISIBILITY 15+ E; LOWER W; BUT COULD MAKE OUT HILLS AHEAD. AS SMOKE THICKENED; I DESCENDED TO MAINTAIN GND CONTACT. I HAVE BEEN IN RADIO WITH FAI APCH CTL; BUT NOT RADAR CONTACT; SINCE 50 MI N. AS I DESCENDED TO STAY VFR; APCH WAS UNABLE TO PICK ME UP ON RADAR. BY 30 MI OUT; I HAD DESCENDED BELOW 3000 FT TO MAINTAIN GND CONTACT; AND REALIZED THAT I HAD TERRAIN HIGHER THAN THAT BETWEEN ME AND FAI. AT THAT POINT; VISIBILITY WENT DOWN TO ZERO; SO I ASKED FAI APCH FOR A POP-UP IFR CLRNC TO FAI. INITIALLY THEY WERE UNABLE TO ISSUE ME ONE; AS THEY DID NOT YET HAVE ME ON RADAR. THEY ADVISED ME OF TERRAIN HEIGHTS IN THE AREA; BASED ON MY POS RPT; AND TOLD ME THEY COULD GIVE ME A CLRNC AT 5000 FT. I CLBED TO 5000 FT AND TOOK A RADAR VECTOR FOR THE ILS INTO FAI. A FEW MINS LATER; I BROKE OUT OF THE SMOKE INTO 30 MI PLUS VISIBILITY; AND PROCEEDED TO FAI TO LAND. WHILE I WAS AWARE OF THE FIRE; THERE WERE NO PIREPS INDICATING A PROB WITH SMOKE. THE RCO N OF FAI WAS OUT OF SVC THAT DAY. I LISTENED ON ANOTHER FSS FREQ AND HEARD SEVERAL ACFT OPENING FLT PLANS HEADED MY DIRECTION. AT ABOUT 60 MI OUT I ATTEMPTED TO RAISE ONE OF THOSE ACFT ON THE FSS FREQ TO ASK FOR A PIREP; AS THEY WERE COMING THROUGH THE SMOKE; BUT WAS UNABLE TO CONTACT THEM. I FIELD A PIREP AS SOON AS I LANDED; AS THERE WERE TWO ACFT BEHIND ME ALSO RETURNING; WHICH I WANTED TO WARN. AFTER THE FACT I SPOKE WITH ONE OF THOSE PLTS WHO HAD STAYED HIGH; ABOUT 7000 FT; AND BEEN ABLE TO STAY VFR THROUGH THE SMOKE. I WAS DEFINITELY HAMPERED BY THE RCO OUTAGE. IN RETROSPECT; I WOULD WORK HARDER ON OBTAINING A PIREP; FROM THE OUTBOUND ACFT; HOWEVER IT APPEARS IN THIS CASE THERE WERE AREAS OF DENSE SMOKE; AND OTHER AREAS WHERE THE SMOKE WAS LESS DENSE. WILL NEED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DYNAMICS OF SMOKE PLUMES; AS WE HAVE FOREST FIRES WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY THE PAST THREE SEASONS IN INTERIOR AK. FAI APCH CTL WAS AS HELPFUL AS THEY COULD BE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES; BUT THAT LEFT ME HAVING TO MAKE AN IFR CLB BEFORE I COULD PICK UP A CLRNC. RADAR COVERAGE IS VERY LIMITED IN AK. AS THERE WERE OTHER GA ACFT OPERATING IN THE AREA; PIREPS SEEM LIKELY THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE BEST SOURCE OF INFO. WITH THE MURPHY DOME RCO OUT OF SERVICE; THERE WAS NO OBVIOUS FREQ TO CONTACT THE VFR ACFT (I HAVE TWO RADIOS; ONE WAS ON FAI APCH; THE OTHER ON THE FSS FREQ). I NOTE THAT THE CANADIANS HAVE A SYS WHEN AFTER LEAVING AN ARPT AREA COVERED BY A CTAF; THEY ALL USE A COMMON ENRTE FREQ. IF THE US HAD A SIMILAR POLICY; I MIGHT HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL AT CONTACTING ONE OF THE NORTHBOUND VFR ACFT AND OBTAINING A PIREP TO KNOW WHERE/HOW THEY MADE IT THROUGH THE SMOKE.